Bef0re Sunset

Anna Quindlen, Every Last One (via thequotejournals)

“I grew up in the suburbs. I used to think that I could write a prescription for a poor man: ‘Get a job, save your money, pull yourself up by the bootstraps.’ I don’t believe that anymore. I was ignorant to the experiences of poor people. I’d invite anyone to come and meet the people who live in this neighborhood. Right now we are surrounded by working poor people. These are the people who sell your tools at Sears, and fix your roofs, and take care of your parents, and mow your lawns, and serve your meals. They’re not getting a living wage. There’s no money left to save. There’s nothing left if they get sick. Nothing left if their car breaks down. And God forbid they make a mistake, because there’s nothing left to pay fines or fees. When you’re down here, the system will continue to kick dirt in your face. You can’t pull yourself up when there’s nothing to grab onto. We aren’t paying our brothers and sisters enough to live. We want them to serve us, but we aren’t serving them.”

“I’m afraid if I don’t choose a path soon, life will choose one for me.”

Mara Wilson (via aurelle)

Photograph by Annie Leibovitz. 

Paintings: Frederic Leighton’s Flaming June, Henri Matisse’s Odalisque with Red Culottes, Félix Vallotton’s Le Retour, Anders Zorn’s Frances Folsom Cleveland, Gustav Klimt’s Ria Munk, Vincent van Gogh’s La Mousmé, René Magritte’s La Robe du Soir, Julia Margaret Cameron’s photography.

 by vintagebutton 

"My wife and I have been married 16 years." “Children?” “Nope.” “Any particular reason?” “I was just never sure I wanted to have a child. And I always thought that with a decision that big, it was better not to guess and be wrong. I’ve just always had this anxiety about fulfilling myself and accomplishing my dreams. I love kids, and I love my friends’ kids, but I just didn’t think there’d be room in my life for a child. Some of the parents I know think that not having a child is a selfish decision to make. But then again, a lot of those same people, after two or three beers, have told me that they envy my freedom.”