“DON’T THINK OF IT AS DYING, said Death. JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH.”
- Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Terry Pratchett died earlier this year of Alzheimer’s disease or, as he called it, ‘an embuggerance’. With over 70 books, a fierce campaign for euthanasia, and an entire world created for us to read, his life will impact thousands more for years to come. Here’s some life advice from one of the world’s brightest minds.
Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out.
We all have that one friend, the one who we introduce to people as ‘the weird one’. Maybe they’ve just embraced their inner madman. Perhaps we should all let him/ her escape every so often.
Build a man a fire, and he’ll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he’ll be warm for the rest of his life.
An interesting take on the ‘give a man a fish’ proverb. You can’t disagree with him on this one though.
It’s not worth doing something unless you were doing something that someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren’t doing.
The phrase ‘you can’t please everyone’ ties in pretty nicely with this. If you’re afraid to do something because of the possible backlash, you should probably do it anyway. There will always be haters. But we don’t do things for them. We do things for ourselves, for the supporters, for the like-minded people we’re surrounded by.
I didn’t go to university. Didn’t even finish A-levels. But I have sympathy for those who did.
Enough said, really.
Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.
I don’t know about you but I’ve made more mistakes than I care to admit in my life. The best way forward is to look at the major disasters as learning curves.
Goodness is about what you do. Not what you pray to.
I’m a strong believer in this one. What or who you believe in doesn’t change whether or not your actions are good. If you kick a puppy, that’s bad. If you help a guy cross the street, that’s good.
If you don’t turn your life into a story, you just become a part of someone else’s.
Life has so much potential. Why waste it? Terry Pratchett didn’t. Even when he had Alzheimer’s he trekked through jungles, finding wild animals and writing incredible tales. He died at just 66 but had a life that would rival any.
Edited by India-Jayne Trainor
Sources:
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/terry-pratchett-best-quotes/