The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Search results for “Mental illness”

Madness and Genius: Cosmologist Janna Levin on the Vitalizing Power of Obsessiveness, from Newton to Einstein
Madness and Genius: Cosmologist Janna Levin on the Vitalizing Power of Obsessiveness, from Newton to Einstein

“Are all of nature’s greatest secrets encrypted in our own selves?”

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Kurt Vonnegut’s Lost NYU Lecture on What It Takes to Be a Writer, Animated
Kurt Vonnegut’s Lost NYU Lecture on What It Takes to Be a Writer, Animated

“Nothing means anything — except the artist makes his living by pretending, by putting it in a meaningful hole, though no such holes exist.”

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Teenage Sylvia Plath’s First Tragic Poem, with a Touching Remembrance by Her Mother
Teenage Sylvia Plath’s First Tragic Poem, with a Touching Remembrance by Her Mother

“Once a poem is made available to the public, the right of interpretation belongs to the reader.”

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Teenage Sylvia Plath’s Letters to Her Mother on the Joy of Living and Writing as Salvation and Sustenance for the Spirit
Teenage Sylvia Plath’s Letters to Her Mother on the Joy of Living and Writing as Salvation and Sustenance for the Spirit

“I want to be affected by life deeply, but never so blinded that I cannot see my share of existence in a wry, humorous light…”

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Celebrated Writers on the Culturally Controversial Choice Not to Have Children
Celebrated Writers on the Culturally Controversial Choice Not to Have Children

“It’s about time we stop mistaking self-knowledge for self-absorption — and realize that nobody has a monopoly on selfishness.”

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Tchaikovsky on Depression and Finding Beauty Amid the Wreckage of the Soul
Tchaikovsky on Depression and Finding Beauty Amid the Wreckage of the Soul

“Life is beautiful in spite of everything! … There are many thorns, but the roses are there too.”

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Sylvia Plath’s First Job: How the Beloved Poet’s Formative Experience as a Farm Worker Shaped Her Writing
Sylvia Plath’s First Job: How the Beloved Poet’s Formative Experience as a Farm Worker Shaped Her Writing

“Farm work is one of the best jobs for getting to know people as they really are.”

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The Blue Whale: A Loving Science Lullaby for Our Planet’s Largest-Hearted Creature
The Blue Whale: A Loving Science Lullaby for Our Planet’s Largest-Hearted Creature

An affectionate tour of an alternate universe right here on earth, where it’s possible to grow by nine pounds an hour and never sleep.

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Poet and Philosopher David Whyte on Anger, Forgiveness, and What Maturity Really Means
Poet and Philosopher David Whyte on Anger, Forgiveness, and What Maturity Really Means

“To forgive is to assume a larger identity than the person who was first hurt.”

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The Art of Motherfuckitude: Cheryl Strayed’s Advice to an Aspiring Writer on Faith and Humility
The Art of Motherfuckitude: Cheryl Strayed’s Advice to an Aspiring Writer on Faith and Humility

“Writing is hard for every last one of us… Coal mining is harder. Do you think miners stand around all day talking about how hard it is to mine for coal? They do not. They simply dig.”

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