From Denny: This particular quote really speaks to me. I've spent a lifetime of getting blowback for not following the crowd off the cliff. Either it's relatives angry I don't go along with turning a blind eye to abuse or surrounded by neighbors angry I refused to vote for or support Bush think.
Can you really spend your life worrying about what other people really think about you? Sure, we all want to be liked and loved, but at what price? Is it worth it to be liked by mean-spirited people who will turn on you in a flash second if the wind blows in suddenly? What's the point of cultivating shallow relationships that won't hold up under the slightest pressure? Better to have a smaller group of real friends who are not pretend supporters than a huge gaggle of fawning admirers who are insincere.
After observing how our lives have played out over time, my choices were validated and vindicated - eventually. :) And I've ended up the happiest one because I chose to be true to my inner self, at all costs.
Quote
Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation or social standards never can bring about reform. Those who are really in earnest are willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathies with despised ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences. - Susan B. Anthony
