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It was not the feeling of completeness I so needed, but the feeling of not being empty.

Jonathan Safran Foer

We are lying to ourselves and to each other. Lying about what? I don’t care if we’re lying. I am a bad person. I don’t care. I don’t care what you are.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Bad Each Other Lying Yourself
Why does watching a dog be a dog fill one with happiness?
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Animal Dog Happiness Oneself
I watched the sheets breathe when she breathed, like how Dad used to say that trees inhale when people exhale, because I was too young to understand the truth about biological processes.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Breathe Father Process Tree Understand Young
I dreamt four nights ago of clock hands descending from the universe like rain, of the moon as a green eye, of mirrors and insects, of a love that never withdrew. It was not the feeling of completeness that I so needed, but the feeling of not being empty.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Complete Dreams Fantasy Feeling Myself Universe
I didn’t feel empty. I wished I’d felt empty. … I wanted to be empty like an overturned pitcher. But I was full like a stone.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Empty Feeling Myself Stone
Time was passing like a hand waving from a train that I wanted to be on.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Hand Myself Time Training
Songs are as sad as the listener.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Listening Sadness Song
I’d rather somebody hate what I do than be indifferent to it.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Different Hate Myself
Food serves two parallel purposes: it nourishes and it helps you remember. Eating and storytelling are inseparable-the saltwater is also tears; the honey not only tastes sweet, but makes us think of sweetness; the matzo is the bread of our affliction.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Food Help Honey Nourish Ourselves Purpose Remember Serve Tears
In my family, Father is the world champion at ending conversations.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Conversation End Family Father Myself
Cruelty depends on an understanding of cruelty, and the ability to choose against it. Or to choose to ignore it.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Ability Choice Cruelty Ignorance Understand
My point is that there are a lot of forces, like the media and the general political rhetoric tells us we should have more. That we should do better than our parents and have a bigger house or a better car.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Better Car Force Home Media Parents Point Politics
You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Happiness Philosophy Protect Sadness Yourself
The only thing more painful than being an active forgetter is to be an inert rememberer.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Active Forget Pain Remember
Of course food has an important cultural use in families, but there are things that have more important cultural uses in families, and broadening the conversation out simply from what’s reasonable also allows in other things.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Allow Conversation Culture Family Food Important Reason Simplicity
It was not the feeling of completeness I so needed, but the feeling of not being empty.
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Complete Empty Feeling Myself Need

It was not the feeling of completeness I so needed, but the feeling of not being empty.

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It was not the feeling of completeness I so needed, but the feeling of not being empty.

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