Life quotes

1. An Anatole France quote - "All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."

2. A quote from E, treasured writing instructor, who was quoting EB White, who was perhaps quoting Thoreau - "If you keep swimming in the direction you want to go in your life, even if it doesn't seem you're getting anywhere, at some point you'll look around and realize you've gotten farther than you'd ever dreamed you would. I honestly believe that's true. Keep swimming!"

3. A recent MM Lee quote - "I say you have no sense of proportion; you don’t know what life is about."

Even if Singaporeans don't know much about the life he speaks of, they do know about their own lives, and they struggle with them every day. Some worry about how they'll pay the bills this month; some can barely provide pocket money for their children; some wait for a generous soul to put a two-dollar note in their cupped palms; some dream of the day they'll be able to call a home their own, the day the gargantuan loan's fully paid off; some agonize about finding a job. Someone should give them a break, a good job, and for those who have any job at all - a substantial pay rise would be nice. And I'd like for nurses and social workers and anyone who slogs for the sake of humanity to get more money too. But real life never happens that way, does it? Don't we know it.