Imagine the haunting stories you could write based on these quotes about isolation and the loneliness it engenders.

• “A prisoner is a man buried alive.” (Charles Dickens, author, after visiting a Pennsylvania prison)


• “It is strange to be known so universally and yet to be so lonely.” (Albert Einstein, scientist)


• “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” (Henry David Thoreau, author, naturalist, abolitionist, and philosopher)


• “I was very depressed when I was nineteen. I would go back to my apartment every day and I would just sit there. It was quiet and it was lonely. It was still. It was just my piano and myself. I had a television and I would leave it on all the time just to feel like somebody was hanging out with me.” (Lady Gaga, pop singer and actress)

If you look at the lives of these luminaries, it’s odd to think they could possibly feel isolated. The lesson here is that we can never know what secrets hide in the hearts of our neighbors or relatives or friends—often, we barely know the truth about ourselves.

The post #15 Isolation: Find Inspiration in the Words of These Luminaries appeared first on Jane Cleland.