Go without a coat; find out what cold is.

~ Live & Learn

black and white, portrait, photograph, model, woman, face

‎Go without a coat; find out what cold is. Go hungry; keep your existence lean. Wear away the fat, get down to the lean tissue and see what it’s all about. The only time you define your character is when you go without. In times of hardship, you find out what you’re made of and what you’re capable of. If you’re never tested, you’ll never define your character.

~ Henry Rollins

Image: holyholychic via thegiftsoflife

20 thoughts on “Go without a coat; find out what cold is.”

  1. Dave,

    I have been thinking a lot about stripping down my existence- too many responsibilities, too many material things, too much time spent spinning wheels. This passage stokes that desire. We’ll see where it goes.

    So Thanksgiving is over but the gratitude rolls on. I’m grateful for your messages and our connection.

    Tom

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  5. I’m all for not accumulating stuff.
    But – it seems to me that this is an entreaty to create hardship – which would be artificial, and then, of course, not hardship. If there’s a way out of hunger and cold – it’s not real hunger and cold.

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  8. Actually, I have been homeless once (for a day or two) and spent five years virtually living off tins of baked beans and not having enough money for heating in mid-winter. The experience has made me appreciate the things I have now, but I do rather overreact to the slightest threat to my security that might return me to that poverty.

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  9. Pingback: Baby, it’s COLD outside! Bundle up! | Two Different Girls

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