17/02/21 – Wise words

I’m currently reading Anne Frank’s diary and it’s such an incredible book. She’s a insightful writer, especially so for such a young age. I thought it would be a bit of a slog to get through but I’m finding myself flying through it by reading at every single moment of free time I have as I’m taking so much from it.

This quote stood out to me today. I’ll type it out too so it’s a bit clearer. What an exceptional and inspirational young woman.

At such moments I don’t think about all the misery, but about the beauty that still remains. This is where Mother and I differ greatly. Her advice in the face of melancholy is: Think about all the suffering in the world and be thankful you’re not part of it.’

My advice is: ‘Go outside, to the country, enjoy the sun and all nature has to offer. Go outside and try to recapture the happiness within yourself; think of all the beauty in yourself and in everything around you and be happy.’

I don’t think Mother’s advice can be right, because what are you supposed to do if you become part of the suffering? You’d be completely lost. On the contrary, beauty remains, even in misfortune. If you just look for it, you discover more and more happiness and regain your balance. A person who’s happy will make others happy; a person who has courage and faith will never die in misery!

Anne Frank “A Diary of a Young Girl”