On Becoming a Hermit

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Highlights

  • Hermits fascinate us because they are who we might be if only we learnt to be braver. They have unearthed the courage to be unusual. They have ceased relying on outside sources of esteem in order to value themselves. They are free. (View Highlight)
  • No one is born not caring what others think. Such indifference is only ever the result of immense psychological labour (View Highlight)
  • Being a hermit ultimately has nothing to do with letting one’s hair grow or maintaining years of silence. These are blunt external symbols of what really counts: a state of mind in which we make conscious efforts to distance ourselves from the absurdities of our era and focus on what remains beautiful, kind and good in the time that remains. (View Highlight)
  • Hermits had a reputation for being strange; on closer examination, we should wonder why anyone would ever fail to want to be one. (View Highlight)