“The Comfort Book” by Matt Haig

“The Comfort Book” by Matt Haig was a random pick from my reading list. I loved “The Midnight Library” so much that I decided to give a read to another book by this author. I don’t know how to quite describe the genre, but it is basically a pick-me-up book that contains the author’s favorite notes, quotes, thoughts, or anything that makes him feel better in a time of struggle. I can’t say that it was a great read but it made me think of creating my own “comfort book” and I think that’s already a great takeaway. When I was reading it, I kept on thinking – why don’t I have a book of quotes, notes, or everything that inspires me? So maybe it is time to start it! Anyhow, here is a list of quotes that I highlighted for myself from the book or the words and sentences that I liked:

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“It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learned while we are at our lowest.”

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“You would look at that baby and think they lacked nothing. That baby came complete. Their value was innate from their first breath. Their value did not depend on external things like wealth or appearance or politics or popularity. It was the infinite value of a human life. And that value stays with us, even as it becomes easier to forget it. We stay precisely as alive and precisely as human as we were the day we were born.”

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“Love is not something you deserve only if you reach a goal.“

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“If we keep walking in a straight line we’ll get out of here. Walking one foot in front of the other, in the same direction, will always get you further than running around in circles.”

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“Self-forgiveness makes the world better. You don’t become a good person by believing you are a bad one.”

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“And yes, we might feel that others are judging our worth via metrics like income and follower counts and weight and chest measurement and all the rest of it, but always remember we are more than can be measured. We are life itself. We aren’t the narrow band of feelings in a single moment. We are the vessel that could contain any feeling. We are the subject in the sentence. We are more than the sum of our achievements. We are more than the feelings we witness. We are the infinity that remains when you subtract them.”

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“Music doesn’t sound more interesting if you have a six-pack. Dogs aren’t better company if you’re famous. Pizza tastes good regardless of your job title. The best of life exists beyond the things we are encouraged to crave.”

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“Just give yourself one simple reminder that the world is full of wonders. Even if we are at a point in life where we can’t appreciate things, it sometimes helps to remember there are things in this world to enjoy, when we are ready.”

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“The only fear of missing our that matters is the fear of missing our on yourself.”

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“Don’t worry about being cool. Never worry about what cool people think. Life is warmth. You’ll be cool when you’re dead. Head for the warm people. Head for life.”

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“I used to worry about fitting in until I realized the reason I didn’t fit in was because I didn’t want to.”

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“Curiosity and passion are the enemies of anxiety.”

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“We are so blessed with an abundance of wonder on this planet, and in this universe, that we are numb to it.”

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“Just as we need pauses between notes for music to sound good, and just as we need punctuation in a sentence for it to be coherent, we should see rest and reflection and passivity – and even sitting on the sofa – as an intrinsic and essential part of life that is needed for the whole to make sense.

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“We always have more inside us than we realize. More strength, more warmth, more compassion, more resilience. The world can surprise us, sure, but we can surprise ourselves too.”

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It is a light and hearty and sweet read of you are looking for something fun and comforting!