“If individuals are naturally inclined to desire what their neighbors possess, or to desire what their neighbors even simply desire, this means that rivalry exists at the very heart of human social relations. This rivalry, if not thwarted, would permanently endanger harmony and even the survival of all human communities.” — René Girard

“We can never know what to want, because, living only one life, we can neither compare it with our previous lives nor perfect it in our lives to come.” — Milan Kundera