In the first part of our ‘Words of Wisdom’ series we explore the concept of career. Acclaimed Egyptian aphorist and poet Yahia Lababidi shares some of his words that are sure to inspire and make one think. Illustrations kindly provided by artist Allen Forrest.
“Only in an Age of Marketing, is it desirable for a human being to become a brand.”
“A great artist is composed of three: the reckless drunk who creates, the professional bore who edits and the heartless critic who assesses”
“Papercuts: battle scars of the office clerk.”
“If variety is the spice of life, does that make monotony the main dish”
“The danger of cynicism is getting what you believe in: nothing.”
“Remember, where there is envy there is admiration, grown sick”
“Politics: what makes smart people sound stupid and stupid people sound smart.”
“Some silences are more damning than words; they are actions.”
“True artists disturb the false peace, also known as complacency.”
“Fear of success betrays a greater self-mistrust than fear of failure.”
“Real difficulties are manageable; it’s imaginary ones that are insurmountable.”
“To grow older is to grow tired… of pretending.”
“There is freedom in not needing to possess what you admire.”
Graphic artist and painter Allen Forrest was born in Canada and bred in the U.S. He is the winner of the Leslie Jacoby Honor for Art at San Jose State University’s Reed Magazine and his Bel Red painting series is part of the Bellevue College Foundation’s permanent art collection. You can see more of Allen Forrest’s work on his website
Yahia Lababidi, Egyptian-American, is the author of five books in four genres. His sixth book, Balancing Acts: Collected Poems (1993-2014) is forthcoming from Press 53 Silver Concho Poetry Series. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize by World Literature Today magazine, Lababidi has been featured on NPR, Al Jazeera, and in the Guardian, among other places.
I love good advice: there are so many issues there to take up.