Cover artwork by Anton Biletskyi-Volokh, from an unpublished reusable sketchbook in progress.
A thematic selection of translated notebook fragments.
Bitterness is always a sign of hurt and inner distress.
Boredom is sometimes a way of anaesthetising unbearable pain.
Resentment is hatred that has run out of strength.
And about guilt: guilt is psychological masturbation.
Understanding can be an elegant way of blocking and avoiding feeling.
Guilt is a painkiller for those who do not know how to grieve.
Discontent is like whining that has acquired some confidence.
When somebody is bored with life, even pain counts as an event.
The opposite of shame is pride. The opposite of guilt is freedom.
Dramatising is a way of not feeling what is really troubling you.
Suffering often leaves no room for compassion. Pain makes a person self-centred.
Offering comfort does not mean stopping someone's feelings. It means knowing how to acknowledge them and be present.
Running away from small frustrations means running towards a big one.
Greed brings the boredom of never having enough rather than the joy of possession.
It is better to face bottomless sadness than to live through endless pain.
People often find suffering easier to bear than admitting there is nothing going on inside.
It is hard to be happy for other people when you do not know how to be happy for yourself.
Separation means recognising and accepting another person's emotions without servicing them.
Where a person overcompensates, there is pain.
Drama is built on finding impossibility more captivating than possibility.