the algebra of life

"the only dream worth having, is to dream that you will live while you're alive and die only when you're dead."

which means exactly what?

"to love. to be loved. to never forget your own insignificance. to never get used to the unspeakable violence and vulgar disparity of life around you. to seek joy in the saddest places. to pursue beauty to its lair. to never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. to respect strength, never power. above all, to watch. to try and understand. to never look away. and never, never to forget."

arundhati roy
the end of imagination, august 1998