"The literature of the inner life is very largely a record of struggle with the inordinate passions of the social self"
- Charles Horton Cooley
About this Quote
This quote by Charles Horton Cooley talks to the concept that literature is often a reflection of the inner struggles of the person. Cooley suggests that literature is a way for people to reveal their innermost thoughts and feelings, and to record their struggles with the social self. He implies that the excessive enthusiasms of the social self can be hard to handle, which literature can be a way to reveal and record this struggle. Cooley's quote suggests that literature can be an effective tool for self-reflection and understanding, which it can be utilized to document the inner life of the individual. By blogging about their battles with the social self, people can get insight into their own inner lives and acquire a better understanding of themselves.
"Life is life - whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage"