Maria Popova – Val Saksornchai

Maria on the Psychology of Writing

For the writers and creative thinkers out there: The Psychology of Writing and the Cognitive Science of the Perfect Daily Routine. I revisit this regularly to encourage myself in my writing endeavours. Think of the following excerpt as a teaser for Maria’s brilliant article, which you should consider reading in its entirety. A person can think…

valsaksornchai

September 26, 2014

Personalities, Psychology, Self, Writing

author, behavioural cue, Brainpickings, Cafe, cognitive, concentration, Creativity, daily routine, desk, discipline, distraction, environment, Facebook, flow, habit, Hemingway, Kellogg, Maria Popova, Music, noise, Psychology, quiet, routine, science, sleep, social media, success, Thought, tolerance, Twitter, Virginia Woolf, work, writer, writer’s block, Writing, youth

Maria on Character

Brain Pickings: What is Character? Debunking the Myth of Fixed Personality Who am I? What is my character? What is my personality? These are questions that intrigue or trouble me according to the mood of the day. And I have been known to let myself be crushed under the weight of their unanswerability at the…

valsaksornchai

March 6, 2014

Psychology, Self

brain, brain pickings, change, character, dream, feeling, Maria Popova, myth, neuroscience, person, personality, Psychology, self, temperament

Love Illustrated (from Maria)

Susan Sontag on Love: Illustrated Diary Excerpts I’m giving in to the Valentine’s weekend at last. Here’s a little love-related post from Maria to follow the previous two (on defining love and telling love from passion).

valsaksornchai

February 16, 2014

Love, Mind

Brainpickings, definitions of love, diary, illustrations, Love, Maria Popova, Passion, poster, Susan Sontag, Valentine’s

Maria on Living in the Age of Anxiety

Another thoughtful piece from Maria on life (and living) in the modern era. I particularly enjoyed this quote from Alan Watts: The “primary consciousness,” the basic mind which knows reality rather than ideas about it, does not know the future. It lives completely in the present, and perceives nothing more than what is at this moment. The…

valsaksornchai

February 8, 2014

Learning, Life, Psychology, Reason

Alan Watts, anxiety, brain pickings, concentration, East, future, Happiness, learning, Life, Living, Maria Popova, mind, mindfulness, philosophy, presence, productivity, Psychology, West

How Not To Worry: A 1934 Guide to Mastering Life (Maria)

I’m finding interesting parallels between Maria’s “How Not To Worry: A 1934 Guide to Mastering Life” and this TED talk I posted earlier today. Maybe there is a higher wisdom after all.

valsaksornchai

January 9, 2014

Curiosities, Humour, Learning, Life, Mind, Psychology, Random, Self

1934, Book, Brainpickings, Dan Gilbert, guide, how to, James Gordon Gilkey, Life, Maria Popova, master, ripped, TED, vintage finds, worries, worrying, You Can Master Life

Maria on the Science of “Intuition”

I just keep stumbling across material on Brain Pickings that I cannot not share. This time on The Science of “Intuition”.

valsaksornchai

January 7, 2014

Learning, Life, Reason

Answers for Aristotle, Brainpickings, Intuition, Maria Popova, Massimo Pigliucci, science

Maria on How to Tell Love from Passion

Another lovely piece from Brain Pickings. A good follow-up read to her Literary Definitions of Love, already posted here. I do use a lot of her material, don’t I? I blame her writings for being too interesting!

valsaksornchai

December 23, 2013

Curiosities, Love, Reason, Writing

brain pickings, Definitions, Life, Love, Maria Popova, Passion

What Is Love? Famous Definitions from Maria Popova

Go here. I particularly liked the following, from Iris Murdoch: Love is the very difficult understanding that something other than yourself is real. What is love to you? What was your favourite definition? Love – undefined, untamed, and all, Val

valsaksornchai

December 18, 2013

Curiosities, Love

Definitions, Iris Murdoch, literature, Love, Maria Popova, Quotes