I suppose we have all heard versions of the phrase:
If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it is yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.
It is somewhat Zen in concept, referring to touching lightly. I remember a Don Juan passage from Carlos Castaneda’s Journey to Ixtlan:
A hunter knows he will lure game into his traps over and over again, so he doesn’t worry. To worry is to become accessible, unwittingly accessible. And once you worry you cling to anything out of desperation; and once you cling you are bound to get exhausted or to exhaust whoever or whatever you are clinging to.
I have no idea where the phrase originated. I looked at quoteinvestigator.com, and got no closer, really.
QI (QuoteInvestigator) was contacted about it by someone who thought it must have been Richard Bach who first said it. No one has been able to find the passage, however (I don’t agree it was Richard Bach.) Sting apparently used elements in a single from 1985.
QI said it may trace to a book by Jess Lair from 1969. It was a collection of writings by students, done on note cards. The one in question said:
If you want something very, very badly, let it go free. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, it was never yours to begin with.
I was thinking about it because of a related phrase I read last week that I really appreciated. (Again, source unknown. Sorry.) It said:
If you like someone,
set them free.
If they come back,
it means nobody liked them.
Set them free again.
I really liked it. Even with the exquisite tinge of Schadenfreude.
On to tonight’s comments! Formatted by brillig!
TOP COMMENTS
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From LeaveTheGunTakeTheCannoli:
Top Comment material from Miss my village, from Laura Clawson’s Impeachment Liveblog.
A few highlights:
HeyMikey noticed this great comment by antboy. From Laura Clawson’s entirely accurate Iowa's undemocratic caucuses shut out too many voters.
sideboth found this lovely gem by pixxer in their diary Book controversies that you had no idea were going on.
TOP MOJO
Top Mojo for yesterday, January 26th 2020, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on FAQing Top Mojo.
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