"Why is it that you are fundamentally alienated from the entire institutional structure of society?"

[commodorified]

Or, 'How did I get like this?

"Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounding yourself with assholes." ― William Gibson

See also: Burroughs, William S. "If, after spending time with a person, you feel as though you've lost a quart of plasma, avoid that person in the future!"

See also Phillips, Utah: ... if it's true the only real life I have is the life of my brain, what sense does it make to hand that brain to somebody for eight hours a day for their particular use on the presumption that at the end of the day they will give it back in an unmutilated condition?

And Ivins, Molly: What you need is sustained outrage...there's far too much unthinking respect given to authority.

I don't really do "words to live by", more "words to squirrel away and take out to consider carefully and thoughtfully every so often".

These are some of mine.