Famous people who have lived as recluses often have interesting things to say about seclusion and life in general. Below is a list of quotations by famous people, living and dead, who at one point stepped away from society. Unlike quotes specifically about social anxiety, some of these ponderings reflect seclusion as a choice.
“My belief is that ‘recluse’ is a code word generated by journalists meaning, ‘doesn’t like to talk to reporters.’" ~ Thomas Pynchon
"Saying nothing sometimes says the most." ~ Emily Dickinson
"Genius is never understood in its own time." Bill Watterson
"I am now quite cured of seeking pleasure in society, be it country or town. A sensible man ought to find sufficient company in himself." ~ Emily Bronte
"Celebrity is the chastisement of merit and the punishment of talent." ~ Emily Dickinson
"We do not play the piano with our fingers but with our mind." ~ Glenn Gould
"Being a movie star, and this applies to all of them, means being looked at from every possible direction. You are never left at peace, you're just fair game." ~ Greta Garbo
"I never said, 'I want to be alone.' I only said, 'I want to be left alone.' There is all the difference." ~ Greta Garbo
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view." ~ Harper Lee
"I hope to hell that when I do die somebody has the sense to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetary. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody." ~ J.D. Salinger
"I don't consider myself qualified to do a movie about international intrigue - I seldom leave the country." ~ John Hughes
"And I remember going to the record studio and there was a park across the street and I'd see all the children playing and I would cry because it would make me sad that I would have to work instead." ~ Michael Jackson
"Practice something that makes you better. Don't do something that ingrains habits that make you worse. But that's what 99 percent of the people do." ~ Moe Norman
"It's crazy how you can get yourself in a mess sometimes and not even be able to think about it with any sense and yet not be able to think about anything else." ~ Stanley Kubrick
"I'm disappearing, avoiding most things." ~ Syd Barrett
Sources:
Thinkexist. Quotations. Accessed September 28, 2011.
Brainyquote. Quotations. Accessed September 28, 2011.
