by Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923)
Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you,
it's not because they enjoy solitude.
It's because they have tried to blend into the world before,
and people continue to disappoint them.
― Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper
I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am,
the more I will respect myself.
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
I had already found that it was not good to be alone,
and so made companionship with what there was around me,
sometimes with the universe and sometimes with my own insignificant self;
but my books were always my friends, let fail all else.
― Joshua Slocum, Sailing Alone around the World