"Melancholy is not rage or bitterness; it is a noble species of sadness that
arises when we are properly open to the idea that suffering and
disappointment are at the heart of human experience. It is not a disorder that
needs to be cured; it is a tender-hearted, calm, dispassionate
acknowledgment of how much agony we will inevitably have to travel
through.

...

The melancholy know that many of the things we most want are in tragic conflict:

• To feel secure and yet to be free;
• To have money and yet not to have to be beholden by others;
• To be in close-knit communities and yet not to be stifled by expectations and demands of society;
• To explore the world and yet to put down deep roots;
• To fulfill the demands of our appetities for food, sex and sloth and yet stay thin, sober, faithful and fit"