Everybody past a certain age, regardless of how they look on the outside, pretty much constantly dreams of being able to escape from their lives. Doug Coupland on age
The time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Doug Coupland on alone
The capacity for not feeling lonely can carry a very real price, that of feeling nothing at all. Doug Coupland on alone
Sometimes the best lighting of all is a power failure. Doug Coupland on best
Handmade presents are scary because they reveal that you have too much free time. Doug Coupland on birthday
Most people have no idea how to politely answer a phone. The English do, and it's been their only major business advantage for the past two centuries. Doug Coupland on business
The real killers in the business world aren't the ones who aim for the top, it's the ones who aim for two notches below the top. Doug Coupland on business
Canadians can easily 'pass for American' as long as we don't accidentally use metric measurements or apologize when hit by a car. Doug Coupland on car
If God drives a car, He'd drive a 1973 Ford LTD Brougham sedan with a claret-colored vinyl roof, with oxblood leather upholstery and an opera window. Doug Coupland on car
If you don't change, then what's the point of anything happening to you? Doug Coupland on change
Human beings are the only animal that thinks they change who they are simply by moving to a different place. Birds migrate, but it's not quite the same thing. Doug Coupland on change
If human beings had genuine courage, they'd wear their costumes every day of the year, not just on Halloween. Doug Coupland on courage
Workshops and seminars are basically financial speed dating for clueless people. Doug Coupland on dating
We want our idols to be dead because it makes death a much less scary place. Doug Coupland on death
Flying dreams mean that you're doing the right thing with your life. Doug Coupland on dreams
Everybody past a certain age, regardless of how they look on the outside, pretty much constantly dreams of being able to escape from their lives. Doug Coupland on dreams
High school is such a shared experience in North American culture. Doug Coupland on experience
Big companies are like marching bands. Even if half the band is playing random notes, it still sounds kind of like music. The concealment of failure is built into them. Doug Coupland on failure
Sometimes failure isn't an opportunity in disguise, it's just you. Doug Coupland on failure
Failure is authentic, and because it's authentic, it's real and genuine, and because of that, it's a pure state of being. Doug Coupland on failure