Decisions by Franz Kafka

"Lifting oneself from a miserable state of mind ought to be easy even by sheer willpower. I wrench myself out of the chair, walk around the table, loosen my head and my neck, drive fire into my eyes, flex the muscles around them. Work against any feelings, exuberantly greet A. if he turns up now, amiably tolerate B. in my room, inhale all of C.'s words in long drafts despite my strain and suffering. But even if I can manage like that, any mistake-- and mistakes are inevitable-- will bring everything, light or heavy, to a halt, and I will have to twist back into my circle again. Hence the best course is to put up with everything, behave like a heavy mass, and even if you feel blasted away, not be inveigled into taking any unnecessary step, gaze at the other with animal eyes, feel no remorse-- in short, push down with your own hands any ghost of life surviving in you, increase, that is, the final gravelike rest and let nothing else exist. A characteristic movement in such a state of mind is to run the little finger over the eyebrows."