...untidy!

The beginnings and endings of all human undertakings are untidy. 

-John Galsworthy, author, Nobel laureate (1867-1933)

keep in balance

You have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance, just to keep the world from running you plumb crazy. 

-Ken Kesey, novelist (1935-2001)

add to or get from

"We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life."

~ William Osler

...disagreeable & delightful

Some people with great virtues are disagreeable, while others with great vices are delightful. 

-Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld, moralist (1613-1680)

...care for the opinion

We are so vain that we even care for the opinion of those we don’t care for.
-Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, writer (1830-1916)