Quote of the day by Osamu Dazai: 'I lived so carefully, thinking someone was watching. But the stage was empty; the audience never came.' Life lessons on craving validation, individuality, loneliness from Japanese writer

It is natural to want validation from others, to wish other people saw how clever, kind, accomplished, and excellent we are. However, living your life craving validation from family, peers, and colleagues can be incredibly damaging in the long run. Japanese author Osamu Dazai once mourned how he wasted his life, living in caution, thinking he was being judged, realising his mistake too late.