The eye is diverted from the real business, it is caught by the spectacular action that means nothing--nothing at all.

— Agatha Christie

Be so free that nothing more than your future can distract your attention.

— Michael Bassey Johnson

The longing for a man, as you know, is a grand escape. It can arch your mental process to extremes so that, like a gymnast or a ballerina, you’re contorted to such outrageous limits – I’m speaking of passion – that nothing else matters. I wanted this. I desired diversion.

— Vicki Covington

Diversion is the absolute worst remedy for depression. When we ignore the things that haunt us or taunt us, not only do they keep coming back, but they’re bigger and stronger each time they return. Stop shoving us depressives in that direction.

— Northern Adams

Diversion is pernicious to depressives. Our lives are like waking dreams--correction, nightmares--where monsters chase us, never breaking off pursuit in order to rest or to eat or to look for easier prey. Diversion prevents us from confronting those monsters. If we never confront them, we have no hope of ever defeating them. Diversion does NOT work.

— Northern Adams

Avoidance therapy does not work. One major reason for that is because Avoidance Therapy (diversion, think yourself happy, positive affirmations) is predicated on the validity of 'Failure of Will.' Depression is not a choice.

— Northern Adams

The thing about a diversion is that it has to be diverting.

— Eoin Colfer

It is convenient for the old men to blame Eve. To insist we are damned because a country girl talked to the snake one afternoon long ago. Children must starve in Somalia for that, and old women be abandoned in our greatest cities. It’s why we will finally be thrown into the lakes of molten lead. Because she was confused by happiness that first time anyone said she was beautiful. Nevertheless, she must be the issue, so people won’t notice that rocks and galaxies, mathematics and rust are also created in His image.

— Jack Gilbert