Self-Description or Deception?

Quote of the day:
“The difference between a violin and a viola is that a viola burns longer.
--Victor Borge

Quote of the day No. 2:
“The former fighter jock and ‘scamp,’ as his mom called him, has become so lifeless and base-whipped that he is scared to be seen knocking back Stolis with a nice Methodist girl from the Midwest who wears crosses around her neck.”
Maureen Dowd of "The New York Times," referring to Senator John McCain’s unwillingness to talk about a vodka-drinking contest with Senator Hillary Clinton. The contest happened during a congressional trip to Estonia two years ago.

Management tip of the day:
“I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.”
--Terry Pratchett

The other day in a radio interview I heard a musician call himself “passionate.” Then he used the word again. And then a third time. I guess he’s passionate about us knowing he’s passionate. I can’t remember the last time I heard someone describe himself or herself as “not passionate.”

This reminded me of when a colleague of mine stood up and gave a short lecture to all of us in the room about the need to fight for justice and how he had spent his life fighting, and he continues to fight. Then he pulled out a picture of his aunt, whom he admired because she had spent her life fighting for social causes. "Fighting" was the key word.

Does there come a point when the need to be identified with “fighting” or being “passionate” overwhelms or even stifles life around us?