I am often alone – I am never lonely – I, me, and myself - the three of me. And it seems there are lots of people who agree with me. Here are some notes I have found:

This man is freed from servile bands,
Of hope to rise, or fear to fall;
Lord of himself, though not of lands,
And leaving nothing, yet hath all.
- Lord Byron

It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone. ― Marilyn Monroe

I don't want to be alone; I want to be left alone. ― Audrey Hepburn

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. ― Gautama Buddha - Sayings of Buddha

It is better to be alone than in bad company. - George Washington.

The writer's curse is that even in solitude, no matter its duration, he never grows lonely or bored. ― Criss Jami

One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself. ― Shannon L. Alder

I only go out to get me a fresh appetite for being alone. - Lord Byron

“To wisely live your life, you don't need to know much

Just remember two main rules for the beginning:

You better starve, than eat whatever

And better be alone, than with whoever.”
― Omar Khayyam

Who wants to be like Eleanor Rigby and die in a church and be buried along with their name? It must be a lot, because so many do it, and so many others seem to deliberately set themselves up for that fate. – Graham Lyle Ross

"There have been times when I have heard her call me from the other room. Her voice is clear and I hear her perfectly well but in that abstract way that you do when someone calls from a distance and you are absorbed in doing some other thing. My head snaps up, and I answer her right away and tell her that I am coming so that we can talk together in that way that we always do. And I wait for her response... but no sound comes. There is only the silence of the empty house and after a long quiet time, brings me back to reality. The expectant expression on my face quickly falls in the sad recollection of her passing. She is gone, forever gone, and no matter how much I long to hear her voice or see the visions of her that come to me in my dreams, she is gone… gone… And I am left here, alone. And without her, I want no more.

The experience of sitting with this man way back in 1987 was so powerful that I still remember every moment of his telling his story. It was a man that I called on as part of my job. It was a large house in the country woodland about 20 km out of town. I didn't know him, but his slow movements and quiet voice intrigued me so when he invited me in I accepted as graciously as I could. We sat talking for a long time, and I casually asked about his living in this large house in the countryside all alone. Then sadly he told me he was a widower and after an accident he was living on an invalid pension but happy in the country house with his wife. Until.....

That was when it really struck home for me... we think we have many friends and a great social life. But when the really hard yards need to be run, when the crushing load decends on your shoulders, don't look around, there will be no one there except, if you are really fortunate, your soul mate. And if you soul mate is taken away, you will find the solace of being alone, and once mastered, it is both revealing and liberating.