Lloyd Bitzer: ...rhetoric is a mode of altering reality, not by the direct application of energy to objects, but by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action.
Some of that, plus the occasional link to The Onion.
I have been called, variously, a lovely person, a bore, an arrogant snob, low-self-esteem-girl, a hopeless brat, a hard worker, someone who can't balance life and work, someone who needs to apply herself a little more, a wonderful friend, a two-faced bitch, highly talented and focused, too prone to day-dreaming, grounded and mature, self-centered, greedy, generous and a pleasure to be with, stupid, smart and insightful, an idiot, a wunderkind, a disappointment, an artist, a poser.
Pick whichever labels seem to suit for today. They're all utterly true at various points in my life and entirely too reductive to stand alone.