We are, perhaps uniquely among the earth’s creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives, fearing the future, discontent with the present, unable to take in the idea of dying, unable to sit still. —Lewis Thomas More about this quote Tags: humanity life fear worrying discontent Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
True compassion does not come from wanting to help out those less fortunate than ourselves but from realizing our kinship with all beings. —Pema Chödrön More about this quote Tags: kinship compassion help Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
It’s as though we have two selves or two natures or two wills with two contrary viewpoints. . . . Your lower self sees you as the center of the universe — your higher self sees you as a cell in the body of humanity. —Peace Pilgrim More about this quote Tags: humanity self selves self-importance Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
What’s the use of happiness? It can’t buy you money. —Henny Youngman More about this quote Tags: humor happiness money Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
He has spent his life best who has enjoyed it most. God will take care that we do not enjoy it any more than is good for us. —Samuel Butler More about this quote Tags: life God enjoyment Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
You are going to have to give and give and give, or there’s no reason for you to be writing. You have to give from the deepest part of yourself, and you are going to have to go on giving, and the giving is going to have to be its own reward. There is no cosmic importance to your getting something published, but there is in learning to be a giver. —Anne Lamott More about this quote Tags: importance writing art giving Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
There are moments when art attains almost to the dignity of manual labor. —Oscar Wilde More about this quote Tags: art labor dignity Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
It is the function of art to renew our perception. What we are familiar with we cease to see. The writer shakes up the familiar scene, and, as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it. —Anaïs Nin More about this quote Tags: writing perception art familiar seeing Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
Modern art is what happens when painters stop looking at girls and persuade themselves they have a better idea. —John Ciardi More about this quote Tags: humor art modern art Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
If art can reveal the truth, art can also lie. An artist can be not only divinely inspired, but diabolically inspired. —George Bernard Shaw More about this quote Tags: truth evil art divine Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
The primary distinction of the artist is that he must actively cultivate that state which most men, necessarily, must avoid: the state of being alone. —James Baldwin More about this quote Tags: alone art artist Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
The mind thinks thoughts that we don’t plan. It’s not as if we say, “At 9:10 I’m going to be filled with self-hatred.” —Sharon Salzberg More about this quote Tags: self-hatred thoughts will planning Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
Learn your theories well but put them aside when you confront the mystery of the living soul. —Carl Jung More about this quote Tags: people soul theories mystery Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. —E. B. White More about this quote Tags: change world improvement pleasure enjoyment Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
The fact is that anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days. —Flannery O'Connor More about this quote Tags: understanding life childhood Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email