Quotes in Chaos, pt. 5
September 29, 2020 in Random | No comments (edit)

About 15 years ago I began to collect quotes from books I had been reading that were particularly meaningful to me. I now have two volumes of such quotes. I call them, “My black books of quotes.“ because they are handwritten in…well, black books. One day I hope to publish these quotes as a special gift that I give to people who are special to me.
You can tell a lot about a person by the quotes they pass on. And you will, no doubt, learn some things about where I am coming from and what is important to me based on my quotes.
My plan right now is to post 8 to 10 special quotes each week that seem pertinent to the times in which we are living. These are quotes for chaotic times. I suggest that you read them slowly and prayerfully and see which one speaks to you the most and listen for the voice of the Spirit asking you what next steps you might take in response.
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We must face the fact that it is much harder to stand the long monotony of slight suffering then a passing onslaught of intense pain. (Thomas Merton)
Be silent and go unrecognized. (Thomas Merton)
It’s a rare person who wants to hear what he doesn’t want to hear. (Dick Cavett)
It can feel like what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but that ocean would be less without that drop. (Thomas Merton)
From the sky everything looks small, but from the ground, everything looks big. In all life, nothing is fixed, everything depends on perspective. Therefore, it is helpful to be aware of your perspective and the perspective of the one you are in disagreement with. (Unknown)
It’s a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time. (Winston Churchill)
Most men are short on ear and long on mouth. (John Wayne, Big Jake)
A humble person, if his opinion is asked, gives it in all simplicity and then leaves others to give theirs. Whether they are right or wrong, he says no more. (St. John Vianney)
If you should ask me what are the ways of God, I would tell you that the first is humility, the second is humility, and the third is still humility. Not that there are no other precepts to give, but if humility does not proceed all that we do, our efforts are fruitless. (Saint Augustine)