β
You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
β
β
Marcus Aurelius (Meditations)
β
Nobody can hurt me without my permission.
β
β
Mahatma Gandhi
β
When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways--either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.
β
β
Dalai Lama XIV
β
Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.
β
β
Maya Angelou
β
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
β
β
Mahatma Gandhi
β
Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look.
β
β
Marcus Aurelius (Meditations)
β
The sun shines not on us but in us.
β
β
John Muir
β
Your inner strength is your outer foundation
β
β
Allan Rufus
β
Cause sometimes, you just feel tired. Feel weak. And when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up. But you gotta search within you. You gotta find that inner strength, and just pull that shit out of you. And get that motivation to NOT give up and NOT be a quitter. No matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse.
β
β
Eminem
β
...I also believe that introversion is my greatest strength. I have such a strong inner life that Iβm never bored and only occasionally lonely. No matter what mayhem is happening around me, I know I can always turn inward.
β
β
Susan Cain
β
It's a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.
β
β
Germany Kent
β
What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.
β
β
Otto Rank
β
No one knows what you have been through or what your pretty little eyes have seen, but I can reassure you ~ whatever you have conquered, it shines through your mind.
β
β
Nikki Rowe
β
We may get knocked down on the outside, but the key to living in victory is to learn how to get up on the inside.
β
β
Joel Osteen (Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential)
β
Hard times build determination and inner strength. Through them we can also come to appreciate the uselessness of anger. Instead of getting angry nurture a deep caring and respect for troublemakers because by creating such trying circumstances they provide us with invaluable opportunities to practice tolerance and patience.
β
β
Dalai Lama XIV
β
There is strange comfort in knowing that no matter what happens today, the Sun will rise again tomorrow.
β
β
Aaron Lauritsen (100 Days Drive: The Great North American Road Trip)
β
You are one thing only. You are a Divine Being. An all-powerful Creator. You are a Deity in jeans and a t-shirt, and within you dwells the infinite wisdom of the ages and the sacred creative force of All that is, will be and ever was.
β
β
Anthon St. Maarten (Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny)
β
Beautify your inner dialogue. Beautify your inner world with love light and compassion. Life will be beautiful.
β
β
Amit Ray (Nonviolence: The Transforming Power)
β
She remembered who she was
and the game changed.
β
β
Lalah Delia
β
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
β
β
J.R.R. Tolkien
β
Once you embrace your value, talents and strengths, it neutralizes when others think less of you.
β
β
Rob Liano
β
The struggles we endure today will be the βgood old daysβ we laugh about tomorrow.
β
β
Aaron Lauritsen (100 Days Drive: The Great North American Road Trip)
β
She has fought many wars, most internal. The ones that you battle alone, for this, she is remarkable. She is a survivor.
β
β
Nikki Rowe
β
Faith gives you an inner strength and a sense of balance and perspective in life.
β
β
Gregory Peck
β
I am rarely bored alone; I am often bored in groups and crowds.
β
β
Laurie A. Helgoe (Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength)
β
You have to rely on whatever sparks you have inside.
β
β
Lisa Kleypas (Sugar Daddy (Travises, #1))
β
I found an inner strength to fight for myself. It was clear that nobody else would.
β
β
Tehmina Durrani (My Feudal Lord)
β
Self-observation is the first step of inner unfolding.
β
β
Amit Ray (Yoga and Vipassana: An Integrated Life Style)
β
You must draw from that strength. You must increase it. And you must hold on to it because sometimes that small glimmer of inner strength is all that we have to help us press forward through the darkness.
β
β
Morgan Rhodes (Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1))
β
Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor - the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant "To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart." Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But in my opinion, this definition fails to recognize the inner strength and level of commitment required for us to actually speak honestly and openly about who we are and about our experiences -- good and bad. Speaking from our hearts is what I think of as "ordinary courage.
β
β
BrenΓ© Brown (I Thought It Was Just Me: Women Reclaiming Power and Courage in a Culture of Shame)
β
You're going to meet many people with domineering personalities: the loud, the obnoxious, those that noisily stake their claims in your territory and everywhere else they set foot on. This is the blueprint of a predator. Predators prey on gentleness, peace, calmness, sweetness and any positivity that they sniff out as weakness. Anything that is happy and at peace they mistake for weakness. It's not your job to change these people, but it's your job to show them that your peace and gentleness do not equate to weakness. I have always appeared to be fragile and delicate but the thing is, I am not fragile and I am not delicate. I am very gentle but I can show you that the gentle also possess a poison. I compare myself to silk. People mistake silk to be weak but a silk handkerchief can protect the wearer from a gunshot. There are many people who will want to befriend you if you fit the description of what they think is weak; predators want to have friends that they can dominate over because that makes them feel strong and important. The truth is that predators have no strength and no courage. It is you who are strong, and it is you who has courage. I have lost many a friend over the fact that when they attempt to rip me, they can't. They accuse me of being deceiving; I am not deceiving, I am just made of silk. It is they who are stupid and wrongly take gentleness and fairness for weakness. There are many more predators in this world, so I want you to be made of silk. You are silk.
β
β
C. JoyBell C.
β
Let's clear one thing up: Introverts do not hate small talk because we dislike people. We hate small talk because we hate the barrier it creates between people.
β
β
Laurie A. Helgoe (Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength)
β
You are your master. Only you have the master keys to open the inner locks.
β
β
Amit Ray (Meditation: Insights and Inspirations)
β
When you're in your darkest place, you give yourself hope and that's inner strength.
β
β
Uncle Iroh
β
Have love for your inner Self and everything else is done for you.
β
β
Amit Ray (Peace Bliss Beauty and Truth: Living with Positivity)
β
Finding the center of strength within ourselves is in the long run the best contribution we can make to our fellow men. ... One person with indigenous inner strength exercises a great calming effect on panic among people around him. This is what our society needs β not new ideas and inventions; important as these are, and not geniuses and supermen, but persons who can "be", that is, persons who have a center of strength within themselves.
β
β
Rollo May (Man's Search for Himself)
β
This world is your best teacher. There is a lesson in everything. There is a lesson in each experience. Learn it and become wise. Every failure is a stepping stone to success. Every difficulty or disappointment is a trial of your faith. Every unpleasant incident or temptation is a test of your inner strength. Therefore nil desperandum. March forward hero!
β
β
Sivananda Saraswati
β
My dark days made me strong. Or maybe I already was strong, and they made me prove it.
β
β
Emery Lord (When We Collided)
β
Everything is within your power,
and your power is within you.
β
β
Janice Trachtman (Catching What Life Throws at You: Inspiring True Stories of Healing)
β
The sun shall always rise upon a new day and there shall always be a rose garden within me. Yes, there is a part of me that is broken, but my broken soil gives way to my wild roses.
β
β
C. JoyBell C.
β
Empaths did not come into this world to be victims, we came to be warriors. Be brave. Stay strong. We need all hands on deck.
β
β
Anthon St. Maarten
β
What a beautiful woman. She moved with grace, she was entirely feminine, and yet, she possessed incredible inner strength. Sheβs a survivor.
β
β
Jan Moran (Scent of Triumph)
β
Prayer is the sign of your weakness. Rely on your inner strength. You will be the winner.
β
β
Amit Ray
β
It's in those quiet little towns, at the edge of the world, that you will find the salt of the earth people who make you feel right at home.
β
β
Aaron Lauritsen (100 Days Drive: The Great North American Road Trip)
β
Silence is the language of Om. We need silence to be able to reach our Self. Both internal and external silence is very important to feel the presence of that supreme Love.
β
β
Amit Ray (Om Chanting and Meditation)
β
Let your life reflect the faith you have in God. Fear nothing and pray about everything. Be strong, trust God's word, and trust the process.
β
β
Germany Kent
β
And that is how we are. By strength of will we cut off our inner intuitive knowledge from admitted consciousness. This causes a state of dread, or apprehension, which makes the blow ten times worse when it does fall.
β
β
D.H. Lawrence (Lady Chatterleyβs Lover)
β
Planning for life's uncertainties amidst chaos is a way to fortify ourselves. It's not just about external safety measures but also about nurturing inner strength. ("Life had taken them by Surprise β)
β
β
Erik Pevernagie
β
Life's trials will test you, and shape you, but donβt let them change who you are.β
~ Aaron Lauritsen, β100 Days Drive
β
β
Aaron Lauritsen (100 Days Drive: The Great North American Road Trip)
β
I lay on my floor crying again⦠shaking. Searching for inner strength and coming up empty. My eyes burned and my mouth was dry as I sucked on air that seemed to keep getting thicker and harder to breathe. I tried to leave again, but ended up leaning my forehead against the door, feeling defeated and wishing the Grim Reaper would come for me in all his silky, black glory.
β
β
Nathan Daniels
β
When an introvert cares about someone, she also wants contact, not so much to keep up with the events of the other personβs life, but to keep up with whatβs inside: the evolution of ideas, values, thoughts, and feelings.
β
β
Laurie A. Helgoe (Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength)
β
Be there for others, but never leave yourself behind.
β
β
Dodinsky (In the Garden of Thoughts: Be Your Best Self (Inspirational Gift Book for Finding Your Inner Strength))
β
Meditation is realizing and expanding your inner beauty in every direction.
β
β
Amit Ray
β
This is why it is sometimes hard for introverts to find words: we really hate to compromise, and words are always a compromise.
β
β
Laurie A. Helgoe (Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength)
β
True friends don't come with conditions.
β
β
Aaron Lauritsen (100 Days Drive: The Great North American Road Trip)
β
Charley threw Cindy on the bed and pulled a switchblade knife. He pressed the release button and a five-inch blade flipped open. βOne word to anybody and your ugly dog gets his throat cut!
β
β
Shafter Bailey (Cindy Divine: The Little Girl Who Frightened Kings)
β
I have met so many heartbroken men. It's a catastrophe. Women are easily overcome by the process that happens when a boy falls in love and becomes a man. Men's hearts are so often broken. Still, you have to leave your broken heart in a place where- when the woman who knows how to see what a gift is, sees it- your broken heart can be picked up again. I think that it takes a very strong woman (inner strength) to be able to handle a man falling in love with her, without morphing into a monster (the process is a very potent process, it can poison a woman, really). A woman thinks she wants a man to fall in love with her for all the perks that come with it; but when a real love really does happen, when a real man shows his manhood; it's often too powerful a thing to endure without being poisoned. Hence, all the heartbroken men. But, I do believe that there are strong women in the world today. A few. But there are. You could say, that the mark of a real woman, is a woman who can handle a man- a man falling in love with her. A woman who can recognize that, and keep it with her.
β
β
C. JoyBell C.
β
The greatest win is walking away and choosing not to engage in drama and toxic energy at all.
β
β
Lalah Delia
β
Self-care is how you take your power back.
β
β
Lalah Delia
β
Without struggle, success has no value.
β
β
Aaron Lauritsen (100 Days Drive: The Great North American Road Trip)
β
When we reframe or reinterpret our difficulties, we can transform resignation into a source of personal empowerment. In our ongoing struggle for self-overcoming, we must harness our inner strength and creativity and assert our will in the face of challenging times. ("Check, and mate")
β
β
Erik Pevernagie
β
And even if you do wear a maid outfit, it doesn't change the fact that you're strong or that you're smart or that you try really hard at everything you do. I think you'd still deserve to walk with your head held high.
β
β
Hiro Fujiwara (Maid-sama! Vol. 01 (Maid-sama!, #1))
β
If your actions don't live up to your words, you have nothing to say.
β
β
DaShanne Stokes
β
Instead of remaining stuck amidst the ruins of the past, mired in unfulfilled hopes and unrealized ambitions, and focusing solely on what has failed, we must look outward and forward to confront challenges head-on and harness our inner strength and resilience. ( "The world was somewhere else")
β
β
Erik Pevernagie
β
One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.
β
β
Jean Vanier (Community and Growth)
β
Though introverts are drained by interaction, we can take immense pleasure in watching the scene around us.
β
β
Laurie A. Helgoe (Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength)
β
For once, I hold onto her craziness for strength. Sometimes , I just have to let go and let me inner Mom out.
β
β
Susan Ee (World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2))
β
Never believe for a second that your weak, within all of us we have a reserve of inner hidden strength,
β
β
Victoria Addino
β
It always surprised him when he thought of it later that he did not sink under the load of despair.
β
β
Chinua Achebe (Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1))
β
From this point forward, you donβt even know how to quit in life.β
~ Aaron Lauritsen, β100 Days Drive
β
β
Aaron Lauritsen
β
A good rule of thumb is that any environment that consistently leaves you feeling bad about who you are is the wrong environment.
β
β
Laurie A. Helgoe (Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength)
β
We are stronger than we think. We have emotional, spiritual and even physical resources at our disposal. We may get knocked down, but we donβt have to stay down.
β
β
Steve Goodier
β
I think that if you have a horse, pegasus, qilin, or unicorn, you should sit on it! You should stroke its hair, whisper in its ear, be one with it! And you shouldn't feel sorry if other people don't have one.
β
β
C. JoyBell C.
β
Those who achieve the extraordinary are usually the most ordinary because they have nothing to prove to anybody. Be Humble.
β
β
Aaron Lauritsen (100 Days Drive: The Great North American Road Trip)
β
Self-pity is spiritual suicide. It is an indefensible self-mutilation of the soul.
β
β
Anthon St. Maarten
β
Like a Columbus of the heart, mind and soul I have hurled myself off the shores of my own fears and limiting beliefs to venture far out into the uncharted territories of my inner truth, in search of what it means to be genuine and at peace with who I really am. I have abandoned the masquerade of living up to the expectations of others and explored the new horizons of what it means to be truly and completely me, in all my amazing imperfection and most splendid insecurity.
β
β
Anthon St. Maarten
β
What we share as introverts is the love of ideas and the desire to explore them with minimal interruption. We want and need input, but weβd rather get it through reading, research, and rich conversation than through unfiltered talk.
β
β
Laurie A. Helgoe (Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength)
β
Self discovery is the most empowering time of your life, you remember who you are and you become the best version of yourself but what they forget to tell you is, to get to a point of pleasure you must face the pain.
β
β
Nikki Rowe
β
You're growing and that scares people, it frightens the shit out of them because they know if they don't step up within themselves you'll move forward with out them. When this happens, don't you dare settle to suit the mould - have courage to live without one.
β
β
Nikki Rowe
β
Introverts keep their best stuff insideβthat is, until it is ready. And this drives extroverts crazy! The explanation for the introvertβs behaviorβand there must be an explanation for this behavior, say the extrovertsβis that he or she is antisocial, out of touch, or simply a snob.
β
β
Laurie A. Helgoe (Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength)
β
When life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade. You use the seeds to plant a whole orchard - an entire franchise! Or you could just stay on the Destiny Bus and drink lemonade someone else has made, from a can.
β
β
Anthon St. Maarten
β
Patience is the antidote to the restless poison of the Ego. Without it we all become ego-maniacal bulls in china shops, destroying our future happiness as we blindly rush in where angels fear to tread. In these out-of-control moments, we bulldoze through the best possible outcomes for our lives, only to return to the scene of the crime later to cry over spilt milk.
β
β
Anthon St. Maarten (Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny)
β
Inside every woman, is a crazy girl. And we all know what I'm talking about. That part of you that is entangled with insecurities, fears, and absolute insanity! The art of femininity lies in the molding, pounding, and defeating of that crazy girl on a daily basis! Look at any woman, and you're looking at a woman fighting a daily battle, wielding her weapons in war, every day! I have said it before and I'll say it again: it is never easy being a woman! And if we could only pound that crazy, insecure girl out of ourselves, it would make such the difference!
β
β
C. JoyBell C.
β
Cindy, when you went to sleep this night, you did not know you would take the first step of the proverbial thousand-mile journey before the next dawn. You will need genuine strength for each step. Remember, truth is the only source of genuine strength on planet Earth.
β
β
Shafter Bailey (Cindy Divine: The Little Girl Who Frightened Kings)
β
If you are an introvert, you are born
with a temperament that craves to be alone, delights in meaningful connections, thinks before speaking and observes before approaching. If you are an introvert, you thrive in the inner
sanctuary of the mind, heart and spirit, but shrink in the external world of noise, drama and chaos. As an introvert, you are sensitive, perceptive, gentle and reflective. You prefer to operate behind the scenes, preserve your precious energy and influence the world in a quiet,
but powerful way.
β
β
Aletheia Luna (Quiet Strength: Embracing, Empowering and Honoring Yourself as an Introvert)
β
Vulnerability really means to be strong and secure enough within yourself that you are able to walk outside without your armor on. You are able to show up in life as just you. That is genuine strength and courage. Armor may look tough, but all it does is mask insecurity and fear.
β
β
Alaric Hutchinson (Living Peace: Essential Teachings For Enriching Life)
β
As an introvert, you can be your own best friend or your worst enemy. The good news is we generally like our own company, a quality that extroverts often envy. We find comfort in solitude and know how to soothe ourselves. Even our willingness to look at ourselves critically is often helpful.
But, we can go too far. We can hoard responsibility and overlook the role others play. We can kick ourselves when weβre down. How many times have you felt lousy about something, only to get mad at yourself for feeling lousy?
β
β
Laurie A. Helgoe (Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength)
β
I feel that we are often taken out of our comfort zones, pushed and shoved out of our nests, because if not, we would never know what we could do with our wings, we would never see the horizon and the sun setting on it, we would never know that there's something far better beyond where we are at the moment. It can hurt, but then later you say "thank you." I have been pushed and shoved and have fallen out and away, so very, very, many, many times! And others around me have not! But then, the others haven't seen what I have seen or felt what I have felt or been who I have been, they can't become what I have become. I am me.
β
β
C. JoyBell C.
β
In this new year, may you have a deep understanding of your true value and worth, an absolute faith in your unlimited potential, peace of mind in the midst of uncertainty, the confidence to let go when you need to, acceptance to replace your resistance, gratitude to open your heart, the strength to meet your challenges, great love to replace your fear, forgiveness and compassion for those who offend you, clear sight to see your best and true path, hope to dispel obscurity, the conviction to make your dreams come true, meaningful and rewarding synchronicities, dear friends who truly know and love you, a childlike trust in the benevolence of the universe, the humility to remain teachable, the wisdom to fully embrace your life exactly as it is, the understanding that every soul has its own course to follow, the discernment to recognize your own unique inner voice of truth, and the courage to learn to be still.
β
β
Janet Rebhan
β
Maybe it wonβt come as too much of a surprise that a certain amount
of alcohol was involved with this Darwin Award candidate of an idea,
and though someone must have considered it ahead of time or the parachute
and camera wouldnβt be there, itβs still pretty certain that the onset
of this little adventure was preceded by something similar to the above
mentioned collegiate death sentence:
βHey man, watch this!
β
β
Jody Summers (The Mayan Legacy)
β
The storm is out there and every one of us must eventually face the storm. When the storm comes, pray that it will shake you to your roots and break you wide-open. Being broken open by the storm is your only hope. When you are broken open you get to discover for the first time what is inside you. Some people never get to see what is inside them; what beauty, what strength, what truth and love. They were never broken open by the storm. So, don't run from your pain β run into your pain. Let life's storm shatter you.
β
β
Bryant McGill (Simple Reminders: Inspiration for Living Your Best Life)
β
An introvert may feel asocial when pressured to go to a party that doesnβt interest her. But for her, the event does not promise meaningful interaction. In fact, she knows that the party will leave her feeling more alone and alienated. Her social preference may be to stay home and reflect on a conversation with a friend, call that friend, and come to an understanding that is meaningful to her. Or she might indulge in the words of a favorite author, feeling a deep connection with a person she has never met. From the perspective of a partygoer, this introvert may appear to be asocial, when, in fact, the introvert is interacting in a much different way.
β
β
Laurie A. Helgoe (Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength)
β
They say love is blind...but it isn't. Love is perfect sight. Love is the ability to see a person, I mean really see him-his strengths, his weaknesses, his flaws, all his past triumphs and mistakes-and view that person not as the world says you're supposed to see him, but as you see him-as that special someone you know you will always embrace, body and soul, no matter what anyone else says or thinks
I know I can't tell anyone what I've been through. I know they wouldn't understand. They don't see him the way that I see him. All they know is the legend, the darkness. They don't know the inner beauty, the warmth and the joy more intense than anything I ever thought was possible to experience.
They don't know the truth behind the name.
My angel.
My only.
Lucifer.
β
β
Marlon Pierre-Antoine (Wandering Stars)
β
While the introvert is reflecting on the question (thinking first), the extrovert takes this as an invitation to fill the void (talking first). As long as the introvert doesnβt interrupt, the extrovert continues to fill the interpersonal space with talk. But as long as the extrovert talks, the introvert canβt think and stays mute. Mute means the invitation is still open, and continued talk assures that the introvert remains mute. By the time the extrovert pauses to ask, the introvertβs head is pounding and he or she just wants to get out so she can think. The extrovert just assumes the introvert had nothing to say, and moves on.
β
β
Laurie A. Helgoe (Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength)
β
I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.
β
β
Dalai Lama XIV
β
The thought that the Mayan culture managed to calculate the Earthβs
passing through the plane of the Milky Way galaxy never failed to fascinate
Chuck. It was December of 2012 that had marked the end of the
Mayan calendar and also saw the Earth pass through that plane, the winter
equinox of 2012, to be precise. Of course, that exact date had been
disproved. The Mayans hadnβt accounted for leap year.
How could an ancient culture have calculated such a complex 26,000
year celestial cycle yet not figure in leap year? Yet another puzzle. Maybe
it was this rare event that accounted for the appearance of his comet.
His comet. Maybe he could be the one to officially make the discovery.
β
β
Jody Summers (The Mayan Legacy)
β
Her body faded away so far, she almost lost her connection to it. Utter
blackness enveloped her, shutting off all warmth. All light. All love. All
support. All hope. She was pinned, alone, naked, and freezing before a
beast so terrifying she struggled to avert her gaze but could not.
Horns arose from the top of what had to be a head. Fangs protruded
obscenely from a frowning hole that must have been a mouth.
Unsheathed claws threatened instant evisceration. Horrifying eyes.
Two cesspits of black fury in which red flames churned like burning
blood. They bore down on Helen, intensifying the pressure on her to
the point of agony.
Inside her head a message played over and over. You are helpless.
Helenβs fragmented thoughts spun wildly. What to do? How to stop
this nightmare?
The wretched voice roared again, like nails clashing against slate.
βGive me the stone! Now!
β
β
Candace L. Talmadge (Stoneslayer: Book One Scandal)
β
Love is a mighty power, a great and complete good; Love alone lightens every burden, and makes the rough places smooth. It bears every hardship as though it were nothing, and renders all bitterness sweet and acceptable. The love of Jesus is noble, and inspires us to great deeds; it moves us always to desire perfection. Love aspires to high things, and is held back by nothing base. Love longs to be free, a stranger to every worldly desire, lest its inner vision become dimmed, and lest worldly self-interest hinder it or ill-fortune cast it down. Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger, nothing higher, nothing wider, nothing more pleasant, nothing fuller or better in heaven or earth; for love is born of God, and can rest only in God above all created things.
Love flies, runs, leaps for joy; it is free and unrestrained. Love gives all for all, resting in One who is highest above all things, from whom every good flows and proceeds. Love does not regard the gifts, but turns to the Giver of all good gifts. Love knows no limits, but ardently transcends all bounds. Love feels no burden, takes no account of toil, attempts things beyond its strength; love sees nothing as impossible, for it feels able to achieve all things. Love therefore does great things; it is strange and effective; while he who lacks love faints and fails.
β
β
Thomas a Kempis (The Inner Life)
β
A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now. When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel the presence of the Almighty, who formed us in his own image, and the breath of that universal love which bears and sustains us, as it floats around us in an eternity of bliss; and then, my friend, when darkness overspreads my eyes, and heaven and earth seem to dwell in my soul and absorb its power, like the form of a beloved mistress, then I often think with longing, Oh, would I could describe these conceptions, could impress upon paper all that is living so full and warm within me, that it might be the mirror of my soul, as my soul is the mirror of the infinite God! O my friend β but it is too much for my strength β I sink under the weight of the splendour of these visions!
β
β
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (The Sorrows of Young Werther)
β
Life is an island in an ocean of solitude and seclusion.
Life is an island, rocks are its desires, trees its dreams, and flowers its loneliness, and it is in the middle of an ocean of solitude and seclusion.
Your life, my friend, is an island separated from all other islands and continents. Regardless of how many boats you send to other shores, you yourself are an island separated by its own pains,secluded its happiness and far away in its compassion and hidden in its secrets and mysteries.
I saw you, my friend, sitting upon a mound of gold, happy in your wealth and great in your riches and believing that a handful of gold is the secret chain that links the thoughts of the people with your own thoughts and links their feeling with your own.
I saw you as a great conqueror leading a conquering army toward the fortress, then destroying and capturing it.
On second glance I found beyond the wall of your treasures a heart trembling in its solitude and seclusion like the trembling of a thirsty man within a cage of gold and jewels, but without water.
I saw you, my friend, sitting on a throne of glory surrounded by people extolling your charity, enumerating your gifts, gazing upon you as if they were in the presence of a prophet lifting their souls up into the planets and stars. I saw you looking at them, contentment and strength upon your face, as if you were to them as the soul is to the body.
On the second look I saw your secluded self standing beside your throne, suffering in its seclusion and quaking in its loneliness. I saw that self stretching its hands as if begging from unseen ghosts. I saw it looking above the shoulders of the people to a far horizon, empty of everything except its solitude and seclusion.
I saw you, my friend, passionately in love with a beautiful woman, filling her palms with your kisses as she looked at you with sympathy and affection in her eyes and sweetness of motherhood on her lips; I said, secretly, that love has erased his solitude and removed his seclusion and he is now within the eternal soul which draws toward itself, with love, those who were separated by solitude and seclusion.
On the second look I saw behind your soul another lonely soul, like a fog, trying in vain to become a drop of tears in the palm of that woman.
Your life, my friend, is a residence far away from any other residence and neighbors.
Your inner soul is a home far away from other homes named after you. If this residence is dark, you cannot light it with your neighbor's lamp; if it is empty you cannot fill it with the riches of your neighbor; were it in the middle of a desert, you could not move it to a garden planted by someone else.
Your inner soul, my friend, is surrounded with solitude and seclusion. Were it not for this solitude and this seclusion you would not be you and I would not be I. If it were not for that solitude and seclusion, I would, if I heard your voice, think myself to be speaking; yet, if I saw your face, i would imagine that I were looking into a mirror.
β
β
Kahlil Gibran (Mirrors of the Soul)