Quotations

"Inanimate objects are always correct and cannot, unfortunately, be reproached with anything. I have never observed a chair shift from one foot to another, or a bed rear on its hind legs. And tables, even when they are tired, will not dare to bend their knees. I suspect that objects do this from pedagogical considerations, to reprove us constantly for our instability."

— Zbigniew Herbert, Polish poet, born 1924

"Work is the greatest thing in the world, so we should always save some of it for tomorrow."

— Don Herold, American humorist, born 1889

"Babies are such a nice way to start people."

— Don Herold, American humorist, born 1889

"Fashion has always been a repetition of ideas, but what makes it new is the way you put it together."

— Carolina Herrera, Venezuelan-American fashion designer, born 1939

"To the natural philosopher, there is no natural object unimportant or trifling. From the least of Nature's works he may learn the greatest lessons."

— John Herschel, English polymath, born 1792

"Occurrences which according to received theories ought not to happen, are the facts which serve as clues to new discoveries."

— John Herschel, English polymath, born 1792

"Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. Get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed."

— Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, born 1907

"The riches of the soul are stored up in its memory. This is the test of character, not whether a man follows the daily fashion, but whether the past is alive in his present."

— Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, born 1907

"Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but the endless pilgrimage of hearts."

— Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, born 1907

"People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active state, an act of expressing reverence or appreciation. To be entertained is a passive state--it is to receive pleasure afforded by an amusing act or a spectacle. Celebration is a confrontation, giving attention to the transcendent meaning of one's actions."

— Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, born 1907

"Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy. And yet being alive is no answer to the problems of living. To be or not to be is not the question. The vital question is: how to be and how not to be?"

— Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, born 1907

"For many of us the march from Selma to Montgomery was about protest and prayer. Legs are not lips and walking is not kneeling. And yet our legs uttered songs. Even without words, our march was worship. I felt my legs were praying."

— Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, born 1907

"Being is both presence and absence. God had to conceal His presence in order to bring the world into being. He had to make His absence possible in order to make room for the world's presence. Coming into being brought along denial and defiance, absence, oblivion and resistance."

— Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, born 1907

"Man's sin is in his failure to live what he is. Being the master of the earth, man forgets that he is the servant of God."

— Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, born 1907