Quotations

"I have found it very important in my own life to try to let go of my wishes and instead to live in hope. I am finding that when I choose to let go of my sometimes petty and superficial wishes and trust that my life is precious and meaningful in the eyes of God something really new, something beyond my own expectations begins to happen for me."

— Henri Nouwen, Dutch-born Catholic priest, born 1932

"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day."

— Henri Nouwen, Dutch-born Catholic priest, born 1932

"Patience is a hard discipline. It is not just waiting until something happens over which we have no control: the arrival of the bus, the end of the rain, the return of a friend, the resolution of a conflict. Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are. We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later, and somewhere else. Let's be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand."

— Henri Nouwen, Dutch-born Catholic priest, born 1932

"Poetry heals the wounds inflicted by reason."

— Novalis, German poet, born 1772

"Love is the final end of the world's history, the amen of the universe."

— Novalis, German poet, born 1772

"Every beloved object is the center point of a paradise."

— Novalis, German poet, born 1772

"Some Jews say that a number of possible soul mates await us in this world, and depending on which way we turn, we will meet one of the chosen."

— Yehoshua November, American poet

"Technique is what you fall back on when you run out of inspiration."

— Rudolf Nureyev, Russian ballet dancer, died January 6, 1993

"The only critic is a full house."

— Rudolf Nureyev, Russian ballet dancer, born 1938

"Technique is what you fall back on when you run out of inspiration."

— Rudolf Nureyev, Russian ballet dancer, born 1938

"Poetry teaches us how to live in a world in which none of us belongs."

— Dennis Nurkse, American poet, born 1949

"Endurance is not a young person's game. I thought I might even be better at 60 than I was at 30. You have a body that's almost as strong, but you have a much better mind."

— Diana Nyad, American long-distance swimmer, born 1949

"I think 60 is when many people hit their prime. We elect many of our presidents in their 60s. At that age, people are full of ideas and their best self. I wanted to dig into my potential and bring out my best self."

— Diana Nyad, American long-distance swimmer, born 1949

"Poetry calls us to pause. There is so much we overlook, while the abundance around us continues to shimmer, on its own."

— Naomi Shihab Nye, American poet, born 1952