Quotations

"The conversation is not about the relationship. The conversation is the relationship."

— David Whyte, English poet, born November 2, 1955

"We withdraw not to disappear, but to find another ground from which to see; a solid ground from which to step, and from which to speak again, in a different way, a clear, rested, embodied voice we begin to remember again as our own."

— David Whyte, English poet, born November 2, 1955

"Gratitude arises from paying attention, from being awake in the presence of everything that lives within and without us."

— David Whyte, English poet, born 1955

"Every grace I need has already been given me."

— Macrina Wiederkehr, Benedictine monastic of St. Scholastica Monastery

"All too often we bemoan our imperfections rather than embrace them as part of the process in which we are brought to God. Cherished emptiness gives God space in which to work. We are pure capacity for God. Let us not, then, take our littleness lightly. It is a wonderful grace. It is a gift to receive. At the same time, let us not get trapped in the confines of our littleness, but keep pushing on to claim our greatness. Remind yourself often, “I am pure capacity for God; I can be more."

— Macrina Wiederkehr, Benedictine monastic

"Holiness comes wrapped in the ordinary. There are burning bushes all around you. Every tree is full of angels. Hidden beauty is waiting in every crumb."

— Macrina Wiederkehr, Benedictine monastic

"O God, help me to believe the truth about myself, no matter how beautiful it is."

— Macrina Wiederkehr, Benedictine monastic

"I have not lost faith in God. I have moments of anger and protest. Sometimes I've been closer to him for that reason."

— Elie Wiesel, Romanian-American holocaust survivor, born 1928

"Night is purer than day; it is better for thinking and loving and dreaming. At night everything is more intense, more true. The echo of words that have been spoken during the day takes on a new and deeper meaning. The tragedy of man is that he doesn't know how to distinguish between day and night. He says things at night that should only be said by day."

— Elie Wiesel, Romanian-American holocaust survivor, born 1928

"When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude."

— Elie Wiesel, Romanian-American holocaust survivor, born 1928

"We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."

— Elie Wiesel, Romanian-American holocaust survivor, born 1928

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."

— Elie Wiesel, Romanian-American holocaust survivor, born 1928

"Violence is like a weed - it does not die even in the greatest drought."

— Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian Nazi hunter, died September 20, 2005

"There is no denying that Hitler and Stalin are alive today... they are waiting for us to forget, because this is what makes possible the resurrection of these two monsters."

— Simon Wiesenthal, Ukrainian-Austrian Nazi hunter, born December 31, 1908