There is a man sleeping in the grass. And over him is gathering the greatest storm of all his days. Such lightening and thunder will come there has never been seen before, bringing death and destruction. People hurry home past him, to places safe from danger. And whether they do not see him there in the grass, or whether they fear to halt even a moment, but they do not wake him, they let him be.
Alan PatonWhen I go up there, which is my intention, the Big Judge will say to me, Where are your wounds? and if I say I havenโt any, he will say, Was there nothing to fight for? I couldnโt face that question. (Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful)
Alan PatonThe truth is, our civilization is not Christian; it is a tragic compound of great ideal and fearful practice, of loving charity and fearful clutching of possessions.
Alan PatonFor it is the dawn that has come, as it has come for a thousand centuries, never failing.
Alan PatonNow God be thanked that the name of a hill is such music, that the name of a river can heal.
Alan PatonCry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that's the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too gladly when the water runs through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing. Nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or a valley. For fear will rob him if he gives too much.
Alan Paton