I wonder if children don't begin to reject both poetry and religion for similar reasons, because the way both are taught takes the life out of them.

The demon of acedia -- also called the noonday demon -- is the one that causes the most serious trouble of all. . . . He makes it seem that the sun barely moves, if at all, and . . . he instills in the heart of the monk a hatred for the place, a hatred for his very life itself.

The ordinary activities I find most compatible with contemplation are walking, baking bread, and doing laundry.

Over and over again mediocrity is promoted because real worth isn't to be found.

If we are lucky, we can give in and rest without feeling guilty. We can stop doing and concentrate on being.

We can't give our children the future, strive though we may to make it secure. But we can give them the present.

The very nature of marriage means saying yes before you know what it will cost. Though you may say the “I do” of the wedding ritual in all sincerity, it is the testing of that vow over time that makes you married.