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.

When you are unhappy, is there anything more maddening than to be told that you should be contented with your lot?

They are fruit and transport: ripening melons, prairie schooners journeying under full sail.

I was taught that I had to 'master' subjects. But who can 'master' beauty, or peace, or joy?

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.

Prayer is not asking for what you think you want, but asking to be changed in ways you can't imagine.

Acedia is a danger to anyone whose work requires great concentration and discipline yet is considered by many to be of little practical value. The world doesn't care if I write another word, and if I am to care, I have to summon all my interior motivation and strength.