From a good teacher you may learn the secret of listening. You will never learn the secret of life. You will have to listen for yourself

The way towards freedom from a situation often lies in acceptance of the situation.

Before every session, I take a moment to remember my humanity. There is no experience that this man has that I cannot share with him, no fear that I cannot understand, no suffering that I cannot care about, because I too am human. No matter how deep his wound, he does not need to be ashamed in front of me. I too am vulnerable. And because of this, I am enough. Whatever his story, he no longer needs to be alone with it. This is what will allow his healing to begin. (Carl Rogers)

Befriending life is less a matter of knowledge than a question of wisdom. It is not about mastering life, controlling it or exerting our will over it, no matter how well intentioned our will may be. Befriending life is more about harmlessness than it is about control.

It is not that we have a soul, but that we are a soul.

It has been said that sometimes we need a story more than food in order to live. p 374

Cancer changes your whole life.