a man can radically change his life and attain to a deeper meaning, a more perfect integration, a more complete fulfillment, a more total liberty of spirit than are possible in the routines of a purely active existence centered on money-making.

How can I be sincere if I am constantly changing my mind to conform with the shadow of what I think others expect of me?

In humility is the greatest freedom. As long as you have to defend the imaginary self that you think is important, you lose your peace of heart.

We are not converted only once in our lives but many times and this endless series of conversions and inner revolutions leads to our transformation.

For language to have meaning, there must be intervals of silence somewhere, to divide word from word and utterance from utterance. He who retires into silence does not necessarily hate language. Perhaps it is love and respect for language which imposes silence upon him. For the mercy of God is not heard in words unless it is heard, both before and after the words are spoken, in silence.

Solitude is a way to defend the spirit against the murderous din of our materialism.

We have to have a deep, patient compassion for the fears of others and irrational mania of those who hate or condemn us.