Thomas Merton on the Necessity of Solitude for a Healthy Society
“Gratitude is therefore the heart of the solitary life, as it is the heart of the Christian life.”
Saint Augustine on the Happy Life and Finding Joy
“The happy life is this – to rejoice to you, in you, and for you. That is it and there is no other.”
Think Carefully: Marcus Aurelius on How to Control the Mind
“To move from one unselfish action to another with God in mind. Only there, delight and stillness.”
Yielding Control: Irenaeus of Lyon On What It Means to Be a Created Being
“To create belongs to God’s goodness; to be created belongs to human nature.”
Mother Teresa’s Essential Wisdom
“Resist anything that leads to moodiness. Our prayer each day should be, ‘Let the joy of the Lord be my strength.’”
Hallelujah Anyway: Anne Lamott on Extending and Receiving Mercy in a Broken World
“What if we know that forgiveness and mercy are what heal and restore and define us, that they actually are the fragrance that the rose leaves on the heel that crushes it?”
Part I: The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the Four Qualities of the Mind that Lead to Joyful Living
“The ultimate source of happiness is within us. Not money, not power, not status…outward attainment will not bring real inner joyfulness. We must look inside.”