Elysium on earth

And, oh! if there be an Elysium on earth,
It is this, it is this.

~Thomas Moore, (1759 – 1882)

the light that shines from within

Nothing can dim the light
that shines from within.

~Maya Angelou, (1928 – 2014)

the soil out of which joy blossoms

Let every hindrance to joy become
the soil out of which joy blossoms.

~Elizabeth George

but we can begin

We can’t heal the world today
but we can begin
with a voice of compassion,
a heart of love,
an act of kindness.

~Mary Davis

when you’re standing under the sky

When life feels too big to handle, go outside.
Everything looks smaller
when you’re standing under the sky.

~L. R. Knost

This is the way

I know you’re tired,
but come. This is the way.

~Rumi

what you hope for

The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for.
And the most you can do is live inside that hope.
Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.

~Barbara Kingsolver

keep going

Strength is not a roar of thunder in the heart.
That is passion.
Strength is not a process of logic in the mind.
That is reason.
Strength is a soul-deep voice that whispers ‘keep going’
when we feel like giving up.

~L. R. Knost

in a time of no rain

Sit and be still until in the time
of no rain you hear beneath the dry
wind’s commotion in the trees
the sound of flowing water among
the rocks, a stream unheard before,
and you are where breathing is prayer.

~Wendell Berry

the perfect teacher

This very moment is the perfect teacher,
and, lucky for us,
it’s with us wherever we go.

~Pema Chödrön