Five Quotes from Frederick Buechner


“What we hunger for perhaps more than anything else is to be known in our full humanness, and yet that is often just what we also fear more than anything else. It is important to tell at least from time to time the secret of who we truly and fully are . . . because otherwise we run the risk of losing track of who we truly and fully are and little by little come to accept instead the highly edited version which we put forth in hope that the world will find it more acceptable than the real thing."

“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid.”

“Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.” 

“The original, shimmering self gets buried so deep that most of us end up hardly living out of it at all. Instead we live out all the other selves, which we are constantly putting on and taking off like coats and hats against the world’s weather”

“To be wise is to be eternally curious.” 

Okay, here's one more...

“Much as we wish, not one of us can bring back yesterday or shape tomorrow. Only today is ours, and it will not be ours for long, and once it is gone it will never in all time be ours again." 

Urban Simplicity.

Comments

John in NH said…
Little known fact Joe. My middle name comes from this gentleman and was due to his close relationship with my dad when he was teaching at Phillips Exeter. My grandfather on my Dad's side worked at PEA although my dad did not end up going there. He is a good family friend and both him and Judy are wonderful people and a great inspiration. They also generously helped finance my undergraduate education at SUNY. Thanks for this Joe!
Joe said…
John...wow! Small world. I'm in the middle of reading on of his books and the first quote on this post is from that book...it really resonated with me. Thanks for sharing this.