Like democracy itself, jazz has structure, but within it you can say almost anything.
A scholar is committed to building on knowledge that others have gathered, correcting it, confirming it, enlarging it.
Vocation does not come from willfulness. It comes from listening. I must listen to my life and try to understand what it is truly about-quite apart from what I would like it to be about-or my life will never represent anything real in the world, no matter how earnest my intentions…. . Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am. I must listen for the truths and values at the heart of my own identity, not the standards by which I must live-but the standards by which I cannot help but live if I am living my own life.
The human soul doesn't want to be fixed, it simply wants to be seen and heard. The soul is like a wild animal - tough, resilient and shy. When we go crashing through the woods shouting for it to come out so we can help it, the soul will stay in hiding. But if we are willing to sit quietly and wait for a while, the soul may show itself.
Some journeys are direct, and some are circuitous; some are heroic, and some are fearful and muddled. But every journey, honestly undertaken, stands a chance of taking us toward the place where our deep gladness meets the world’s deep need
Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks--we will also find our path of authentic service in the world.
Wholeness does not mean perfection: it means embracing brokenness as an integral part of life.
A painted surface is a real, living form.
If we would have God in the closet, God must have us out of the closet. There is no way of praying to God, but by living to God.
I'm not a stunt man. I'm not a dare devil. . . I'm an explorer.
Always the eternal optimist, President Reagan instilled confidence and optimism at a time both were in short supply in our country.