The greatest challenge is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.” — Charles Dickens, "Great Expectations."




‎"People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar." —Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist now based in France.






‎"Man has places in his heart which do not yet exist, and into them enters suffering in order that they may have existence." —Leon Bloy (July 11, 1846 – November 3, 1917), French novelist, essayist, pamphleteer and poet.








“Do not assume that he who seeks to comfort you now, lives untroubled among the simple and quiet words that sometimes do you good. His life may also have much sadness and difficulty, that remains far beyond yours. Were it otherwise, he would never have been able to find these words.” —Rainer Maria Rilke






‎"When I find myself in times of trouble | Mother Mary comes to me | Speaking words of wisdom, let it be." —John Lennon and Paul McCartney, from “Let It Be” (1970)




‎"A person who is beginning to sense the suffering of life is, at the same time, beginning to awaken to deeper realities, truer realities. For suffering smashes to pieces the complacency of our normal ­fictions about reality, and forces us to come alive in a special sense—to see carefully, to feel deeply, to touch ourselves and our worlds in ways we have heretofore avoided." —Ken Wilber






‎"You know quite well, deep within you, that there is only a single magic, a single power, a single salvation…and that is called loving. Well, then, love your suffering. Do not resist it, do not flee from it. It is your aversion that hurts, nothing else." —Herman Hesse