Deep in the soul, below pain, below all the distraction of life, is a silence vast and grand - an infinite ocean of calm, which nothing can disturb; Nature's own exceeding peace, which "passes understanding". That which we seek with passionate longing, here and there, upward and outward; we find at last within ourselves.
Interpretation
True peace and understanding come from within, beyond life's distractions and pain.
This quote by Richard Maurice Bucke emphasizes the idea that despite the chaos and challenges of life, there exists a profound inner peace that cannot be disturbed. It suggests that the genuine tranquility we yearn for is not found in external circumstances but rather within ourselves, in a space of deep silence and calm that transcends our everyday struggles.
In practice
Using this quote during a meditation workshop to encourage participants to find their inner peace.
History by apprising them [the people] of the past will enable them to judge of the future. . . . It will qualify them as judges of the actions and designs of men: it will enable them to know ambition under every disguise it may assume; and knowing it, to defeat its views.
How easy it is to see your brother's faults, How hard it is to face your own.
Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.
It takes great self-confidence to write a newspaper column. Some might say it takes arrogance. Be that as it may, my willingness to pronounce on a great many matters of which I have little or no knowledge is one of my prime qualifications for this trade.
I was taught to strive not because there were any guarantees of success but because the act of striving is in itself the only way to keep faith with life.
The faster I write the better my output. If I'm going slow, I'm in trouble. It means I'm pushing the words instead of being pulled by them.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.