Life with most teenagers was like having a low-grade bladder infection. It hurts, but you had to tough it out.
Anne LamottRead
I was reminded of the Four Immutable Laws of the Spirit: Whoever is present are the right people. Whenever it begins is the right time. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened. And when it's over, it's over.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes acceptance of the present moment and the inevitability of circumstances.
Anne Lamott's quote reflects a profound understanding of life's unpredictability and interconnectedness. It suggests that the people we encounter in any given moment, the timing of events, and the outcomes we experience are all meant to be, urging us to embrace each situation as it unfolds. By recognizing that everything happens for a reason and that there is a natural order to events, we can find peace and acceptance in our life's journey.
Themes
AcceptancePresenceInevitabilityTimingLife
In practice
Example use cases
To inspire a group discussing mindfulness and being present.
More from Anne Lamott
All quotes →Or you might shout at the top of your lungs or whisper into your sleeve, "I hate you, God." That is a prayer too, because it is real, it is truth, and maybe it is the first sincere thought you've had in months.
Anne LamottRead
Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over people and circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are.
Anne LamottRead
It is hard to remember that you are a cherished spiritual being when you're burping up apple fritters and Cheetos.
Anne LamottRead
Gorgeous, amazing things come into our lives when we are paying attention: mangoes, grandnieces, Bach, ponds. This happens more often when we have as little expectation as possible. If you say, "Well, that's pretty much what I thought I'd see," you are in trouble. At that point you have to ask yourself why you are even here. [...] Astonishing material and revelation appear in our lives all the time. Let it be. Unto us, so much is given. We just have to be open for business.
Anne LamottRead
...because when people have seen you at their worst, you don't have to put on the mask as much.
Anne LamottRead
Similar quotes
Adding to your list of enemies is never a sound strategy, yet ISIS' ferocious campaign against the Shia, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, and Muslims who don't precisely share its views has united every ethnic and religious group in Syria and Iraq against them.
Peter BergenRead
Until there is peace between religions, there can be no peace in the world.
Nhat HanhRead
I try not to speak about all the charities and people I help, because I believe we can only be truly generous when we expect nothing in return.
Muhammad AliRead
Live up to your convictions. You walk in grace or you walk in fear. You can't have it both ways.
Carlos SantanaRead
...she needed to confirm its presence. Like the keeper of the lighthouse and the prisoner, she regarded it as a mooring, a checkpoint, some stable visual object that assured her that the world was still there; that this was like and not a dream. That she was alive somewhere, inside, which she acknowledged to be true only because a thing she knew intimately was out there, outside of herself.
Toni MorrisonRead
When you destroy a population, once femicide happens, we're going to see the end of humanity, because I don't know how you sustain a future without vitalised women.
Eve EnslerRead