Wisdom Quotes

Every one of us ages, becomes ill, and grieves. All of us seek the wisdom to navigate life challenges with fortitude and courage.  The following reflections, drawn from wisdom traditions as diverse as Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Rumi, and around the world, provide sustenance.  

Mother Teresa

Yesterday is gone.
Tomorrow has not yet come.
We have only today,
let us begin.

Hosshen, Zen Monk, 13th century

Coming, all is clear, no doubt about it.
Going, all is clear, without a doubt.
What, then, is it all?

Rumi, From the poem 'Sublime Generosity'

I was dead, then alive.
Weeping, then laughing.

The power of love came into me,
And I became fierce like a lion,
Then tender like the evening star.

Mahatma Gandhi

Even as we serve others,
We are working on ourselves;
Every act, every work,
Every gesture of genuine compassion
Naturally nourishes our own hearts as well.

It is not a question of who is helped first,
When we attend to ourselves with compassion and mercy,
More healing is made available for others.

And when we serve others
With our open and generous heart,
Great healing comes to us.

As we heal the wounds of the past,
We carry less pain into the world,
Less confusion and anger,
And we bring more charity and peace.

It is no longer simply for personal gain;
It becomes our gift,
Our offering to the earth
And the Divine Spirit within us all.

Shohi, Japanese Haiku Poet: Death poem

O morning Glory --
I, too, yearn for
Eternity.

Plotinus

I am making my last effort to return
that which is divine in me
to that which is divine in the universe

Socrates

I understand, that I may and must ask the gods to prosper my journey from this to the other world -- and so be it according to my prayer.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

We need prayer to understand God's love for us.
You have to read that beautiful passage
in Isaiah where God speaks and says:
'I have called you by name.
You are mine.
Water will not drown you,
fire will not burn you.
I will give up nations for you.
You are precious to me.'

We are precious to him.
That man dying in the street -- precious to him;
that millionaire -- precious to him;
that sinner -- precious to him.
Because he loves us.

Seira, Japanese Haiku Poet: Death poem

Boarding the boat
I slip off my shoes:
Moon in the water.

Petrarch

A good death does honor to a whole life.

Rumi

Little by little, wean yourself.
This is the gist of what I have to say.
From an embryo, whose nourishment comes from the blood,
Move to an infant, drinking milk,
To a child on solid food,
To a searcher after wisdom,
To a hunter of more invisible game.

Think how it is to have a conversation with an embryo.
You might say, "The world outside is vast and intricate.
There are wheatfields and mountain passes,
And orchards in bloom.

At night there are millions of galaxies, and in sunlight
The beauty of friends dancing at a wedding."

You asked the embryo why he or she stays cooped up
In the dark with eyes closed.

Listen to the answer.

"There is no other world."
I only know what I've experienced.
You must be hallucinating.

Ira Byock

Sometimes, more than dying, people dread becoming dependent on caregivers and making them feel responsible for both financial and physical needs as well as the inevitable emotional demands.

However, to speak of this time solely as a "Burden" misrepresents the nature of the experience. Caregivers frequently tell me that they regard this time a precious. A sacred responsibility that they want to shoulder -- that they need to shoulder.

Caring for a dying loved one is powerful way to express love, devotion, and reverence. Allowing a spouse or grown child to care for one becomes a final gift from the person dying. The physical acts of caring can help family members in their own grief.

Jake's, act of self-sacrifice -- giving up his desire for independence and allowing himself to become defenseless and vulnerable to his family -- might, at first, appear passive.

In fact, it was a difficult, active decision and a conscious gift he gave to his family. By accepting their care and their love, he helped ease the pain of their grief in a way only he could.

From "Dying Well: Peace and Possibilities at the End of Life."

Old Testament 

I have the Lord always before me;
Surely He is at my right hand,
I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad,
And my glory rejoiceth.

Thou makest me know the path of life;
In Thy path is fullness of joy,
In Thy right hand bliss for evermore.

May God remember the soul of my beloved ones
Who have been called to eternal rest.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of eternal life.
May they rest in peace.
Amen.

Isiah

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.
Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,
The Creator of the ends of the earth
He does not faint or grow weary;
His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint
And strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
And the young will fall exhausted;

But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Book of Numbers Blessing

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face
to shine upon you and be gracious to you,
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Christian Prayer

God of all consolation,
In your unending love and mercy for us
You turn the darkness of death
Into the dawn of new life
Show compassion to your people in their sorrow.

Be our refuge and our strength
To lift us from the darkness of this grief
to the peace and light of your presence.
Your son, our Lord Jesus Christ,

By dying for us, conquered death
And by rising again, restored life.

May we then go forward eagerly to meet him,
And after our life on earth
Be reunited with our brothers and sisters
Where every tear will be wiped away.

Celtic Prayer

Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the shining stars to you,
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.