From the moment you put a piece of bread in your mouth you are part of the world. Who grew the wheat? Who made the bread? Where did it come from? You are in relationship with all who brought it to the table. We are least separate and most in common when we eat and drink.
THOMAS MERTON
THOMAS MERTON
Thomas Merton on connection
Thomas Merton76 quotes“From the moment you put a piece of bread in your mouth you are part of the world. Who grew the wheat? Who made the bread? Where did it come from? You are in relationship with all who brought it to the table. We are least separate and most in common when we eat and drink.”
More from Thomas Merton
Self-conquest is really self-surrender. Yet before we can surrender ourselves we must become ourselves. For no one can give up what he does not possess.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton Gratitude takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton How can I be sincere if I am constantly changing my mind to conform with the shadow of what I think others expect of me?
Thomas MertonThomas Merton The man who sweats under his mask, whose role makes him itch with discomfort, who hates the division in himself, is already beginning to be free.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false Self. We are not very good at recognizing illusions, least of all the ones we cherish about ourselves.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton Every breath we draw is a gift of God’s love; every moment of existence is a grace.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton In Silence God ceases to be an object and becomes an experience.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton Our real journey in life is interior; It is a matter of growth, deepening, and of an ever greater surrender to the creative action of love and grace in our hearts. Never was it more necessary to respond to that action.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton Do not be too quick to condemn the man who no longer believes in God: for it is perhaps your own coldness and avarice and mediocrity and materialism and selfishness that have chilled his faith.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton A happiness that is sought for ourselves alone can never be found: for a happiness that is diminished by being shared is not big enough to make us happy.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton For each one of us, there is only one thing necessary: to fulfill our own destiny, according to God’s will, to be what God wants us to be.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton The purpose of our lives is to find the purpose of our lives.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton
Original quotes
From our community writers
They bleed not in the mouth but through their ink – indelible and dark.
Juana GarciaJuana Garcia I would rather shoot my arrows than keep them in my bow, I would rather risk it all than risk nothing at all.
ShamaShama I wish I knew then all of the things I know now that I am enough.
TMCTMC I feel like I’m on fire, fighting for a moment on respite – I’m not placing bets.
M.K. StandbyM.K. Standby I found him in all the chaos, and that was when my world started making sense again.
MoomerMoomer The judgement that people cast on you for how you do or do not appear is nothing more than just a projection of their own wounds.
Taj AroraTaj Arora Be grateful for what you have now, even if it’s not everything you wanted.
Sonia SabnisSonia Sabnis It seems strange how we look in the same mirror, yet what stares back, is so painfully different.
Chris AllchinChris Allchin
More on connection
We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection.
Brene BrownBrene Brown When I was little, my mother was funny with me, and I started to be charming and funny for her, and I learned that by being entertaining, you make a connection with another person.
Robin WilliamsRobin Williams Reform is for people who have government connections, revolution is for the people!
Malcolm XMalcolm X We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain.
Stephen HawkingStephen Hawking You can’t be good to others without God being good back to you. There are blessings connected to helping others.
Joel OsteenJoel Osteen I think that more flow of information, the ability to stay connected to more people makes people more effective as people.
Mark ZuckerbergMark Zuckerberg Connectivity just can’t be a privilege for people in the richest countries.
Helping a billion people connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life.
Mark ZuckerbergMark Zuckerberg