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 MERTON
THOMAS MERTON
Thomas Merton on beginning
Thomas Merton76 quotes“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.”
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More from Thomas Merton
Compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things.
Thomas MertonThomas Merton Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another.
Thomas MertonThomas 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 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 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 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
Original quotes
From our community writers
I’ve grown tired of playing the warrior In the battle between me And my demons.
J.S BrownJ.S Brown No matter how many storms pass through it, this heart is still a gentle thing.
Sabina LauraSabina Laura If you want to start something great, you need commitment. But if you want to finish that something great, you need consistency.
Alison ButcherAlison Butcher Abundance is my birthright it starts with harvesting my inner light.
Shannon Van AlstShannon Van Alst I believed in the magic we made, but you were the magician and i was merely your puppet on stage.
Sophie AliaSophie Alia Eternity is vague. Let me fill in the blanks with you.
Addison SchmittAddison Schmitt Action is the key that solves all your problems.
Abel StarcAbel Starc His promises looked so promising that she just ignored the blatant truths.
Krishan PandeyKrishan Pandey
Meet the writers
More on beginning
I started gymnastics when I was six years old. I was at day care, and they took us on a field trip to a gym club, Bannon’s Gymnastix in Houston, and that’s how I got started.
Simone BilesSimone Biles The fight isn’t over – it’s just begun. It’s time to suit up for a battle that might determine the war.
Amanda GormanAmanda Gorman If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation.
Jiddu KrishnamurtiJiddu Krishnamurti I’m very scared to do it. What if I don’t come back? With the whole light-years thing, what if I come back 10,000 years later, and everyone I know is dead? I’ll be like, ‘Great. Now I have to start all over’.
Paris HiltonParis Hilton Whatever God is urging you to clear away cannot begin to be compared to what He ultimately wants to bring you.
Beth MooreBeth Moore For the first time i began to think, consciously and deliberately of religion and other worlds. The Hindu religion especially went up in my estimation; not the ritual or ceremonial part, but it’s great books, the “Upnishads,” and the “Bhagavad Gita.”
Jawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru If any foreign minister begins to defend to the death a ‘peace conference,’ you can be sure his government has already placed its orders for new battleships and airplanes.
Joseph StalinJoseph Stalin No matter where I go I know where I came from.
Jennifer LopezJennifer Lopez