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There are no sacred and unsacred places; there are only sacred and desecrated places.

Wendell Berry

To hear of a thousand deaths in war is terrible, and we ‘know’ that it is. But as it registers on our hearts, it is not more terrible than one death fully imagined.
WENDELL BERRY

Death Hear Know Terrible Thousand War
We have the world to live in on the condition that we will take good care of it.
WENDELL BERRY

Care Condition Good Live Take World
It is not from ourselves that we learn to be better than we are.
WENDELL BERRY

Are Better From Learn Ourselves We
I’m a writer more than I am a talker.
WENDELL BERRY

More Talker Writer
If I was freer than I had ever been in my life, I was not yet entirely free, for I still hung on to an idea that had been set deep in me by all my schooling so far:
WENDELL BERRY

Been Deep Entirely Ever Far Free Idea Life Schooling Set So Still
I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief…
WENDELL BERRY

Come Forethought Grief Into Live Peace Tax Thing Wild
Urban conservationists may feel entitled to be unconcerned about food production because they are not farmers. But they can’t be let off so easily, for they are all farming by proxy.
WENDELL BERRY

Conservationist Entitle Farmer Feel Food Production Unconcern Urban
The only time I’ve been arrested was in opposing the Marble Hill nuclear power plant in Indiana. That was in 1979.
WENDELL BERRY

Arrest Hill Indiana Marble Nuclear Only Oppose Plant Power Time Year
If we can’t afford to take good care of the land that feeds us, we’re in an insurmountable mess.
WENDELL BERRY

Afford Care Feed God Land Take Us
These are people who are capable of devotion, public devotion, to justice. They meant what they said and every day that passes, they mean it more.
WENDELL BERRY

Capable Devotion Justice People Public
Why should conservationists have a positive interest in… farming? There are lots of reasons, but the plainest is: Conservationists eat.
WENDELL BERRY

Conservationist Farm Interest Lot Plainest Positive Readon
Whether we or our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.
WENDELL BERRY

All Deal Deciosn Know More Nature Out Party Politician Vote Whether
The atmosphere, the earth, the water and the water cycle – those things are good gifts.
WENDELL BERRY

Atmosphere Cycle Earth Gift Good Thing Those Water
The past is our definition. We may strive with good reason to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it. But we will escape it only by adding something better to it.
WENDELL BERRY

Add Bad Better Definition Escape Food May Past Reason Something Strive
Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup.
WENDELL BERRY

Argument Berry Better Cup Dew Drawn Pick Red Rise Than Wet
We learn from our gardens to deal with the most urgent question of the time: How much is enough?
WENDELL BERRY

Deal Enough Garden Learn Most Much Question Time Urgent
Prayer is like lying awake at night, afraid, with your head under the cover, hearing only the beating of your own heart.
WENDELL BERRY

Afraid Awake Beat Cover Head Hear Heart Lying Own Prayer
And if we offend gravely enough against what we know to be true, as by failing badly enough to deal affectionately and responsibly with our land and our neighbors, truth will retaliate with ugliness, poverty, and disease.
WENDELL BERRY

Badly Disease Effection Enough Etaliate Gravely Neighbors Offend Poverty Resoinsinble True Truth Ugliness
I was a bright boy and I ought to make something out of myself… something else that would be a cut or two above my humble origins.
WENDELL BERRY

Above Boy Bright Else Humble Make Myself Origin Out Something
I’ve had a good life, and was born to and among people I’ve admired and loved.
WENDELL BERRY

Admire Among Born Good Life Loved People
When you are new at sheep-raising and your ewe has a lamb, your impulse is to stay there and help it nurse and see to it and all. After a while, you know that the best thing you can do is walk out of the barn.
WENDELL BERRY

All Help Impulse IT Lamb New Nurse Raise See Sheep Stay When
To be interested in food but not in food production is clearly absurd.
WENDELL BERRY

Absurd Clearly Food Interest Production
It means that your will and God’s will may not be the same. It means there’s a good possibility that you won’t get what you pray for. It means that in spite of your prayers you are going to suffer.
WENDELL BERRY

Amy God Good Mean Possibility Prayer Same Suffer
The old and honorable idea of ‘vocation’ is simply that we each are called, by God, or by our gifts, or by our preference, to a kind of good work for which we are particularly fitted.
WENDELL BERRY

Call Each Gift God Honorable Idea Kind Old Our Preference Simply Vocation
An economy genuinely local and neighborly offers to localities a measure of security that they cannot derive from a national or a global economy controlled by people who, by principle, have no local commitment.
WENDELL BERRY

Derive Economy Genuine Global Local Locality Measure National Neighbour Offer Security
I am not bound for any public place, but for ground of my own where I have planted vines and orchard trees, and in the heat of the day climbed up into the healing shadow of the woods.
WENDELL BERRY

Any Bound Climb Ground Heal Orchard Own Place Plant Public Shadow Tree Vine Wood
We’re all complicit in the things we may be trying to oppose. I’m complicit in the things that I’m trying to oppose.
WENDELL BERRY

All Complicit May Oppose Thing Try

There are no sacred and unsacred places; there are only sacred and desecrated places.

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There are no sacred and unsacred places; there are only sacred and desecrated places.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Wendell Berry Quotes