“ Like a wild animal, the soul is tough, resilient, resourceful, savvy, and selfsufficient: it knows how to survive in hard places. I learned about these qualities during my bouts with depression. In that deadly darkness, the faculties I had always depended on collapsed. My intellect was useless; my emotions were dead; my will was impotent; my ego was shattered. But from time to time, deep in the thickets of my inner wilderness, I could sense the presence of something that knew how to stay alive even when the rest of me wanted to die. That something was my tough and tenacious soul. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
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“ Formation may be the best name for what happens in a circle of trust, because the word refers, historically, to soul work done in community. But a quick disclaimer is in order, since formation sometimes means a process quite contrary to the one described in this booka process in which the pressure of orthodox doctrine, sacred text, and institutional authority is applied to the misshapen soul in order to conform it to the shape dictated by some theology. This approach is rooted in the idea that we are born with souls deformed by sin, and our situation is hopeless until the authorities "form" us properly. But all of that is turned upside down by the principles of a circle of trust: I applaud the theologian who said that "the idea of humans being born alienated from the Creator would seem an abominable concept." Here formation flows from the belief that we are born with souls in perfect form. As time goes on, we subject to powers of deformation, from within as well as without, that twist us into shapes alien to the shape of the soul. But the soul never loses its original form and never stops calling us back to our birhtright integrity. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
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“ Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 3.2K
“ In my own life, as winters turn into spring, I find it not only hard to cope with mud but also hard to credit the small harbingers of larger life to come, hard to hope until the outcome is secure. Spring teaches me to look more carefully for the green stems of possibility; for the intuitive hunch that may turn into a larger insight, for the glance or touch that may thaw a frozen relationship, for the stranger's act of kindness that makes the world seem hospitable again. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 412
“ Teaching holds a mirror to the soul. If I am willing to look in that mirror and not run from what I see I have a chance to gain self knowledge and knowing myself is as crucial to good teaching as knowing my students and my subject. In fact, knowing my students and my subject depends heavily on self knowledge. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 3.6K
“ Science requires an engagement with the world, a live encounter between the knower and the known. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 2.5K
“ We need a coat with two pockets. In one pocket there is dust, and in the other pocket there is gold. We need a coat with two pockets to remind us who we are. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
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“ Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks — we will also find our path of authentic service in the world. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 3.8K
“ Science requires an engagement with the world, a live encounter between the knower and the known. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 2.9K
“ The truth is that every time a door closes behind us, the rest of the world opens up in front of us. All we need to do is stop pounding on the door that is now closed, turn around, and see the largeness of life that now lies open to our soul. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 2.6K
“ Community is that place where the person you least want to live with always lives. And when that person moves away, someone else arises to take his or her place. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 2.5K
“ Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks — we will also find our path of authentic service in the world. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 1.7K
“ We need a coat with two pockets. In one pocket there is dust, and in the other pocket there is gold. We need a coat with two pockets to remind us who we are. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 864
“ Avoid the bad habit of domesticating the prophet of your choice, turning him into a cheerleader for your way of thinking and way of life. Remember that all the great prophets were courageous and outrageous folks who railed against the powers-that-be, challenged self-satisfied piosity, threatened the prevailing social order, and would find you falling short in some significant ways. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
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“ The truth is that every time a door closes behind us, the rest of the world opens up in front of us. All we need to do is stop pounding on the door that is now closed, turn around, and see the largeness of life that now lies open to our soul. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
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“ In every story I have heard, good teachers share one trait: a strong sense of personal identity infuses their work. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
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“ Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 2.8K
“ Science requires an engagement with the world, a live encounter between the knower and the known. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 2.9K
“ A scholar is committed to building on knowledge that others have gathered, correcting it, confirming it, enlarging it. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
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“ The truth is that every time a door closes behind us, the rest of the world opens up in front of us. All we need to do is stop pounding on the door that is now closed, turn around, and see the largeness of life that now lies open to our soul. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 455
“ The truth is that every time a door closes behind us, the rest of the world opens up in front of us. All we need to do is stop pounding on the door that is now closed, turn around, and see the largeness of life that now lies open to our soul. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
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“ our limitations and liabilities are the flip side of our gifts… our weaknesses are the inevitable trade-offs we must make for having the strengths that we have… the way that closes in our lives is only the other side of the way that opens. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
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“ our culture wants to turn mysteries into problems to be solved or breakdowns to be fixed, because maintaining the illusion that we can "straighten things out" makes us feel powerful. Yet mysteries never yield to solutions or fixes — and when we pretend that they do, life not only becomes more banal but more hopeless, because the fixes never works. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 2.1K
“ A scholar is committed to building on knowledge that others have gathered, correcting it, confirming it, enlarging it. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 2.1K
“ In every story I have heard, good teachers share one trait: a strong sense of personal identity infuses their work. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 2.4K
“ Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 2.4K
“ Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 2K
“ our limitations and liabilities are the flip side of our gifts… our weaknesses are the inevitable trade-offs we must make for having the strengths that we have… the way that closes in our lives is only the other side of the way that opens. ”
- Parker J. Palmer- Copy
- 3.2K
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