Thomas Merton
1915-1968 • American
Christian MysticismZen
Trappist monk, writer, and mystic. His autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain sparked renewed interest in contemplative Christianity.
Key Works
- The Seven Storey Mountain
- New Seeds of Contemplation
- Journals
115
quotes in library
Quotes by Thomas Merton
115 quotes“Step back. Look again. Then act.”
perspectiveConjectures of a Guilty Bystander
“The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings.”
compassionThe Asian Journal
“They are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.”
interdependenceThe Asian Journal
“There is no avoiding our responsibility for one another.”
responsibilityThe Asian Journal
“We are all part of one another, and we share each other's pain and each other's joy.”
partThe Asian Journal
“To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence.”
imageNew Seeds of Contemplation
“For God is love.”
godNew Seeds of Contemplation
“Love is my true identity.”
loveNew Seeds of Contemplation
“Selflessness is my true self.”
selflessnessNew Seeds of Contemplation
“Love is my true character.”
loveNew Seeds of Contemplation
“Love is my name.”
loveNew Seeds of Contemplation
“To love is to choose union and to refuse division.”
loveLove and Living
“To choose to live the truth that we are not separate selves.”
truthLove and Living
“To live as if our life depended on the life of every other.”
lifeLove and Living
“Because it does.”
interdependenceLove and Living
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
artNo Man Is an Island
“Music inspires devotion. Liturgy inspires praise. Poetry inspires wonder.”
musicNo Man Is an Island
“All true art is spiritual in this sense.”
artNo Man Is an Island
“It draws us beyond ourselves.”
artNo Man Is an Island
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