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Madeleine L'Engle

Madeleine L'Engle Quotes

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Famous Madeleine L'Engle Quotes

“Plato spoke of the necessity for divine madness in the poet. It is a frightening thing to open oneself to this strange and dark side of the divine; it means letting go our sane self control, that control which gives us the illusion of safety. But safety is only an illusion, and letting it go is part of listening to the silence, and to the spirit.”

GivingMeanSelfSpiritSidesDarkSilenceDivineStrangePoetListeningLetting GoIllusionMadnessSafetyOneselfSpokesSaneFrighteningSelf ControlPlatoLet It GoDark Side
Author:Madeleine L'Engle
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“When we look at a painting, or hear a symphony, or read a book, and feel more Named, then, for us, that work is a work of Christian art. But to look at a work of art and then to make a judgment as to whether or not it is art, and whether or not it is Christian, is presumptuous. It is something we cannot know in any conclusive way. We can know only if it speaks within our own hearts, and leads us to living more deeply with Christ in God.”

IfsKnowsWayFeelsLooksHeartArtBookChristianSpeakChristPaintingJudgmentWorks Of ArtSymphonyPresumptuousLiving MoreChristian Art
Book:Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
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“When the artist is truly the servant of the work, the work is better than the artist; Shakespeare knew how to listen to his work, and so he often wrote better than he could write; Bach composed more deeply, more truly than he knew, Rembrandt's brush put more of the human spirit on canvas than Rembrandt could comprehend. When the work takes over, then the artist is enabled to get out of the way, not to interfere. When the work takes over, then the artist listens.”

WayWritingHumansSpiritArtistServantCanvasInterfereBrushesHuman Spirit
Author:Madeleine L'Engle
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“No long-term marriage is made easily, and there have been times when I've been so angry or so hurt that I thought my love would never recover. And then, in the midst of near despair, something has happened beneath the surface. A bright little flashing fish of hope has flicked silver fins and the water is bright and suddenly I am returned to a state of love again - till next time.”

LittlesLongHas BeensMadeStatesNextTermWaterHurtHappenedDespairAngryFishesSurfaceLong TermSilverMidstWeddingNext TimeBeneath The SurfaceLove AgainFinsSo HurtLong Term Marriage
Book:The Irrational Season
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“We find what we are looking for. If we are looking for life and love and openness and growth, we are likely to find them. If we are looking for witchcraft and evil, we'll likely find them, and we may get taken over by them.”

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Book:Dare to be Creative!: A Lecture Presented at the Library of Congress, November 16, 1983
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“A truly great work of art breaks beyond the bounds of the period and culture in which it is created, so final judgement on a current book has to be deferred until it can be seen outside this present moment.”

ArtBookMomentsCultureBreakPeriodsFinalsBoundsCurrentsJudgementPresent MomentWorks Of ArtGreat WorkInspiring Love
Book:The Crosswicks Journals: A Circle of Quiet, The Summer of the Great-Grandmother, The Irrational Season, and Two-Part Invention
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“When we are writing, or painting, or composing, we are, during the time of creativity, freed from normal restrictions, and are opened to a wider world, where colors are brighter, sounds clearer, and people more wondrously complex than we normally realize.”

PeopleWorldWritingSoundRealizingCreativityColorPaintingNormalComplexesRestrictionBrighterComposing
Book:Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
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