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Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver Quotes

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Famous Mary Oliver Quotes

“I wanted the past to go away, I wanted to leave it, like another country; I wanted my life to close, and open like a hinge, like a wing, like the part of the song where it falls down over the rocks: an explosion, a discovery; I wanted to hurry into the work of my life; I wanted to know, whoever I was, I was alive for a little while.”

KnowsLittlesCountryWantedPastSongFallAliveRocksDiscoveryWingsGoing AwayExplosionsFalling DownHinges
Book:Dream Work
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“On the beach, at dawn: Four small stones clearly Hugging each other. How many kinds of love Might there be in the world, And how many formations might they make And who am I ever To imagine I could know Such a marvelous business? When the sun broke It poured willingly its light Over the stones That did not move, not at all, Just as, to its always generous term, It shed its light on me, My own body that loves, Equally, to hug another body.”

KnowsWorldKindBodyLightMightMovingTermMy OwnSunFourImagineStonesBrokeBeachDawnGenerousHugShedMarvelousFormationKinds Of Love
Book:Swan: Poems and Prose Poems
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“Tom Dancer’s gift of a whitebark pine cone You never know What opportunity Is going to travel to you, Or through you. Once a friend gave me A small pine cone- One of a few He found in the scat Of a grizzly In Utah maybe, Or Wyoming. I took it home And did what I supposed He was sure I would do- I ate it, Thinking How it had traveled Through that rough And holy body. It was crisp and sweet. It was almost a prayer Without words. My gratitude, Tom Dancer, For this gift of the world I adore so much And want to belong to. And thank you too, great bear”

ThinkingKnowsWorldWantHomeBodyFoundOpportunityPrayerSweetBearsGratitudeHolyDancerRoughTomsTraveledAdoreCrispsUtahConesWyomingGrizzlies
Author:Mary Oliver
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“In your hands The dog, the donkey, surely they know They are alive. Who would argue otherwise? But now, after years of consideration, I am getting beyond that. What about the sunflowers? What about The tulips, and the pines? Listen, all you have to do is start and There’ll be no stopping. What about mountains? What about water Slipping over rocks? And speaking of stones, what about The little ones you can Hold in your hands, their heartbeats So secret, so hidden it may take years Before, finally, you hear them?”

KnowsYearsMayLittlesHandsWaterSecretAliveRocksDogMountainStonesArguingConsiderationStoppingHeartbeatSlippingDonkeySunflower
Author:Mary Oliver
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“I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

KnowsShouldHas BeensDoneLastsDiesFallPrayerPayAttentionKnow HowPlansFieldsBlessedPay AttentionGrassShould IIdleFalling DownSummer DaysPrecious LifeHow Precious Life Is
Book:The Truro Bear and Other Adventures: Poems and Essays
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