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Quote by Rachel Naomi Remen

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Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal, 10th Anniversary Edition

This 10th anniversary edition features a compilation of stories that delve into the profound impact of sharing life experiences, fostering empathy, and strengthening human connections. more

Author

Rachel Naomi Remen
Rachel Naomi Remen

Rachel Naomi Remen (born February 8, 1938) is an American physician, author, and spiritual teacher. Surviving cancer as a child, she developed a unique perspective on healing and life meaning. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, she worked in conventional medicine before turning to holistic healing approaches. Her bestselling book "Kitchen Table Wisdom" (1994) shares touching stories from her medical practice and has inspired millions worldwide. Remen emphasizes the integration of body, mind, and spirit in healing, advocating for compassionate, patient-centered care that values listening and presence. more

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“When we are relaxed and reasonable content, we are naturally wise. We accept that life is unpredictable, unreliable. We say jokingly or philosophically, "Nothing is sure except death and taxes," or "God willing and the creek don't rise," reminding each other that, notwithstanding the level of planning, we are continually dealing with being surprised. We get startled. We recover. We are disappointed. We adjust. Mostly-with Wisdom intact-we manage.”

“Wisdom comes most easily to those who have the courage to embrace life without judgment and are willing to not know, sometimes for a long time. It requires us to be more fully and simply alive than we have been taught to be. It may require us to suffer. But ultimately we will be more than we were when we began. There is the seed of a greater wholeness in everyone.”

“"Write that down," the King said to the jury, and the jury eagerly wrote down all three dates on their slates, and then added them up, and reduced the answer to shillings and pence.”

“The humorist who invented trial by jury played a colossal practical joke upon the world, but since we have the system we ought to try and respect it. A thing which is not thoroughly easy to do, when we reflect that by command of the law a criminal juror must be an intellectual vacuum, attached to a melting heart and perfectly macaronian bowels of compassion.”

“If one benefits tangibly from the exploitation of others who are weak, is one morally implicated in their predicament? Or are basic rights of human existence confined to the civilized societies that are wealthy enough to afford them? Our values are defined by what we will tolerate when it is done to others.”