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Quote by Coleman Barks

“If you teach three university courses a day, you need something to turn your mind off.”

Quote by Coleman Barks

Author

Coleman Barks is an American poet renowned for his translations of Rumi's poetry. Born on April 23, 1937, Barks has introduced the essence of Rumi's work to a modern English-speaking audience, capturing the spiritual and philosophical depth of the original Persian texts. more

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“Just being sentient and in a body with the sun coming up is a state of rapture.”

States Body Sun Just Being Rapture

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“I had been a kind of natural mystic my whole life, growing up there in Tennessee next to the river. Somehow, that was important for my consciousness. I still don't study [mysticism]. I just wait for experiences.”

Kind Stills Important Whole Next Waiting Natural Consciousness Growing Up Study Growing Rivers Whole Life Mysticism Mystic Tennessee

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“The mystics always say that the experience they're talking about is ineffable, that you can't say it. Rumi was asked one time why he talked so much about silence. He said, "The radiant one inside me has never said a word."”

Said Silence Talking One Time Radiant Ineffable

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“I like to walk around my neighborhood, late in the afternoon. I sometimes wind up at the wonderful, old Shell station that's been changed into a coffee shop. Right where Johnny used to change my oil, I have a latte and take out my little book bag. It doesn't sound very austere.”

Littles Book Sometimes Used Sound Walks Wonderful Changed Wind Late Oil Coffee Shops Bags Neighborhood Stations Afternoon Shells Coffee Shop Lattes

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“As human beings, we are always torn between individual freedom and the ability of choose our actions, and the need for at least enough social structure so that anarchy, chaos, and warlordery - or the war of all against all - can be avoided.”

Needs Humans War Enough Action Individual Social Human Beings Ability Structure Chaos Anarchy Torn Our Actions Avoided Individual Freedom Social Structure

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“I think my life is tremendously interesting, and surely, other people do too.”

People Thinking Life Is Interesting

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“There's some sort of exchange that goes on between human beings that is one of the highest things we do.”

Humans Human Beings Goes On Highest

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“It's such a foolish thing to argue about names, when what we're doing is all one thing.”

Names One Thing Arguing Foolish

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“It's a beautiful lucid dream that has language that I can fiddle with.”

I Can Dream Beautiful Language Fiddle Lucid Dreaming

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“If you think there's an important difference between being a Christian or a Jew or a Hindu or a Muslim or a Buddhist, then you're making a division between your heart, what you love with, and the way you act in the world.”

Ifs Thinking World Way Heart Important Christian Differences Jew Buddhist Division What You Love

Author:Coleman Barks