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Quote by Gregory David Roberts

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Shantaram

This novel is a richly detailed narrative that delves into the complexities of human existence, following the protagonist's journey from a life of crime to a quest for self-discovery and peace. The story is set against the backdrop of a vibrant and chaotic Mumbai, offering a vivid portrayal of the city's diverse cultures and communities. The protagonist's transformation is central to the narrative, as he navigates the challenges of addiction, the allure of the criminal underworld, and the search for a meaningful life. more

Author

Gregory David Roberts
Gregory David Roberts

Gregory David Roberts is an Australian author best known for his autobiographical novel 'The Shawshank Redemption.' This novel was later adapted into a successful film, becoming a classic. Born on June 1, 1952, Roberts' life has been marked by adventure and challenge. more

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“A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature; and because firm and unalterable experience has established these laws, the case against a miracle is—just because it is a miracle—as complete as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined to be. Why is it more than merely probable that all men must die, that lead cannot when not supported remain suspended in the air, that fire consumes wood and is extinguished by water, unless it is that these events are found agreeable to the laws of nature, and for things to go differently there would have to be a violation of those laws, or in other words a miracle? Nothing is counted as a miracle if it ever happens in the common course of nature. When a man who seems to be in good health suddenly dies, this isn't a miracle; because such a kind of death, though more unusual than any other, has yet often been observed to happen. But a dead man’s coming to life would be a miracle, because that has never been observed in any age or country. So there must be a uniform experience against every miraculous event, because otherwise the event wouldn't count as a ‘miracle’. And as a uniform experience amounts to a proof, we have here a direct and full proof against the existence of any miracle, just because it’s a miracle; and such a proof can’t be destroyed or the miracle made credible except by an opposite proof that is even stronger. This clearly leads us to a general maxim that deserves of our attention: No testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle unless it is of such a kind that its falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact that it tries to establish. And even in that case there is a mutual destruction of arguments, and the stronger one only gives us an assurance suitable to the force that remains to it after the force needed to cancel the other has been subtracted.”

ReligionChristianityAtheismMiraclesNaturalismEmpiricism
Book:An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
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“I never stopped writing. It was what I did, no matter where I was or how my circumstances changed. One of the reasons I remember those early Bombay months so well is that, whenever I was alone, I wrote about those new friends and the conversations we shared. And writing was one of the things that saved me: the discipline and abstraction of putting my life into words, every day, helped me to cope with shame and its first cousin, despair.”

ShantaramGregory David Roberts
Book:Shantaram
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“For God is so desirous that the government and direction of every man should be undertaken by another man like himself, and that every man should be ruled and governed by natural reason, that He earnestly desires us not to give entire credence to the things that He communicates to us supernaturally, nor to consider them as being securely and completely confirmed until they pass through this human aqueduct of the mouth of man.”

Spiritual Direction
Book:The Ascent of Mount Carmel
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“Thus, to receive spiritual help in time of need requires, first of all, not to deny but to affirm the search. Painful questions must be raised, faced, and then lived. This means that we must constantly avoid the temptation of offering or accepting simple answers, to be easy defenders of God, the Church, the tradition, or whatever we feel called to defend. Experience suggests that such glib apologetics animate hostility and anger, and finally a growing alienation from whom or what we are trying to defend. Be careful when life’s questions swirl around you in times of pain. Beware of easy answers or guarantees. Seek the companionship of others who will befriend you and listen as you live the questions of your life.”

SpiritualityMinistrySpiritual PracticeSpiritual DirectionChaplaincy
Book:Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith
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