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Quote by Dana Gioia

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Poetry as Enchantment

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Dana Gioia
Dana Gioia

Dana Gioia, born on December 24, 1950, is an accomplished American poet known for his profound emotions and rich imagination in his works. more

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“There’s a statement by [the Roman dramatist] Terence: “I am a human being. Nothing human can be alien to me.” If you know that, accept that, then you can tell a story. You can make people believe characters are just like they are. Jack and Jill went up the hill, one fell down and the other came tumbling after. The listener thinks, “Oh, I’ve fallen down, so I can understand,” even if it happened in Holland or Kowloon. Human beings should understand how other humans feel no matter where they are, no matter what their language or culture is, no matter their age, and no matter the age in which they live. If you develop the art of seeing us as more alike than we are unalike, then all stories are understandable.”

HumansStoriesHumanityUnderstandingStorytellingTerence
Author:Maya Angelou
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“The greatest tragedy for humanity is that we have been brought up with the idea that we already know what love is. The truth is that we do not know what love is. That is the fundamental problem for humanity, which is what causes all other problems. We think that it is the presence of love that creates all problems, but it is really the absence of love that creates all problems. And because of the false idea that we already think that we know what love is, we live without love. The potential for love is already there within us, but we have to know how to develop the potential for love. Life is the opportunity to grow the potential for love. But it is the idea that we already know what love is that prevents us to develop the potential for love. In a better human society, we will say that our whole life is a tremendous opportunity to grow the seeds of love. Life is a tremendous opportunity to learn the art of growing the seeds of love. That is the art of love.”

LoveLifeTruthHumanitySocietyAwarenessCivilization
Book:Man is Part of the Whole: Silence, Love, Joy, Truth, Compassion, Freedom and Grace
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“The meditator and the soldier are of opposite polarity in the world. The soldier is born when the soul of the person is destroyed. The soldier has been forced. controlled and manipulated to become a mechanical robot. He is reduced to an non-human entity, which has fallen below the human. He has forgotten his own freedom. Throughout the history of man soldiers have been needed, because human history has consisted of trying to conquer the world and achieve world dominion. The stupidity of trying to conquer the world has been the basic cause of the soldier, because humanity has not become mature. The whole training of the soldier is to remain immature and prevent his spiritual growth. The exact opposite polarity of the soldier is the meditator. The mediator is a growth of spiritual maturity. It means a spiritual maturity born out of love, not fear. It means a spiritual growth out of freedom, not out of slavery. This spiritual maturity of love and freedom is not imposed. It grows out his being, so that one day you will say yes to the whole existence, to life itself. Ultimately it is saying yes to God, which is the ultimate peak of love, trust, joy, truth and freedom. That is the ultimate peak of consciousness. The soldier falls below humanity, while the meditator goes above humanity.”

LoveHumanityFreedomAwarenessMilitarySoldierConquer The WorldMeditatorMechanical Robot
Book:Man is Part of the Whole: Silence, Love, Joy, Truth, Compassion, Freedom and Grace
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“أولادكم ليسوا لكم أولادكم أبناء الحياة المشتاقة إلى نفسها, بكم يأتون إلى العالم, ولكن ليس منكم. ومع أنهم يعيشون معكم, فهم ليسوا ملكاً لكم. أنتم تستطيعون أن تمنحوهم محبتكم, ولكنكم لا تقدرون أن تغرسوا فيهم بذور أفكاركم, لأن لهم أفكارأً خاصةً بهم. وفي طاقتكم أن تصنعوا المساكم لأجسادكم. ولكن نفوسهم لا تقطن في مساكنكم. فهي تقطن في مسكن الغد, الذي لا تستطيعون أن تزوروه حتى ولا في أحلامكم. وإن لكم أن تجاهدوا لكي تصيروا مثلهم. ولكنكم عبثاً تحاولون أن تجعلوهم مثلكم. لأن الحياة لا ترجع إلى الوراء, ولا تلذ لها الإقامة في منزل الأمس. أنتم الأقواس وأولادكم سهام حية قد رمت بها الحياة عن أقواسكم. فإن رامي السهام ينظر العلامة المنصوبة على طريق اللانهاية, فيلويكم بقدرته لكي تكون سهامه سريعة بعيدة المدى. لذلك, فليكن التواؤكم بين يدي رامي السهام الحكيم لأجل المسرة والغبطة. لأنه, كما يحب السهم الذي يطير من قوسه, هكذا يحب القوس الذي يثبت بين يديه.”

ChildrenWisdomHumanity
Book:The Prophet
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