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I Quotes

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All I Quotes

“In Greek mythology, the goddess Iris sped messages to the gods on the rainbow's arc. Her flower bears no perfume, but steam distillation of the root, or rhizome, yields orris, a precious essence that smells of candle wax, but its impression in perfume is powdery, silvery green, violet-like- a prize of the perfumer's palette. How I wish I could summon the goddess to carry my message to those I love. -DB”

“In Greek mythology, there is the story of a man, Theseus, who, in order to find his way home, had to find his way through a labyrinth that led him to a dark center. Stories like these carry wisdom we must encounter if we are to become whole. Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid the dark center, trying to find a shortcut around the labyrinth. But the only way to the light is through the dark. The only way to the other side is through the center. For it is in the dark center, in the heart of our own personal labyrinth, that we encounter the Minotaur—that part of us we have been taught to fear, the part of us we have been told is monstrous. Yet, if we have the courage to face what we fear, to look the Minotaur in the eye, we find that it is not a monster at all, but a part of ourselves that has been waiting to be seen, waiting to be loved, waiting to be integrated into the whole of who we are. Stories like these carry wisdom we must encounter if we are to become whole and become familiar with both your labyrinth, your way in, and your thread, your way out.”

“In Green Grandeur by Stewart Stafford Under towers of green pillars, Grow those leafed palaces, Stretching out their tall limbs, Up skyward in thanksgiving. Saplings with peacock foliage, A forest floor carpeted thickly, With dead leaves, kindling and, Subterranean roots peeking out. Storm-crooked trunks stooping, To the lightning-shattered bows, Fingers of dying sunlight reach, To caress the ivy-entwined bark. © Stewart Stafford, 2022. All rights reserved”

“In Gretons-sur-Mer, the villagers, through the auspicious care of the Bouletiers, returned to their human form. Sometimes they wondered, looking at their reflection on the surface of water or on the rounded shine of a pewter pitcher, if a part of them had remained beastly, if the whiskers atop their lips had been there before. They wondered, stroking the spot, and mused on their transformation, to that time of war when the fabric of life was briefly woven with magic.”

“In grief and loss, it becomes incredibly hard to recognize who we are. Grief makes us different people. Everything that we identify with—from our emotional states to our patterns to our dreams to our fears to our preferences to our core truths— everything fractures and shatters under the weight of loss.”

“In Guatemala, in 1954, a legally elected government was overthrown by an invasion force of mercenaries trained by the CIA at military bases in Honduras and Nicaragua and supported by four American fighter planes flown by American pilots. The invasion put into power Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas, who had at one time received military training at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The government that the United States overthrew was the most democratic Guatemala had ever had. The President, Jacobo Arbenz, was a left-of-center Socialist; four of the fifty-six seats in the Congress were held by Communists. What was most unsettling to American business interests was that Arbenz had expropriated 234,000 acres of land owned by United Fruit, offering compensation that United Fruit called "unacceptable." Armas, in power, gave the land back to United Fruit, abolished the tax on interest and dividends to foreign investors, eliminated the secret ballot, and jailed thousands of political critics.”

“In haar gesprekken met hem (…) stelt ze alles ter discussie, zelfs de uitgangspunten van het katholieke geloof, die hij niet kan bewijzen alleen dan door te citeren uit de Bijbel. Wat een vreemde cirkelredenering is, zegt zij, zoiets als het bestaan van een dromedaris aantonen, niet door er een te vangen en te bestuderen, maar door een koe te beschrijven, en via een ingewikkeld betoog te verklaren waarom bij deze dromedaris de bult onder de buik hangt en niet op de rug is gegroeid, en waarom hij hoorns heeft en boe zegt, en wat niet zoal, net zolang totdat in de belevenis van mensen een koe een dromedaris is geworden. En stuit iemand vervolgens op een echte dromedaris, dan houden de kenners vol dat het geen dromedaris kan zijn, want kijk maar, zeggen ze, lees de beschrijving.” (p. 417)”

“In haar kindertijd ziekelijk en vlug van begrip, was ze door haar natuurlijke aanleg niet eerder vrouw geworden dan toen ze ruim zeventien was, maar op die leeftijd kende ze wel al de noten, de akkoorden en de melodieën waaruit de romantische symfonieën bestonden die zij op de piano had leren spelen om de dagen door te komen in dromen en verlangens, en de nachten in illusies waarvan ze er niet op vertrouwde ze ooit in vervulling te zien gaan, maar die ze voedde om de zin van een leven te behouden die haar door niets, behalve door de muziek, werd gegeven.”

“In Hamburg the waiters always had Preludin - and various other pills, but I remember Preludin because it was such a big trip - and they were all taking these pills to keep themselves awake, to work these incredible hours in this all-night place. And so the waiters, when they'd see the musicians falling over with tiredness or with drink, they'd give you the pill. You'd take the pill, you'd be talking, you'd sober up, you could work almost endlessly - until the pill wore off, then you'd have to have another.”