James Michael Pratt > Quotes

“True love is like a metal tested in a fire. Fires of adversity surround us daily. Are we to love only when it is merely convenient? Like gold or silver, which very hot fire must heat to purge them of impurities, love must be thrust into the fire from time to time to make it purer, stronger and more resilient. And in the same way, live shines its brightest right out of the flames.”
― James Michael Pratt, The Lost Valentine

“Love is found when you don't have to give it. It is the emotion of generosity and kindness that is compelled by no one. It is performed on the battlefield, in our daily tasks, in the marketplace, the factories, at school, in the offices, and in the halls and corridors of government.... But only when one truly gives of himself and without compulsion.”
― James Michael Pratt, The Lost Valentine

“So it is with life. Those thorns, the prickly problems of life, cause us to strive to rise above them and then, as we do, we learn. We learn to exercise true compassion, true kindness - or the thorns, if we let them, cause us to brood, to mourn over our trials. Then we plant the seeds of bitterness, hate, and ruin - weeds. We may reach up for the rose or down to the weeds...the weeds in life that tangle us, strangle us, and cause us to lose hope.”
― James Michael Pratt, The Lost Valentine

“Once in a while, our thoughts drift and fade, back into the recessed hiding places where our memories are stored. At times we recall them- the memories of our loves, our youths, our life experiences. These dreams appear to us, and for seconds, minutes, or hours we are there once again.”
― James Michael Pratt, The Last Valentine

“We have a light upon our house, and it gives hope to all who sail upon the stormy seas. Do ya know what it means to have a light burning atop your home? It is safety, a place of refuge, seen by all that as a signal that ye stand for something greater than this world, greater than us all.”
― James Michael Pratt, The Lighthouse Keeper

“This life is a shadowy thing, lad. We live in a crowded space of lights and shadows, and when left to ourselves, we all too often fail to see the brightest light of all.”
― James Michael Pratt, The Lighthouse Keeper

“The dreams of youth. So noble. So good. And heavy dreamsthey were- made frail only by their own weight.”
― James Michael Pratt, The Lighthouse Keeper

“...as long as love is alive, the dead never die. It's not in the end alone that we love, but along the way. A love that endures the thorns of life calls out to us. When we listen, it lights the ground on which we walk and we know that we're not alone. And when the flame of life flickers out and is no more, the love you showed to others will light the ground for them to walk upon.”
― James Michael Pratt, The Last Valentine

“The thorns are a very important part of life... Because love means more, grows deeper, if you can overcome the thorns.”
― James Michael Pratt, The Last Valentine