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Anam Cara: 25th Anniversary Edition
"In this twenty-fifth anniversary edition, you will find John a "soul friend" on your own journey through life, offering support and solace, clarity, and consciousness-expanding narratives that invite you to experience relationships with people, nature, and even your inner world in new ways that nurture well-being and resilience in these challenging times." -Daniel J. Siegel, MD, Neuropsychiatrist and New York Times Bestselling AuthorA special twenty-fifth anniversary edition of the classic work of Celtic spirituality and mysticism by beloved poet and philosopher, John O'Donohue, with a new introduction by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, an afterword by the late author's brother, Pat O'Donohue, and insightful material from O'Donohue's circle of close friends.In this revered classic, John O'Donohue excavates themes of friendship, belonging, solitude, creativity and the imagination, among many others. Widely recognized for bringing Celtic spirituality into modern dialogue, his unique insights from the ancient world speak with urgency for our need to rediscover the thresholds of the soul.With lyrical wisdom and fluency, O'Donohue encourages pathways of discovery to come home to the natural rhythm in ourselves in sacred connection with one another and the landscapes we inhabit. This timeless collection nourishes the heart and elevates the spirit. It is "a book to read and reread forever." (Irish Times)
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 1996
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About the author
John O'Donohue
46 books1,144 followersJohn O'Donohue, Ph.D., was born in County Clare in 1956. He spoke Irish as his native language and lived in a remote cottage in the west of Ireland until his untimely death in January 2008. A highly respected poet and philosopher, he lectured throughout Europe and America and wrote a number of popular books, including Anam Cara and To Bless the Space Between Us.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 907 reviews
May 16, 2011
This small book by the Celtic priest John O'Donohue is a staple in my bookcase. I've lost three copies, one to mold, one to formaldehyde and one to water damage. I quickly bought another. This book will change your life. It is not a religious dictate. It is far beyond that. I'm going to give you the first few lines and you can decide for yourself:
It is strange to be here. The mystery never leaves you alone. Behind your image, below your words, above your thoughts, the silence of another world awaits.
If you want comfort, insight and inspiration -- pick this book up. I've read it four times.
It is strange to be here. The mystery never leaves you alone. Behind your image, below your words, above your thoughts, the silence of another world awaits.
If you want comfort, insight and inspiration -- pick this book up. I've read it four times.
March 8, 2018
”The Celtic understanding of friendship finds its inspiration and culmination in the sublime notion of the Anam Ċara. Anam is the Gaelic word for soul; Ċara is the word for friend. So Anam Ċara means soul friend.”
John O’Donohue doesn’t view the word ‘friend’ as casually as one might use it, and certainly not in this combination. A joining that is ancient and eternal, a place where you belonged.
”Since the birth of the human heart is an ongoing process, love is the continuous birth of creativity within and between us.”
While John O’Donohue was a religious man, a poet, a philosopher, a priest, this religious thought shows itself more in the reverence for the world, a belief in the ancient wisdoms ability to offer greatly needed sustenance to those experiencing a hunger in a spiritual sense. In 2000, after writing and publishing this, Anam Ċara, and Eternal Echoes: Exploring our Hunger to Belong, O’Donohue retired from his priestly ministry and devoted himself to social justice. His feelings about social justice can be clearly felt in this book of Celtic wisdom.
O’Donohue speaks on many things in a reverential way – the colours, the power of nature. Thoughts on Celtic spirituality flow throughout these pages.
”Since the Celts were a nature people, the world of nature was both a presence and a companion. Nature nourished them; it was here that they felt their deepest belonging and affinity.”
”When love awakens in your life, in the night of your heart, it is like the dawn breaking within you. Where before there was anonymity, now there is intimacy; where before there was fear, now there is courage; where before in your life there was awkwardness, now there is a rhythm of grace and gracefulness; where before you used to be jagged, now you are elegant and in rhythm with your self. When love awakens in your life is like a rebirth, a new beginning.”
”Though the human body is born complete in one moment, the birth of the human heart is an ongoing process.”
This past Autumn, I listened to John O’Donohue’s “Beauty: The Invisible Embrace” , which I loved, especially as he is the narrator. I wish this had been available in an audio format, for it made the experience even more lovely, but this was lovely, nevertheless.
Quite a bit of territory is covered in this book, and while there is a sense of spirituality to this, it is not a specific “church” sense.
”It is strange to be here. The mystery never leaves you alone. Behind your image, below your words, above your thoughts, the silence of another world waits.”
Moving, beautiful, philosophical, inspirational, with a reverence for the world, and the stories of each of those who inhabit our world.
John O’Donohue doesn’t view the word ‘friend’ as casually as one might use it, and certainly not in this combination. A joining that is ancient and eternal, a place where you belonged.
”Since the birth of the human heart is an ongoing process, love is the continuous birth of creativity within and between us.”
While John O’Donohue was a religious man, a poet, a philosopher, a priest, this religious thought shows itself more in the reverence for the world, a belief in the ancient wisdoms ability to offer greatly needed sustenance to those experiencing a hunger in a spiritual sense. In 2000, after writing and publishing this, Anam Ċara, and Eternal Echoes: Exploring our Hunger to Belong, O’Donohue retired from his priestly ministry and devoted himself to social justice. His feelings about social justice can be clearly felt in this book of Celtic wisdom.
O’Donohue speaks on many things in a reverential way – the colours, the power of nature. Thoughts on Celtic spirituality flow throughout these pages.
”Since the Celts were a nature people, the world of nature was both a presence and a companion. Nature nourished them; it was here that they felt their deepest belonging and affinity.”
”When love awakens in your life, in the night of your heart, it is like the dawn breaking within you. Where before there was anonymity, now there is intimacy; where before there was fear, now there is courage; where before in your life there was awkwardness, now there is a rhythm of grace and gracefulness; where before you used to be jagged, now you are elegant and in rhythm with your self. When love awakens in your life is like a rebirth, a new beginning.”
”Though the human body is born complete in one moment, the birth of the human heart is an ongoing process.”
This past Autumn, I listened to John O’Donohue’s “Beauty: The Invisible Embrace” , which I loved, especially as he is the narrator. I wish this had been available in an audio format, for it made the experience even more lovely, but this was lovely, nevertheless.
Quite a bit of territory is covered in this book, and while there is a sense of spirituality to this, it is not a specific “church” sense.
”It is strange to be here. The mystery never leaves you alone. Behind your image, below your words, above your thoughts, the silence of another world waits.”
Moving, beautiful, philosophical, inspirational, with a reverence for the world, and the stories of each of those who inhabit our world.
May 21, 2013
Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom is truly a work of art. Over the past three years, I have been working on discovering myself through self-help books, 12-step programs, religious study, and personal introspection. This book summed up everything I have learned (the hard way) during this time, and presented it in a beautiful package that was invigorating and thought-provoking to read. It was a pure joy. I began reading it in January, and have only just finished it last night, because each sentance was a ponderable morsel. Sometimes I would read a phrase five times over in order to fully grasp and apply it's meaning to my life. This is not a 70 mph trip through the McDonald's drive-thru, this is a seven course meal in Vienna, and every bite demands that you hold it in your mouth to savor it.
Anam Cara is one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. I plan to read it again in a year or so, because I know I will get new things out of it. I am already loaning it to a friend, and have a couple of others in mind I'd like to loan it to. I can't keep this from the ones I love. (Review written May 9th, 1998)
Anam Cara is one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. I plan to read it again in a year or so, because I know I will get new things out of it. I am already loaning it to a friend, and have a couple of others in mind I'd like to loan it to. I can't keep this from the ones I love. (Review written May 9th, 1998)
April 8, 2024
“The heart is the inner face of your life. The human journey strives to make this inner face beautiful. It is here that love gathers within you. Love is absolutely vital for a human life. For love alone can awaken what is divine within you.”
Catching up…
This is one of those books that is with you, that you pick up and read as you need it when you need it. And so, even as I review it, I share with you, that this book has been with me for years. It is ageless to me. I started reading it slowly years ago. Then I read it cover to cover years ago. I still read it. It is an old book to me. It is a new book to me. I always see it with fresh eyes every time I open its pages.
And so, if you find this book, it may be one that once you get it, you may be like me. You may choose not to let it go.
Listen closely to his opening words…
“It is strange to be here. The mystery never leaves you alone. Behind your image, below your words, above your thought, the silence of another world exists. A world lives within you. No one else can bring you news of this inner world.”
If I were to even begin to attempt to interpret his thoughts, I would consider that he is asking us to go within. To recognize what is in each of us. To see the true artist within each of us. How can we not be mesmerized by what he sees within each of us? Or what he is asking each of us to see that exists within us?
This book taps into the richness of Celtic spirituality, poetry and stories. He explores friendship, awareness, and intimacy. Our senses. Our soul.
He asks us to recognize the aging process as living in rhythm with our soul and our life. Even looking at life all the way through to his last chapter as we affirm death and see it as an invitation to freedom.
There is so much to appreciate about his words. He is truly stirring our soul and stoking the fires of our imagination. He reminds us of the precious gift of present moment living.
Most the time my books are read and reviewed and released to my Little Free Library Shed. But this one evokes a different and deeper meaning for me. And so, it stays with me. Where I can read it again and again. As I need it, when I want it.
The words continue to resonate with me and remind me of the preciousness of life. The gift of what we have been given. And what comes back each time for me is a feeling of immense gratitude. I am grateful for this life.
“The passionate heart never ages.”
Catching up…
This is one of those books that is with you, that you pick up and read as you need it when you need it. And so, even as I review it, I share with you, that this book has been with me for years. It is ageless to me. I started reading it slowly years ago. Then I read it cover to cover years ago. I still read it. It is an old book to me. It is a new book to me. I always see it with fresh eyes every time I open its pages.
And so, if you find this book, it may be one that once you get it, you may be like me. You may choose not to let it go.
Listen closely to his opening words…
“It is strange to be here. The mystery never leaves you alone. Behind your image, below your words, above your thought, the silence of another world exists. A world lives within you. No one else can bring you news of this inner world.”
If I were to even begin to attempt to interpret his thoughts, I would consider that he is asking us to go within. To recognize what is in each of us. To see the true artist within each of us. How can we not be mesmerized by what he sees within each of us? Or what he is asking each of us to see that exists within us?
This book taps into the richness of Celtic spirituality, poetry and stories. He explores friendship, awareness, and intimacy. Our senses. Our soul.
He asks us to recognize the aging process as living in rhythm with our soul and our life. Even looking at life all the way through to his last chapter as we affirm death and see it as an invitation to freedom.
There is so much to appreciate about his words. He is truly stirring our soul and stoking the fires of our imagination. He reminds us of the precious gift of present moment living.
Most the time my books are read and reviewed and released to my Little Free Library Shed. But this one evokes a different and deeper meaning for me. And so, it stays with me. Where I can read it again and again. As I need it, when I want it.
The words continue to resonate with me and remind me of the preciousness of life. The gift of what we have been given. And what comes back each time for me is a feeling of immense gratitude. I am grateful for this life.
“The passionate heart never ages.”
May 23, 2025
I am looking forward to a reread of this powerful book by the great Irish poet and philosopher John O'Donohue. It was good to find a new paperback of this same edition at a charity shop in Scotland recently since the first paperback copy I purchased from Daunt Books in London is quite worn. I will be writing an updated review once I have finished the book.
September 19, 2023
This is one of the best books and best written books I've ever read. Two months after I met the author, he died in his sleep at age 53 while on holiday with his fiance in Avignon. The whole world cried when John died. There was no one like him and never will be again. John had a brilliant mind that was married to a wide open heart.
February 11, 2012
I remember thinking, years ago when I first read (for months) Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, thinking, "Oh, so that's what's meant by someone being a *Master*." Tolle writes from an Eastern perspective. So now I have had my first experience with John O'Donohue, and think again: "So here is another *Master*." However, O'Donohue writes from a Celtic spiritual perspective. This book is not a quick read because Mr. O'Donohue is a spiritual master and a philosopher. He considers deeply concepts of time, place, wisdom, hope, death, sense of wonder, joy, mystery, silence and solitude, symbols, fear, and transformation.
In this book, O'Donohue approaches the notion of the soul friend, the Anam Cara. He guides the reader through an exploration of the soul--one's own soul--and how it intersects with oneself, with the world we live in--the natural world, our own bodies, sensory perception, our work in the world, beauty, and finally: death. At the end of each section, he presents an Irish blessing. One concept I found interesting is his premise that the body is IN the soul--rather than the soul being in the body. He writes about the intersection of the energy of our souls with those of others, and with the physical world. Because Celtic spirituality is deeply rooted in the natural world, his writing reminds us how connected we are with the earth, and with each other. He writes, "Landscape is numinous." But landscape isn't just the physical world, but the entire experience of life. John O'Donohue was a Wise Man.
There are many quotes in this book that I've written down; indeed, I started a notebook to go along with my reflections inspired by this book. It will be something I return to often and for a long time. The principles Mr. O'Donohue presents are timeless and transformative.
In this book, O'Donohue approaches the notion of the soul friend, the Anam Cara. He guides the reader through an exploration of the soul--one's own soul--and how it intersects with oneself, with the world we live in--the natural world, our own bodies, sensory perception, our work in the world, beauty, and finally: death. At the end of each section, he presents an Irish blessing. One concept I found interesting is his premise that the body is IN the soul--rather than the soul being in the body. He writes about the intersection of the energy of our souls with those of others, and with the physical world. Because Celtic spirituality is deeply rooted in the natural world, his writing reminds us how connected we are with the earth, and with each other. He writes, "Landscape is numinous." But landscape isn't just the physical world, but the entire experience of life. John O'Donohue was a Wise Man.
There are many quotes in this book that I've written down; indeed, I started a notebook to go along with my reflections inspired by this book. It will be something I return to often and for a long time. The principles Mr. O'Donohue presents are timeless and transformative.
April 4, 2010
There were parts of this book that really spoke to me. A passage would leap out at me in an almost Biblical way, and I would think, "That was really good." It took me quite a while to get through the whole thing; I read it in fits and starts. It was kind of spooky that a phrase would be exactly what I needed for encouragement or clarity in the exact moment that I happened to pick the book up and read a few pages. Mostly it was just okay. I found myself rereading sentences, wondering if I had gotten lost somewhere. There were parts that flowed well, but a lot of it rambled on page after page after page after page after page ... and this is a rather slim volume. I feel like it shouldn't have taken me so long to get through it. There were parts that I loved. So much of it is quotable. But I think that was part of the problem. It reads like a collection of quotes. Some people may read this and get it as a whole but I didn't. So, the parts that I really liked balanced the parts that I found boring, incoherent, or too flowery. It's just okay.
October 17, 2009
If you're not spiritual or religious, this book is probably not for you. The Anam Cara, or “soul friend” is a Celtic/Christian concept, and that fusion of Celtic mysticism and Christian theology is at the core of O'Donohue's writing.
I wanted to like this book more, but I just couldn't get into O'Donohue's writing style. He tried way too hard to be “poetic”, and it just didn't work for me. I also thought that he used too many quotes from other authors, didn't work those quotes into the text very smoothly, and sometimes they just didn't seem to have much to do with what he was talking about. And his “exercises” for the reader could do with a lot more explanation. What does it mean to “just focus on the well at the root of your soul”? There are some thought provoking passages in the book, and O'Donohue does sometimes manage to convey beautiful ideas with beautiful language, but more often I found his prose a bit awkward and sometimes incomprehensible.
I wanted to like this book more, but I just couldn't get into O'Donohue's writing style. He tried way too hard to be “poetic”, and it just didn't work for me. I also thought that he used too many quotes from other authors, didn't work those quotes into the text very smoothly, and sometimes they just didn't seem to have much to do with what he was talking about. And his “exercises” for the reader could do with a lot more explanation. What does it mean to “just focus on the well at the root of your soul”? There are some thought provoking passages in the book, and O'Donohue does sometimes manage to convey beautiful ideas with beautiful language, but more often I found his prose a bit awkward and sometimes incomprehensible.
August 19, 2015
I found this a very moving and beautiful book to read.
This writer was some philosopher and a really great writer.
There was so much to this book and the Celtic element and
the descriptions of the great scenery and light of the
West of Ireland really made me appreciate my heritage.
There is so much wisdom and understanding of human nature
and how we are losing touch with what is really important
in this modern busy world that was very refreshing to
read.
I can see myself reading this book over and over again
and just picking it up randomly to read different passages.
All in all I was very surprised at how much I was taken
with this book and would recommend to lots of people.
This writer was some philosopher and a really great writer.
There was so much to this book and the Celtic element and
the descriptions of the great scenery and light of the
West of Ireland really made me appreciate my heritage.
There is so much wisdom and understanding of human nature
and how we are losing touch with what is really important
in this modern busy world that was very refreshing to
read.
I can see myself reading this book over and over again
and just picking it up randomly to read different passages.
All in all I was very surprised at how much I was taken
with this book and would recommend to lots of people.
June 4, 2019
No review here.
Reading this book has been a very personal and important experience for me and therefore I cannot and do not want share my feelings about it.
Reading this book has been a very personal and important experience for me and therefore I cannot and do not want share my feelings about it.
September 2, 2016
This Irish poet/former Jesuit is quite an amazing human being, may his soul rest in peace.
I bought this CD because I thought his voice would make this book more palatable. I read it about 15 years ago and found it syrupy, and in the intervening years I have changed a lot so I assumed my reading of it would be different and the richness would be more palatable, and yet there was still something slightly saccharine to me about it.
A brilliant man who quotes from Hegel, Meister Eckhardt, Wittgenstein, RD Laing, and pretty much every other (male) philosopher ever heard of, Mr. O'Donohoe's still manages to sound like a priest ... as loving as he is he equally sounds reproving. I wonder why.
Yes, a beautiful, spiritually uplifting book, but something felt lacking, and I can only think it is the feminine principle that once was so important in Ireland. Or maybe not. It's possible I can't truly appreciate this beautifully spoken celebration of Celtic wisdom and mysticism.
This morning I was listening to Caroline Casey's latest radio show, and I saw the parallels--she is a speaker and story teller (of Irish descent) who exhorts is to rise to a better place, as does Mr O'Donohoe. They both come to us with deep love of language and an appreciation for the world in all its ridiculousness and power .... But Ms. Casey sounds fresh, and she makes my mind giggle, and want to be more synergistic in my life and vocation, whereas my appreciation of Mr. O'Donohoe is cooler and from a distance. I do not feel moved, and there's very little giggling at all.
I bought this CD because I thought his voice would make this book more palatable. I read it about 15 years ago and found it syrupy, and in the intervening years I have changed a lot so I assumed my reading of it would be different and the richness would be more palatable, and yet there was still something slightly saccharine to me about it.
A brilliant man who quotes from Hegel, Meister Eckhardt, Wittgenstein, RD Laing, and pretty much every other (male) philosopher ever heard of, Mr. O'Donohoe's still manages to sound like a priest ... as loving as he is he equally sounds reproving. I wonder why.
Yes, a beautiful, spiritually uplifting book, but something felt lacking, and I can only think it is the feminine principle that once was so important in Ireland. Or maybe not. It's possible I can't truly appreciate this beautifully spoken celebration of Celtic wisdom and mysticism.
This morning I was listening to Caroline Casey's latest radio show, and I saw the parallels--she is a speaker and story teller (of Irish descent) who exhorts is to rise to a better place, as does Mr O'Donohoe. They both come to us with deep love of language and an appreciation for the world in all its ridiculousness and power .... But Ms. Casey sounds fresh, and she makes my mind giggle, and want to be more synergistic in my life and vocation, whereas my appreciation of Mr. O'Donohoe is cooler and from a distance. I do not feel moved, and there's very little giggling at all.
October 2, 2014
I'm reading this again. I never stopped reading it. When I got to the end I started all over again, fitting for the Celtic belief in life as a circle. What a fucking beautiful book. Seriously. I want to read it over and over again and glean every last morsel. The author's untimely death in 2008 was a serious loss to us all. But the Celts believe he's not really gone here's still here, just not writing any more books. So many parts of this book I say to myself, "Huh. Wow." I read and reread a passage and say it again. I put the book down and I think about it during the day. I don't think I've ever read a book that affected me like this one.
January 14, 2008
Catholic Scholar John O'Donohue has a warm sense of humor and an incredibly lyrical prose style. He looks at the pre-Christian Celtic tradition and breathes a new life into spiritual awareness. This is a great book for people struggling to create a working spirituality for their lives and it offers amazing insights into our relationships with the sensual world, the world of soul and our interpersonal relationships.
December 31, 2012
If I'd read this book two years ago, I'd have given it six stars. But, as it is, I've only given it half that.
It was while reading Jo-Anne Berthelsen's Soul Friend: The story of a shared spiritual journey that I came across the references to Anam Cara and thought: 'Just my type of book.' It sounded deep and profound, wise and thoughtful.
And although I've got more than a dozen bookmarks jutting out of pages to mark intriguing thoughts, overall I found the book rather shallow. O'Donohue mentions the thought of Meister Eckhardt: there is no such thing as a spiritual journey. Or, if there is, it's only a quarter of an inch long. But many miles deep.
That summed up my reaction to the book. The last two years have been full of fairly deep research for me as I've delved into Hebrew thinking. By comparison, the Celtic spirituality I once thought profound now looks remarkably superficial. The journey I'm on really is very narrow but also very very deep. I didn't realise how far I'd come in that time until I started to think of this book as surface treasure, not deep-mined gems.
Perhaps when this book was first published the material was fresh and novel, but I've seen so much of it before that it looks clichéd. This is not to say I didn't enjoy it - just that my 'Celtic period' is moving into twilight.
It was while reading Jo-Anne Berthelsen's Soul Friend: The story of a shared spiritual journey that I came across the references to Anam Cara and thought: 'Just my type of book.' It sounded deep and profound, wise and thoughtful.
And although I've got more than a dozen bookmarks jutting out of pages to mark intriguing thoughts, overall I found the book rather shallow. O'Donohue mentions the thought of Meister Eckhardt: there is no such thing as a spiritual journey. Or, if there is, it's only a quarter of an inch long. But many miles deep.
That summed up my reaction to the book. The last two years have been full of fairly deep research for me as I've delved into Hebrew thinking. By comparison, the Celtic spirituality I once thought profound now looks remarkably superficial. The journey I'm on really is very narrow but also very very deep. I didn't realise how far I'd come in that time until I started to think of this book as surface treasure, not deep-mined gems.
Perhaps when this book was first published the material was fresh and novel, but I've seen so much of it before that it looks clichéd. This is not to say I didn't enjoy it - just that my 'Celtic period' is moving into twilight.
October 17, 2017
I think I love this man.
August 10, 2014
To be fair I am rating this book poorly because it was not the book I thought it would be. The back cover was vague, the chapter list looked interesting, even the first few pages were thought provoking. But it didn't go anywhere. The author just talked in circles, without ever really having his words mean anything. And often I felt like he was trying too hard to be profound and wise. Not to mention thst several Celtic stories seemed to be deliberately twisted to suit his purposes...not altered in small insignificant ways as you find with so many stories, but core things that are *always* the same no matter how much a story changes from telling to telling were changed.
I read the book because I had hoped it contained some real Celtic culture. I am giving it a bad rating because it does not. If you are looking for Celtic culture don't buy this book. If you are looking for some meditative and poetic musings that don't really go anywhere, then I am sure you would give it a 3 or 4 star.
I read the book because I had hoped it contained some real Celtic culture. I am giving it a bad rating because it does not. If you are looking for Celtic culture don't buy this book. If you are looking for some meditative and poetic musings that don't really go anywhere, then I am sure you would give it a 3 or 4 star.
February 24, 2025
Here's how this book begins:
"It is strange to be here. The mystery never leaves you alone. Behind your image, below your words, above your thoughts, the silence of another world awaits."
This book, by poet and philosopher John O'Donohue, is full of deep wisdom and thoughtful meditations about life and the world.
Apologies, but
I have few words that could tell you how good this book is.
Just read it.
"It is strange to be here. The mystery never leaves you alone. Behind your image, below your words, above your thoughts, the silence of another world awaits."
This book, by poet and philosopher John O'Donohue, is full of deep wisdom and thoughtful meditations about life and the world.
Apologies, but
I have few words that could tell you how good this book is.
Just read it.
November 9, 2024
So much wisdom to gain from the Celtic view of life.
Thought-provoking, heartwarming, soul nourishing. A great book to ponder and discuss with friends.
Thought-provoking, heartwarming, soul nourishing. A great book to ponder and discuss with friends.
July 1, 2020
Anam is the Gaelic word for soul, and cara the word for friend – hence, ‘Soul Friend.’ The book is subtitled ‘Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World.’ It was written by the late poet, philosopher and former priest, John O’Donohue.
As dawn approaches, ‘The first fingers of light appear on the horizon; ever so deftly and gradually, they pull the mantle of darkness away from the world. Quietly, before you is the mystery of a new dawn, the new day.’
I first became aware of this book about twenty years ago when my favourite composer John Barry referred to it as being amongst his favourite books. Indeed he and the author became good friends. Much of what I like about Barry’s music I find here. The composer who wrote the scores for 'Out Of Africa', 'Dances With Wolves', 'Somewhere In Time', 'Born Free' and the concept album 'The Beyondness Of Things' was no stranger to writing beautifully melodic music that could be both spiritually stirring and achingly melancholic. Music to contemplate to, and, if it rocks your boat, be moved by. This is what we have with Anam Cara; a poetically written book of contemplation to stir the soul, and which also encourages us to ask questions of ourselves, and all that is around.
I’ll be frank here, I am not a religious person, and if I thought the writer was pushing any such beliefs onto me I’d be wary of journeying any further; but, although being a former priest the writer makes references to God, I get the impression that his thoughts are aimed at the philosophical audience, rather than the religious. There are actually very few references to the Bible and indeed O’Donohue is not beyond questioning aspects of his former occupation himself. The sparks of his creative thinking come from many sources, with the thoughts of his beloved Meister Eckhart, a thirteenth century German philosopher and mystic, never far away. I can appreciate and enjoy much of what he says, not only because of the concentration on nature, but for the fact that many of his reflections and observations echo my own; especially his thoughts on solitude, silence and contemplation, as opposed to the increasing noise, speed, falsity and impersonality of much of the modern world. And he often expresses his love of music. This is not a middle-aged man’s moan; John O’Donohue is overwhelmingly positive, and the eloquence of his prose pulls you along and constantly stimulates thought and contemplation.
It is broken up into six main sections: The Mystery of Friendship; The Spirituality of the Senses; Solitude; Growth; Ageing; and finally Death. Whatever the subject, he constantly returns back to nature and the natural world; how we fit into it (as well as the world we have created for ourselves). And this is where my interest is and what draws me in. Personally, it’s where I get my spirituality from. If you stand motionless and alone in a warm spring meadow, a forest, a wave-sculpted coast, or next to a meandering river that has formed its shape over a great period of time, then allow yourself to rise into a relaxed concentration, using all your senses to deeply feel everything that is around you, it really can induce the most overwhelming sense of awareness and pleasure of being at one with the world; and if it hits your spot, instill a real sense of belonging and purpose. Many musical works also stir my senses and imagination to contemplation; and I suspect yoga and meditation likewise. The late scientist Carl Sagan used the words ‘star stuff’ to get over his point that everything is made up of the same matter, and here, the late John O’Donohue uses the word ‘clay’ to elucidate the same point. ‘Your body is as ancient as the clay of the universe from which it is made; and your feet on the ground are a constant connection with the earth.’
For me, that sense of belonging and purpose (which I think so many of us seek) speaks to me more powerfully and directly in that which I can see, touch, hear and smell all around – the natural world. This would be my church, rather than the organised ceremony to the unseen. But thank goodness we’re not all the same; as long as we share tolerance of others and aspire to a world of peace, harmony and understanding, love and joyful fun; the world can be a wonderful place.
I don’t read such books blindly and without questioning - and nor, I suspect would John O’Donohue have expected this. I select what is relevant to me, and, after reflection let anything which I may disagree with, or feel not relevant to me, float on into the ether. ‘Each one of us was sent here for a special destiny,’ was one rather ‘pulpitty’ quote that I shook my head to. Not quite sure how a mother who has lost a baby in childbirth would react to that. But it’s the only such quote I can recall.
As one who perhaps selfishly enjoys his own company a tad too much, such references as, ‘To be genuinely spiritual is to have great respect for the possibilities and presence of silence,’ brings a smile to my face. ‘A world lives within you,’ he says. And later, ‘Everyone is an artist. Each person brings sound out of silence and coaxes the invisible to become visible.’
He’s critical of where we have gone in some ways, ‘In our culture, there is an excessive concentration on the notion of relationships. It is a constant theme on TV, film and media. Technology and media are not uniting the world. They pretend to provide a world that is internetted, but in reality, all they deliver is a simulated world of shadows. Accordingly, they make our human world more anonymous and lonely. In a world where the computer replaces human encounter…’ In a later passage he says, ‘You relate to your inner world through thought. If these thoughts are not your own thoughts, then they are second hand thoughts. Each of us needs to learn the unique language of our own soul. In that distinctive language we will discover a lens of thought to brighten and illuminate our inner world.’ He goes on, ‘Ascetic solitude involves silence. And silence is a great victim of modern culture. We live in an intense and visually aggressive age, everything is drawn outwards towards the sensation of the image. Because culture is becoming ever more homogenized and universalist, image has such power. With the continued netting of everything, chosen images can immediately attain universality.’
And to end on a happy quote. ‘The passionate heart never ages.’
It is one of those books that is so beautifully written that you don’t have to agree with everything said, it’s just a joy to read. I think it’s a book you can approach from any belief and take from it the nuggets of wisdom that speak to you. He wrote other similar books, such as 'Eternal Echoes,' from which John Barry took the title for another of his concept albums.
[Note. Yes, I like an area in the corner of my living room where I can shut myself off and read, write, listen to music and contemplate. But in case you get the wrong idea that I’m a curmudgeonly old git, there’s no one who enjoys a cool pint and natter in the pub with a few mates more than myself! And the boogying days haven’t long ceased!]
As dawn approaches, ‘The first fingers of light appear on the horizon; ever so deftly and gradually, they pull the mantle of darkness away from the world. Quietly, before you is the mystery of a new dawn, the new day.’
I first became aware of this book about twenty years ago when my favourite composer John Barry referred to it as being amongst his favourite books. Indeed he and the author became good friends. Much of what I like about Barry’s music I find here. The composer who wrote the scores for 'Out Of Africa', 'Dances With Wolves', 'Somewhere In Time', 'Born Free' and the concept album 'The Beyondness Of Things' was no stranger to writing beautifully melodic music that could be both spiritually stirring and achingly melancholic. Music to contemplate to, and, if it rocks your boat, be moved by. This is what we have with Anam Cara; a poetically written book of contemplation to stir the soul, and which also encourages us to ask questions of ourselves, and all that is around.
I’ll be frank here, I am not a religious person, and if I thought the writer was pushing any such beliefs onto me I’d be wary of journeying any further; but, although being a former priest the writer makes references to God, I get the impression that his thoughts are aimed at the philosophical audience, rather than the religious. There are actually very few references to the Bible and indeed O’Donohue is not beyond questioning aspects of his former occupation himself. The sparks of his creative thinking come from many sources, with the thoughts of his beloved Meister Eckhart, a thirteenth century German philosopher and mystic, never far away. I can appreciate and enjoy much of what he says, not only because of the concentration on nature, but for the fact that many of his reflections and observations echo my own; especially his thoughts on solitude, silence and contemplation, as opposed to the increasing noise, speed, falsity and impersonality of much of the modern world. And he often expresses his love of music. This is not a middle-aged man’s moan; John O’Donohue is overwhelmingly positive, and the eloquence of his prose pulls you along and constantly stimulates thought and contemplation.
It is broken up into six main sections: The Mystery of Friendship; The Spirituality of the Senses; Solitude; Growth; Ageing; and finally Death. Whatever the subject, he constantly returns back to nature and the natural world; how we fit into it (as well as the world we have created for ourselves). And this is where my interest is and what draws me in. Personally, it’s where I get my spirituality from. If you stand motionless and alone in a warm spring meadow, a forest, a wave-sculpted coast, or next to a meandering river that has formed its shape over a great period of time, then allow yourself to rise into a relaxed concentration, using all your senses to deeply feel everything that is around you, it really can induce the most overwhelming sense of awareness and pleasure of being at one with the world; and if it hits your spot, instill a real sense of belonging and purpose. Many musical works also stir my senses and imagination to contemplation; and I suspect yoga and meditation likewise. The late scientist Carl Sagan used the words ‘star stuff’ to get over his point that everything is made up of the same matter, and here, the late John O’Donohue uses the word ‘clay’ to elucidate the same point. ‘Your body is as ancient as the clay of the universe from which it is made; and your feet on the ground are a constant connection with the earth.’
For me, that sense of belonging and purpose (which I think so many of us seek) speaks to me more powerfully and directly in that which I can see, touch, hear and smell all around – the natural world. This would be my church, rather than the organised ceremony to the unseen. But thank goodness we’re not all the same; as long as we share tolerance of others and aspire to a world of peace, harmony and understanding, love and joyful fun; the world can be a wonderful place.
I don’t read such books blindly and without questioning - and nor, I suspect would John O’Donohue have expected this. I select what is relevant to me, and, after reflection let anything which I may disagree with, or feel not relevant to me, float on into the ether. ‘Each one of us was sent here for a special destiny,’ was one rather ‘pulpitty’ quote that I shook my head to. Not quite sure how a mother who has lost a baby in childbirth would react to that. But it’s the only such quote I can recall.
As one who perhaps selfishly enjoys his own company a tad too much, such references as, ‘To be genuinely spiritual is to have great respect for the possibilities and presence of silence,’ brings a smile to my face. ‘A world lives within you,’ he says. And later, ‘Everyone is an artist. Each person brings sound out of silence and coaxes the invisible to become visible.’
He’s critical of where we have gone in some ways, ‘In our culture, there is an excessive concentration on the notion of relationships. It is a constant theme on TV, film and media. Technology and media are not uniting the world. They pretend to provide a world that is internetted, but in reality, all they deliver is a simulated world of shadows. Accordingly, they make our human world more anonymous and lonely. In a world where the computer replaces human encounter…’ In a later passage he says, ‘You relate to your inner world through thought. If these thoughts are not your own thoughts, then they are second hand thoughts. Each of us needs to learn the unique language of our own soul. In that distinctive language we will discover a lens of thought to brighten and illuminate our inner world.’ He goes on, ‘Ascetic solitude involves silence. And silence is a great victim of modern culture. We live in an intense and visually aggressive age, everything is drawn outwards towards the sensation of the image. Because culture is becoming ever more homogenized and universalist, image has such power. With the continued netting of everything, chosen images can immediately attain universality.’
And to end on a happy quote. ‘The passionate heart never ages.’
It is one of those books that is so beautifully written that you don’t have to agree with everything said, it’s just a joy to read. I think it’s a book you can approach from any belief and take from it the nuggets of wisdom that speak to you. He wrote other similar books, such as 'Eternal Echoes,' from which John Barry took the title for another of his concept albums.
[Note. Yes, I like an area in the corner of my living room where I can shut myself off and read, write, listen to music and contemplate. But in case you get the wrong idea that I’m a curmudgeonly old git, there’s no one who enjoys a cool pint and natter in the pub with a few mates more than myself! And the boogying days haven’t long ceased!]
September 23, 2017
Introduction
This book is intended to be an oblique mirror where we might come to glimpse the presence, power, and beauty of both inner and outer friendship.[1]
John O'Donohue was born in Ireland and spoke Irish as his native language. Anam is the Gaelic word for soul, and ċara is the word for friend. So anam ċara means soul friend. In the Celtic tradition, the anam ċara was a person to whom you could reveal the hidden intimacies of your life.[2]
Overview
John O’Donohue writes that friendship is a creative and subversive force.[3] He describes friendship as an act of recognition and belonging.[4] Your forgotten, or neglected, inner wealth begins to reveal itself in the belonging between soul friends. The soul is the house of belonging, and the body is in the soul.[5]
"Where you are understood,
you are at home." [6]
John O’Donohue not only explores outer friendship, but also the art of inner friendship. Solitude awakens new creativity within us. And when our inner lives can befriend the outer world of work, new imagination is awakened and great changes can take place.[7] It is, however, very difficult to bring the world of work and the world of soul together.
"Work […] should be an arena of
possibility and real expression." [8]
John O’Donohue contemplates our friendship with the harvest time of life, old age. He even reflects on death as the invisible companion who walks the road of life with us from birth.[9]
Conclusions
The book is a broad and deep reflection on friendship. John O’Donohue takes his inspiration from his Irish heritage. The book is, in essence, an inner conversation with Celtic imagination and its spirituality of friendship.[10] It’s a beautifully written book full of wisdom. I will return to the book again and again!
Notes:
[1] John O'Donohue, Anam Ċara: Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World (Bantam Books, 1997), p15.
[2] Ibid., p16.
[3] Ibid., p15.
[4] Ibid., p16.
[5] Ibid., p17.
[6] Ibid., p36.
[7] Ibid., p17.
[8] Ibid., p169.
[9] Ibid., p18.
[10] Ibid., p19.
This book is intended to be an oblique mirror where we might come to glimpse the presence, power, and beauty of both inner and outer friendship.[1]
John O'Donohue was born in Ireland and spoke Irish as his native language. Anam is the Gaelic word for soul, and ċara is the word for friend. So anam ċara means soul friend. In the Celtic tradition, the anam ċara was a person to whom you could reveal the hidden intimacies of your life.[2]
Overview
John O’Donohue writes that friendship is a creative and subversive force.[3] He describes friendship as an act of recognition and belonging.[4] Your forgotten, or neglected, inner wealth begins to reveal itself in the belonging between soul friends. The soul is the house of belonging, and the body is in the soul.[5]
"Where you are understood,
you are at home." [6]
John O’Donohue not only explores outer friendship, but also the art of inner friendship. Solitude awakens new creativity within us. And when our inner lives can befriend the outer world of work, new imagination is awakened and great changes can take place.[7] It is, however, very difficult to bring the world of work and the world of soul together.
"Work […] should be an arena of
possibility and real expression." [8]
John O’Donohue contemplates our friendship with the harvest time of life, old age. He even reflects on death as the invisible companion who walks the road of life with us from birth.[9]
Conclusions
The book is a broad and deep reflection on friendship. John O’Donohue takes his inspiration from his Irish heritage. The book is, in essence, an inner conversation with Celtic imagination and its spirituality of friendship.[10] It’s a beautifully written book full of wisdom. I will return to the book again and again!
Notes:
[1] John O'Donohue, Anam Ċara: Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World (Bantam Books, 1997), p15.
[2] Ibid., p16.
[3] Ibid., p15.
[4] Ibid., p16.
[5] Ibid., p17.
[6] Ibid., p36.
[7] Ibid., p17.
[8] Ibid., p169.
[9] Ibid., p18.
[10] Ibid., p19.
December 15, 2018
I think this book was a little too much on the religious side for me. It’s specific focus was Christianity and while I am spiritual I tend to be turned off by too much “God talk.” With that being said, certain parts spoke to me. It’s like they jumped off the page and went straight into my heart where I now think about them occasionally. Then there were parts of the book that just seemed to ramble on. It reads more like a collection of quotes or stories. Maybe it would be better if you didn’t try to read it from start to finish as I did? I could see how some people could get a lot from this book, but I didn’t. The parts that resonated balanced out the parts that didn’t. This book is just okay, hence the 3 stars.
August 8, 2025
4 ⚝⚝⚝⚝
“May you be blessed with good friends.
May you learn to be a good friend to yourself.
May you be able to journey to that place in your soul where there is great love, warmth, feeling, and forgiveness.
May this change you. May it transfigure that which is negative, distant, or cold in you.
May you be brought in to the real passion, kinship, and affinity of belonging.
May you treasure your friends. May you be good to them and may you be there for them.
May they bring you all the blessings, challenges, truth, and light that you need for your journey.
May you never be isolated. May you always be in the gentle nest of belonging with your anam ċara.”
RIP John O'Donohue 🙏🏼
“May you be blessed with good friends.
May you learn to be a good friend to yourself.
May you be able to journey to that place in your soul where there is great love, warmth, feeling, and forgiveness.
May this change you. May it transfigure that which is negative, distant, or cold in you.
May you be brought in to the real passion, kinship, and affinity of belonging.
May you treasure your friends. May you be good to them and may you be there for them.
May they bring you all the blessings, challenges, truth, and light that you need for your journey.
May you never be isolated. May you always be in the gentle nest of belonging with your anam ċara.”
RIP John O'Donohue 🙏🏼
May 24, 2012
Anam Cara, the words translate to 'Soul Friend' in Gaelic. O'Donohue is absolutely brilliant in his delivery. The depth, variety, history and beauty of this book is like no other I've experienced. Philosophy, spirituality, poetry through landscape of imagination reinforces my belief that everyone is born an artist. For me, it blew open new pathways to examine my inner self. I've read it 3 times and have yet to capture every nuance, each reading brings forth additional richness to consider in both worldly and alternative projections. Excellent, a multi-faceted work of literary art.
March 22, 2017
I don't usually highlight books. But I highlighted so much out of this book. There is so much wisdom and insight into life, love, friendship, living, death, and much more. Some of it gets a little more mystic than I connect with, but for the most part, this book was such a delight to read. It is one of those that I want to share with people and discuss and then read over again.
November 9, 2012
I have met John a couple of times in London before his death. Such a poetic soul and wonderful writer. All his books are worth reading. They put you in touch with the poetic and spiritual Celtic traditions of Ireland.
May 20, 2022
For a poet who wrote a full-length book, it clips along at a pretty nice pace.
I found Anam Cara a delightful and pleasing book, full of wisdom, definitely, but also brimming with delight and love and gratitude for the human experience. Most of what he posits I largely agree with: presence and patience and generosity are the greatest and deepest gifts we can give to one another, to be truly seen and understood by another is a rare and divine blessing, that even after mistakes and gracelessness and hurt we possess enough forgiveness to reach for each other again-- and be found. O'Donohue's wisdom sprouts from, and orbits around, the Celtic idea of the anam cara (literally: soul friend), that one (or one of a few) beings with whom you are entirely at home, who sees and understands a truly grounded version of yourself outside of any constructed social facade. It's a concept that goes beyond the highly satirized 'soulmate' trope, or the Americanized 'love at first sight' that is so often seen in movies and books and popular culture. It's a deeper idea of familiarization and gravitation; he explains it as two souls molded from the same clay of the earth, separated by great distances and processes, only to come back together in complete recognition and ease. Less of an instant love or lust, certainly not a 'you and no one else' but an: oh. it's you. after all this time. it's going to be you.
O'Donohue beautifully paints the portrait of this merging and the light, understanding, self-love, and access to the divine that those kinds of relationships can inspire.
However. Call me a cynic, but I think there are some critical perspectives he fails to address that cast a shadow of criticism over my entire reading of the book. While I think he has the perfect amount of faith in God, the comfort of the Trinity etc etc, I think he has entirely too much faith in mankind to treat each other with more gentleness. For example, I think he fails to understand the power of fear. He underestimates our weakness to the safe promises and seduction of transience, of ephemerality, of all the promise and patterns of break-neck and wide-spread modern life that are antithetical to the kind of slow, grounded, unfathomably deep kinds of Peace and Love that O'Donohue explicates. Another thing I think he conveniently skips over is the protective side of fear; yes, it is often a controlling and miserable force, but it is also a reasonable response to pain, and can therefore be the healthiest defense against circumstance. It is a luxury to let things go, and a privilege I think he doesn't adequately address.
But I'd like to see the world, and the ways we relate to it, in the kind of light that he does.
And, begrudgingly, perhaps I am moving that way after all.
Essentials:
“The anam cara was a person to whom you could reveal the hidden intimacies of your life. When you had one, your relationship cut across all convention and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the friend of your soul.”
“When love awakens in your life, in the night of your heart, it is like the dawn breaking within you.”
“Love begins with paying attention to others, with an act of gracious self-forgetting.”
“The anam-cara experience opens up a friendship that is not wounded or limited by separation or distance. […] Because they have broken through the barriers of persona and egoism to the soul level, the unity of their souls is not easily severed.”
“Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the other person’s soul. […] Love alone is literate in the world of origin; it can decipher identity and destiny.”
“You can perish in a famine of your own making.”
“For too long, we have believed that the divine is outside us. This belief has strained our longing disastrously.”
“Our words are too thin to echo experience; they are too weak to bring the inner mystery of things to real expression. In our rapid and externalized world, language has become ghostlike, abbreviated to code and label. Words that would mirror the soul carry the loam of substance and the shadow of the divine.”
“Your beloved and your friends were once strangers. Somehow at a particular time, they came from the distance toward your life. Their arrival seemed so accidental and contingent. Now your life is unimaginable without them.”
“Behind Celtic poetry and prayer is the sense that the words have emerged from a deep, reverential silence. This perspective of solitude and silence purifies the intense encounter of two people in the anam cara experience.”
“All perception requires clearance. If things are too close to you, you cannot see them. Frequently this is why we value so little the people who are really close to us. We are unable to step back and behold them with the sense of wonder, critique, and appreciation they deserve. Nor do we behold ourselves either, because we are too close to the rush of our lives.”
“There is no force I know that can so quickly destroy the happiness and tranquility of life: fear. […] Sometimes through our fear of being true to ourselves, we sidestep our destiny and end up hungry and impoverished in a famine of our own making.”
“I am here. You are there. Even the person that you are closest to is still a separate world from you. That is the poignancy of love.”
I found Anam Cara a delightful and pleasing book, full of wisdom, definitely, but also brimming with delight and love and gratitude for the human experience. Most of what he posits I largely agree with: presence and patience and generosity are the greatest and deepest gifts we can give to one another, to be truly seen and understood by another is a rare and divine blessing, that even after mistakes and gracelessness and hurt we possess enough forgiveness to reach for each other again-- and be found. O'Donohue's wisdom sprouts from, and orbits around, the Celtic idea of the anam cara (literally: soul friend), that one (or one of a few) beings with whom you are entirely at home, who sees and understands a truly grounded version of yourself outside of any constructed social facade. It's a concept that goes beyond the highly satirized 'soulmate' trope, or the Americanized 'love at first sight' that is so often seen in movies and books and popular culture. It's a deeper idea of familiarization and gravitation; he explains it as two souls molded from the same clay of the earth, separated by great distances and processes, only to come back together in complete recognition and ease. Less of an instant love or lust, certainly not a 'you and no one else' but an: oh. it's you. after all this time. it's going to be you.
O'Donohue beautifully paints the portrait of this merging and the light, understanding, self-love, and access to the divine that those kinds of relationships can inspire.
However. Call me a cynic, but I think there are some critical perspectives he fails to address that cast a shadow of criticism over my entire reading of the book. While I think he has the perfect amount of faith in God, the comfort of the Trinity etc etc, I think he has entirely too much faith in mankind to treat each other with more gentleness. For example, I think he fails to understand the power of fear. He underestimates our weakness to the safe promises and seduction of transience, of ephemerality, of all the promise and patterns of break-neck and wide-spread modern life that are antithetical to the kind of slow, grounded, unfathomably deep kinds of Peace and Love that O'Donohue explicates. Another thing I think he conveniently skips over is the protective side of fear; yes, it is often a controlling and miserable force, but it is also a reasonable response to pain, and can therefore be the healthiest defense against circumstance. It is a luxury to let things go, and a privilege I think he doesn't adequately address.
But I'd like to see the world, and the ways we relate to it, in the kind of light that he does.
And, begrudgingly, perhaps I am moving that way after all.
Essentials:
“The anam cara was a person to whom you could reveal the hidden intimacies of your life. When you had one, your relationship cut across all convention and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the friend of your soul.”
“When love awakens in your life, in the night of your heart, it is like the dawn breaking within you.”
“Love begins with paying attention to others, with an act of gracious self-forgetting.”
“The anam-cara experience opens up a friendship that is not wounded or limited by separation or distance. […] Because they have broken through the barriers of persona and egoism to the soul level, the unity of their souls is not easily severed.”
“Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the other person’s soul. […] Love alone is literate in the world of origin; it can decipher identity and destiny.”
“You can perish in a famine of your own making.”
“For too long, we have believed that the divine is outside us. This belief has strained our longing disastrously.”
“Our words are too thin to echo experience; they are too weak to bring the inner mystery of things to real expression. In our rapid and externalized world, language has become ghostlike, abbreviated to code and label. Words that would mirror the soul carry the loam of substance and the shadow of the divine.”
“Your beloved and your friends were once strangers. Somehow at a particular time, they came from the distance toward your life. Their arrival seemed so accidental and contingent. Now your life is unimaginable without them.”
“Behind Celtic poetry and prayer is the sense that the words have emerged from a deep, reverential silence. This perspective of solitude and silence purifies the intense encounter of two people in the anam cara experience.”
“All perception requires clearance. If things are too close to you, you cannot see them. Frequently this is why we value so little the people who are really close to us. We are unable to step back and behold them with the sense of wonder, critique, and appreciation they deserve. Nor do we behold ourselves either, because we are too close to the rush of our lives.”
“There is no force I know that can so quickly destroy the happiness and tranquility of life: fear. […] Sometimes through our fear of being true to ourselves, we sidestep our destiny and end up hungry and impoverished in a famine of our own making.”
“I am here. You are there. Even the person that you are closest to is still a separate world from you. That is the poignancy of love.”
November 8, 2022
i'm saving every blessing from this book to use in every day life 🍀
August 9, 2024
Beautiful, gentle, poetic. John O’Donahue writes in such gorgeous language, it took me a long time to read because I kept stopping to mark pages and quotes I loved.
May 27, 2025
also difficult to rate, a little bit preachy with really short sentences but also some nice thoughts about living a good life
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