Status Updates From No Man Is an Island

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but a balance and order and rhythm and harmony.”

“Music is pleasing not only because of the sound but because of the silence that is in it: without the alternation of sound and silence there would be no rhythm.”

“If we have no rest, God does not bless our work.” 127

“Life is not a matter of getting something out of everything.” 128

“It is not necessary that we succeed in everything. A man can be perfect and still reap no fruit from his work, and it may happen that a man who is able to accomplish very little is much more of a person than another who seems to accomplish very much.” 126

“The lower our estimate of our ourselves and the lower our expectations, the greater chance we have of using what we have.” 127

“The value of our activity depends almost entirely on the humility to accept ourselves as we are. The reason why we do things so badly is that we are not content to do what we can.” 124

“Turbulence of spirit is a sign of spiritual weakness.” 125

“Our being is not to be enriched merely by activity or experience as such. Everything depends on the quality of our acts and our experiences.”

“There are times, then, when in order to keep ourselves in existence at all we simply have to sit back for a while and do nothing.” 123

“We must be content to live without watching ourselves live…” 121

…but we cannot achieve greatness unless we lose all interest in being great. For our own idea of greatness illusory, and if we pay too much attention to it we will be lured out of the peace and stability of the being God gave us, and seek to live in a myth we have created for ourselves.” 122