“It is when our hearts are stirred that we become most aware of what they contain.”

“Our hearts of stone become hearts of flesh when we learn where the outcast weeps.”

Brennan Manning (1934–2013) writer, American Roman Catholic priest and United States Marine

“If we give what we treasure most to a Being we love with all our hearts, if we can do that without expecting anything in return, then the world becomes a beautiful place.”

Orhan Pamuk book The Museum of Innocence

“There is always some specific moment when we become aware that our youth is gone; but, years after, we know it was much later.”

Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) American journalist

“There is a certain part of all of us that lives outside of time. Perhaps we become aware of our age only at exceptional moments and most of the time we are ageless.”

Milan Kundera (1929–2023) Czech author of Czech and French literature

“We start growing whenever we become aware of our existence and surroundings.”

Mwanandeke Kindembo (1996) Congolese author

“The changes we dread most may contain our salvation.”

Barbara Kingsolver book Small Wonder

“To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are.”

Eric Hoffer (1898–1983) American philosopher

“When we give ourselves in love we become our most vulnerable. We are never safe. We become open to disappointment and hurt.”

Leo Buscaglia (1924–1998) Motivational speaker, writer

“Art can have a considerable influence on our own response to nature. It can enhance our vision, so that we become aware of a new and deeper meaning in what we see around us.”

Walter Thomas Monnington (1902–1976) British artist