“Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”

—  Mary Oliver

"Sometimes", § 4
Red Bird (2008)
Variant: Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 10, 2026. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." by Mary Oliver?
Mary Oliver photo
Mary Oliver98
American writer 1935–2019

Related quotes

José Ortega Y Gasset photo

“Tell me to what you pay attention and I will tell you who you are.”

José Ortega Y Gasset (1883–1955) Spanish liberal philosopher and essayist

Source: Man and Crisis (1962), p. 94.

Charlie Huston photo

“Women. You tell me they're not all witches, and I'll tell you you haven't been paying attention.”

Charlie Huston book Joe Pitt Casebooks

Every Last Drop, Character: Joe Pitt (narration)
Joe Pitt Casebooks

“I used to pay attention to the clouds in the sky... I paid close attention for a month to see if they ever repeated. They don't repeat. And I don't think life does either. It's continually various. That's the truth about life.”

Agnes Martin (1912–2004) American artist

Denise Spranger, in 'Center of Attention', Taos News/Tempo Magazine, Mar. 21–27, 2002, p. 22
after 2000

Billy Joel photo

“Tell her about it
Let her know how much you care
When she can't be with you
Tell her you wish you were there.
Tell her about it.
Every day before you leave
Pay her some attention
Give her something to believe.”

Billy Joel (1949) American singer-songwriter and pianist

Tell Her About It.
Song lyrics, An Innocent Man (1983)

Susan Sontag photo

“Do stuff. be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration's shove or society's kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It's all about paying attention. attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. stay eager.”

Susan Sontag (1933–2004) American writer and filmmaker, professor, and activist

Joss Whedon photo

“Very occasionally, if you really pay attention, life doesn’t suck.”

Joss Whedon (1964) American director, writer, and producer for television and film

Liner notes to the cast album Once More, with Feeling (2002)

Frederick Buechner photo

“From the simplest lyric to the most complex novel and densest drama, literature is asking us to pay attention. Pay attention to the frog. Pay attention to the west wind. Pay attention to the boy on the raft, the lady in the tower, the old man on the train. In sum, pay attention to the world and all that dwells therein and thereby learn at last to pay attention to yourself and all that dwells therein.”

Frederick Buechner (1926) Poet, novelist, short story writer, theologian

Whistling in the Dark: A Doubter's Dictionary (1988)

David Allen photo

“Pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, so you can pay attention to what really has your attention.”

David Allen (1945) American productivity consultant and author

15 September 2011 https://twitter.com/gtdguy/status/114341777418354689 <br class="br"> Official Twitter profile (@gtdguy) https://twitter.com/gtdguy

Related topics