Lin Yutang book The Importance of Living
Source: The Importance of Living (1937), Ch. IV : On Having A Stomach, p. 46
Lin Yutang book The Importance of Living
Source: The Importance of Living (1937), Ch. IV : On Having A Stomach, p. 46
Thomas Merton (1915–1968) Priest and author
Variant: Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone we find it with another.
Source: Love and Living
“Foreign powers do not seem to appreciate the true character of our Government.”
James K. Polk (1795–1849) American politician, 11th President of the United States (in office from 1845 to 1849)
Inaugural Address (4 March 1845).
Dan Simmons book The Fall of Hyperion
Variant: Sol remembered the dream, remembered his daughter’s hug, and realized that in the end—when all else is dust—loyalty to those we love is all we can carry with us to the grave.
Source: The Fall of Hyperion (1990), Chapter 30 (p. 242)
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement
1950s, Loving Your Enemies (Christmas 1957)
Context: Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship. Forgiveness is a catalyst creating the atmosphere necessary for a fresh start and a new beginning. It is the lifting of a burden or the canceling of a debt. The words "I will forgive you, but never forget what you have done" never explain the real nature of forgiveness. Certainly one can never forget, if that means erasing totally for his mind. But when we forgive, we forget in the sense that the evil deed is no longer a mental block impeding a new relationship. Likewise, we can never say, "I will forgive you, but I won't have anything further to do with you." Forgiveness means reconciliation, a coming together again. Without this, no man can ever love his enemies. The degree to which we are able to forgive determines the degree to which we are able to love our enemies.
Lin Yutang book The Importance of Living
As for international understanding, I feel that macaroni has done more for our appreciation of Italy than Mussolini... in food, as in death, we feel the essential brotherhood of mankind.
Source: The Importance of Living (1937), Ch. IV : On Having A Stomach, p. 46
Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) American author and journalist
Introduction to Treasury of the Free World (1946)