Quotes about encounter
page 6

“The right way to requite evil, according to Jesus, is not to resist it. This saying of Christ removes the Church from the sphere of politics and law. The Church is not to be a national community like the old Israel, but a community of believers without political or national ties. The old Israel had been both — the chosen people of God and a national community, and it was therefore his will that they should meet force with force. But with the Church it is different: it has abandoned political and national status, and therefore it must patiently endure aggression. Otherwise evil will be heaped upon evil. Only thus can fellowship be established and maintained.
At this point it becomes evident that when a Christian meets with injustice, he no longer clings to his rights and defends them at all costs. He is absolutely free from possessions and bound to Christ alone. Again, his witness to this exclusive adherence to Jesus creates the only workable basis for fellowship, and leaves the aggressor for him to deal with.
The only way to overcome evil is to let it run itself to a stand-still because it does not find the resistance it is looking for. Resistance merely creates further evil and adds fuel to the flames. But when evil meets no opposition and encounters no obstacle but only patient endurance, its sting is drawn, and at last it meets an opponent which is more than its match. Of course this can only happen when the last ounce of resistance is abandoned, and the renunciation of revenge is complete. Then evil cannot find its mark, it can breed no further evil, and is left barren.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) German Lutheran pastor, theologian, dissident anti-Nazi

Source: Discipleship (1937), Revenge, p. 141

God, People, Law, Way

“God honors some with great suffering and grants them the grace of martyrdom, while other are not tempted beyond their strength. But in every case it is one cross.
It is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering that everyone has to experience is the call which summons us away from our attachments to this world. It is the death of the old self in the encounter with Jesus Christ. Those who enter into discipleship enter into Jesus' death.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) German Lutheran pastor, theologian, dissident anti-Nazi

Source: Discipleship (1937), Discipleship and the Cross, p. 87

Death, God, World, Suffering

“Identification is created both from the inside and the outside, in the encounter between one’s own presentation of self and the perceptions of others.”

Thomas Hylland Eriksen (1962) Norwegian social anthropologist and professor

Source: What is Anthropology? (2nd ed., 2017), Ch. 9 : Social Identity

Self-confidence

“Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know. So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.”

Wendell Berry (1934) author

"Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front" http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC30/Berry.htm in Farming: A Hand Book (1970) Poems

Love, World, Making love, Hope

“After a storm comes a calm.
Even a pitch-dark night is bound to turn into a red dawn.
If we use wisdom and persistence to solve every difficulty we encounter.
A rosy future will be awaiting us.”

Deng Feng-Zhou (1949) Chinese poet, Local history writer, Taoist Neidan academics and Environmentalist.

(zh-TW) 暴雨烏雲久必晴，夜深輾轉是天明。
面臨困境憑心力，度過難關一片清。

"Patience" (忍耐)

Source: Deng Feng-Zhou, "Deng Feng-Zhou Classical Chinese Poetry Anthology". Volume 6, Tainan, 2018: 81.

Wisdom, Future, Night

“All troubles which we encounter in our life are due to treating the world as real.”

Shantananda Saraswati (1934–2005) Hindu spiritual teacher

Good Company. The Study Society. 2009

Life, World

“Disaster is rarely as pervasive as it seems from recorded accounts. The fact of being on the record makes it appear continuous and ubiquitous whereas it is more likely to have been sporadic both in time and place. Besides, persistence of the normal is usually greater than the effect of the disturbance, as we know from our own times. After absorbing the news of today, one expects to face a world consisting entirely of strikes, crimes, power failures, broken water mains, stalled trains, school shutdowns, muggers, drug addicts, neo-Nazis, and rapists. The fact is that one can come home in the evening—on a lucky day—without having encountered more than one or two of these phenomena. This has led me to formulate Tuchman's Law, as follows: "The fact of being reported multiplies the apparent extent of any deplorable development by five- to tenfold"”

Barbara W. Tuchman book A Distant Mirror

or any figure the reader would care to supply
Source: A Distant Mirror (1978)

World, Making love, School, Law

“When I started to encounter Marxism at 16, the elementary truths of the surplus value theory and more than anything else, the logical argument that he produced that labour was the source of all wealth, gave me a political and intellectual justification for what I believed in a way that nothing else did.”

Neil Kinnock (1942) British politician

Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Science Source: Interview with Sam Aaronovitch for Marxism Today (June 1983) http://banmarchive.org.uk/collections/mt/pdf/83_06_06.pdf

Truth, Way, Wealth

“Yet another of these useless, pestilential little creatures! All his life the author has suffered from his susceptibility to this kind of female. The commentator has suffered all his life too from the same weakness. Other people derive pleasure from encountering such characters in their reading, but I, because of the harm they have done me in real life, derive only pain. The susceptible author is extremely grateful for the comment!”

Zhiyanzhai

Comment on a scene involving Baoyu with the maid Number Four in chapter 21, as reported and quoted by John Minford in Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography, ed. Kerry Brown, Vol. III (Berkshire Publishing Group, 2017), p. 1109

Life, Pain, People, Pleasure

“We are trying to maintain who we are. We want to praise Jesus using the language and the customs with which we first encountered Him.”

Francis Y. Kalabat (1970) American bishop

Chaldean bishop urges solidarity with suffering Christians of Middle East https://cathstan.org/news/local/chaldean-bishop-urges-solidarity-with-suffering-christians-of-middle-east (November 28, 2016)

“I was a cradle Anglican. The Anglican Church taught me the Christian faith and nurtured and sustained me through many joyful and difficult periods in my life. I firmly believed that the priests of the Anglican Church were Catholic priests, but when “developments” began to occur, such as the ordination of women, I realized that once this had occurred, the priesthood to which women aspired to belong, no longer existed. This “development” opened the way for the liberalization of the Church’s worship, doctrinal belief and the acceptance of a more secularist set of moral and ethical principles. I felt abandoned because it was as if my “mother” had died, but this grieving has been alleviated by the warmth of the welcome and the support I have encountered from members of the Catholic Church.”

Harry Entwistle (1940) Australian priest

Interview with Msgr. Harry Entwistle https://insidethevatican.com/magazine/people/interview/interview-with-msgr-harry-entwistle/

Life, Women, Faith, Way

“Each misfortune you encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrows good luck.”

Og Mandino (1923–1996) American author

“One of the greatest difficulties I encounter in my research is that people want to believe that their dreams mean something, but all the research I’m doing seems to indicate just the opposite.”

Connie Willis book Lincoln's Dreams

Source: Lincoln's Dreams (1987), Chapter 4 (pp. 57-58)

People, Dreams

“We are all experts and sometimes encounter limits in our fields, including those we call fools. Even the doctor can only heal the sick, but not raise the dead.”

Mwanandeke Kindembo (1996) Congolese author

Fools, Dead

“There are many temptations facing bishops as well, but they don't fall into the traps that have been set as they encounter them. Everyone should thank God for his protection and for his blessing.”

Thomas Yeh Sheng-nan (1941) Archbishop and Apostolic Nuncio

Ex-apostolic nuncio marks 20-year milestone in Taiwan https://www.ucanews.com/news/ex-apostolic-nuncio-marks-20-year-milestone-in-taiwan/84196 (January 7, 2019)

God

“But theatre is so dominated by men that no matter what kind of sheltered bubble you’re in, you’re going to encounter sexist bullshit. That’s just always going to be an issue…”

Young Jean Lee (1974) American theatre director and playwright

On sexism still being prevalent despite calls for diversity in “An Interview with Young Jean Lee” https://www.theintervalny.com/interviews/2018/08/an-interview-with-young-jean-lee/ in The Interval (2018 Aug 14)

Men

“To be angry at people means that one considers their acts to be important. It is imperative to cease to feel that way. The acts of men cannot be important enough to offset our only viable alternative: our unchangeable encounter with infinity.”

Carlos Castaneda book The Wheel of Time

Source: The Wheel of Time: Shamans of Ancient Mexico, Their Thoughts About Life, Death and the Universe], (1998), Quotations from The Teachings of Don Juan (Chapter 4)

Men, People, Way, Feeling

“Power rests on the kind of knowledge that one holds. What is the sense of knowing things that are useless? They will not prepare us for our unavoidable encounter with the unknown.”

Carlos Castaneda book The Wheel of Time

Source: The Wheel of Time: Shamans of Ancient Mexico, Their Thoughts About Life, Death and the Universe], (1998), Quotations from The Teachings of Don Juan (Chapter 4)

Knowledge, Sense

“I believed then that if you had a good encounter with a person, it was best not to see them again for as long as possible.”

Curtis Sittenfeld book Prep

Source: Prep (2005), p. 159 cited in: The New Yorker (2004). Vol. 80, Nr. 38-45. p.87

Personality

“In a world of fake news, fake history, fake law, fake diplomacy, it is no surprise to encounter fake democracy along the way.”

Alfred de Zayas (1947) American United Nations official

2021

World, Law, Way, Democracy

“We find ourselves in a time of global uncertainty and in such a time are called to offer the common man Christian hope, perspective for the future and faith in eternity. The people of today actually hunger the most for God. They seek solace in various surrogates and, therefore, experience disappointment. Nothing can give man meaning and peace except God. The Church should open its doors to all people. We Greek Catholics, with our mystical spirituality, ecclesiastical tradition and the wealth of our liturgy, can and should offer the living Christ, his joy, love, forgiveness and hope to the people around us in our own characteristic way. With great hope, I look toward the future of our Eparchy of Križevci and anticipate days of spiritual revival. Whoever truly wants to follow Christ will inevitably encounter resistance and persecution from the world. However, let us not lose hope. With God we are always in the majority and always on the winning side. May our many holy ancestors be our role models and support us on this path.”

Milan Stipić (1978) Croatian Greek-Catholic bishop

Source: The Episcopal Ordination of Msgr. Milan Stipić as the Bishop of Križevci https://ika.hkm.hr/english/the-episcopal-ordination-of-msgr-milan-stipic-as-the-bishop-of-krizevci/ (October 2020)

Love, Hunger, God, People

“No plan survives the first encounter with your enemy, so why bother to make one?”

Jim C. Hines (1974) American writer

Source: The Goblin Quest Series, Goblin Hero (2007), Chapter 13 (p. 243)

“I've been over and I've been under,
I've been through all kinds of hell.
Trouble was not only my middle name,
It was my first as well.
Through the years, all I've encountered,
I've just one thing to say:
"Hold on to what you got
and don't let it slip away."”

Gilbert O'Sullivan (1946) Irish singer-songwriter

I've been taken for far more rides to places I've never been, stabbed so many times in the back I no longer feel a thing. Oh, ask me what all this has taught me and I'll tell you what I'll say: "Hold on to what you got and don't let it slip away. Save it for a rainy day." "Hold On To What You Got" (song) Gilbert O'Sullivan, "Hold On To What You Got" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7YYinfmOUI (song on YouTube) (+ Live performance in Japan, 1992. On YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nrmDG7frD4 Song lyrics

Hell

“What you encountered was an abomination, a military intelligence. It was designed to be insidious and spiteful and inimical to life, and it wasn’t smart enough to have a conscience.”

Alastair Reynolds book Blue Remembered Earth

Source: Blue Remembered Earth (2012), Chapter 3 (pp. 65-66)

Life, Intelligence

“We all need to be reminded and encouraged to relax with whatever arises and bring whatever we encounter to the path.”

Pema Chödron (1936) American philosopher

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (1997)

“We are bound to encounter many failures, difficulties, pains, trials, temptations and disappointments. Whatever it is, we are called to be courageous, striving continuously because Jesus is with us always. He will never abandon us.”

John Wong Soo Kau (1968) Malaysian Archbishop

Archbishop John: True Happiness Is in Serving and Giving, Not Wealth https://www.borneotoday.net/archbishop-john-true-happiness-is-in-serving-and-giving-not-wealth/ (2018)

Pain, Disappointment, Failure, Courage

“So often, our Armed Forces and the Department of Defense staff are how the rest of the world encounters America. And you all know as well as anyone that our country is safer and stronger when we lead not just with the example of our power, but with the power of our example.”

Joe Biden (1942) 47th Vice President of the United States (in office from 2009 to 2017)

2021, February 2021, Remarks by President Biden to Department of Defense Personnel, February 10, 2021

World, Country

“Luena, the scene of frequent military operations, was not a good place to live. But for me, it was the best environment to encounter God in mission, in communion with a new people who immediately adopted me as one of their family.”

Jesús Tirso Blanco (1957–2022) Argentinian bishop

Interview with the Salesian Bulletin https://www.infoans.org/en/sections/news/item/14769-italy-archbishop-tirso-blanco-sdb-reaches-the-garden-of-heaven (2015)

God, People, Family

“The problem we've encountered is the inept policies of the whole ruling class of the country, and we shouldn't be looking to the people for the reason”

Vitali Klitschko (1971) Ukrainian boxer and politician

behind them
2013
Source: [Кличко: Я не вижу себя в правительстве Януковича. Нет смысла подымать этот вопрос, https://gordonua.com/news/maidan/kichko-ya-ne-vizhu-sebya-v-pravitelstve-yanukovicha-7366.html, 2022-06-13, gordonua.com]

People, Problem, Country

“Some people I’ve encountered in various phases of my career seem more certain about everything than I am about anything.”

Robert Rubin book In an Uncertain World: Tough Choices from Wall Street to Washington

"In an Uncertain World: Tough Choices from Wall Street to Washington" https://www.google.com/books/edition/In_an_Uncertain_World/oUz_orYBwPcC?hl=en&gbpv=0, p. xii

People

“Water in general is very special because it holds memory. Whenever I go anywhere, I make it a point to drink the water there. The reason being that water holds an energetic vibration and a big part of that specific vibration is information. Drinking the water in a place is like downloading that vibration and that information… Information about the land and everything associated with it. It connects you immediately to where you are and to what happened there and to all those things that it encountered before you.”

Teal Swan (1984) American spiritual teacher

Drink, Water, Memory, Parting

“The best encounters happen on the street, when two looks cross each other and a smile is born.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: I migliori incontri avvengono per strada, quando due sguardi si incrociano e nasce un sorriso.
Source: prevale.net

Smile

Quotes about encounter page 6

Quotes about encounter
page 6