Three quotes
“Silence of the heart is necessary so you can hear God everywhere–in the closing of a door, in the person who needs you, in the birds that sing, in the flowers, in the animals.” –Mother Teresa
This quote seems to be about the importance of being calm. I think almost everyone has anger problems at some level, and sometimes the anger is justified. But, even if justified, the anger needs to be surpassed. For some reason, Christopher Hitchens criticized Mother Teresa. I guess some thought she was an imperialist proselytizer in India, but I thought it was another example where Hitchens got too angry about religion.
“Man is not imprisoned by habit. Great changes in him can be wrought by crisis — once that crisis can be recognized and understood.” –Norman Cousins
Cousins was a 20th-century U.S. political journalist, author, professor, and peace advocate. The statement brings to mind two things. The first is that it seems to be about the problem of addiction. The second is another quote from an insurance-company ad that I remember as, “we won’t let a crisis turn into a drama.'”
“Liberty exists in proportion to wholesome restraint.” –Daniel Webster
This quote makes me think of the amount of entertainment that technology makes available now and the moral risks that can result. There is also a famous short story about 19th-century lawyer/author Webster called “The Devil and Daniel Webster” published in 1936 about a farmer who sells his soul to the devil and is later defended by Webster.