from original eclectic pole

from John Donne, Meditation XVII

No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.

from the Bhagavad-Gita

You have the right to work but for the work’s sake only. You have no right to the fruits of work. Desire for the fruits of work must never be your motive in working. Never give way to laziness either. Perform every action with your heart fixed on the supreme Lord. Renounce attachment to the fruits. Be even tempered in success and failure; for it is evenness of temper which is meant by yoga. Work done with anxiety about results is far inferior to work done without such anxiety, within the calm of self-surrender. Seek refuge in the knowledge of the Brahman. They who work selfishly for results are miserable.

from the London Economist, 1247…

All that can be said of a great statesman is that he discovered error and removed it.

from Thomas Merton…

I hardly think it possible that God would allow men to devote themselves entirely to seeking Him without letting them in some way or other find Him.

from Bill Wallace of China….

Bill Wallace was happiest ministering to the needs of people, doing the work for which he felt called, and for which he had diligently trained himself.

from John Gage, “Populous Solitude”, 1965…

I am alone in the great brotherhood
We are all alone.
Impassioned minds assert their own,
And live for themselves
Each man proudly propounds his thot
But no one listens
We are strangely thrown together
And stand apart.

from John Gage, “When These Are Gone”, 1965….

The crooked verdant valleys
Like the nation in its faith,
The alacritous gurgling brooks,
Like the course of open minds,
The vast expanse of unchecked prairie
Like the soul of man when free
The high flying lark and eagle
Like the thoughts of an honest man
The deep flowing thundering rivers
Like the spirit of a nation,
The tacit meditative meadows,
Like the silent musings of real men
When these are gone
The earth lies void
Like man. . .

from Antoine De Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince. . .