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And this, our life exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything. William Shakespeare (1564)

Earth is crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God. Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806)

He raises the afflicted from a dunghill
For he will settle him with the Rulers of the people.
Aramaic Bible

My Father supports me, protects me, and directs me in all things. His care for me is infinite, and is with me forever. I am eternally blessed as His Son. A Course In Miracles (1975)

Why wait for Heaven? Those who seek the light are merely covering their eyes. The light is in them now. A Course In Miracles (1975)

In the seen, there is only the seen,
in the heard, there is only the heard,
in the sensed, there is only the sensed,
in the cognized, there is only the cognized.
Thus you should see that
indeed there is no thing here;
this, Bahiya, is how you should train yourself.
Since, Bahiya, there is for you
in the seen, only the seen,
in the heard, only the heard,
in the sensed, only the sensed,
in the cognized, only the cognized,
and you see that there is no thing here,
you will therefore see that
indeed there is no thing there.
As you see that there is no thing there,
you will see that
you are therefore located neither in the world of this,
nor in the world of that,
nor in any place
betwixt the two.
This alone is the end of suffering.
Buddhism (500 B.C.E.)

If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. Men will believe what they see. Henry David Thoreau (1817)

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. Plato (427 B.C.E.)

Even
After
All this time
The Sun never says to the Earth
"You owe
Me."

Look
What Happens
With a Love like that,
It Lights the
Sky.
Hafez (1315)

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall never be shaken.
Old Testament

I order you, O sleeper, to awake! I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you. Together we form only one person and we cannot be separated! Christian Homily

Jews call this Word the Law; Christians call it the Logos or the blueprint; Taoists call it the Eternal Tao; Buddhists call it Emptiness or the Great Compassion; Hindus call it Brahman; Sufi Muslims call it the dance; and science speaks of universal theories. But we are all pointing to one underlying truth that we all strive toward in ten thousand ways. We all somehow believe it is a coherent and even a benevolent universe. Maybe that is the very heart of the meaning of faith. It is surely the Perennial Tradition discovered by all people of goodwill and sincere search. Richard Rohr (1943)

God is gathering us out of all regions till he can make resurrection of our own hearts from the very earth, and teach us that we are all of one substance, and members of one another; for the one who loves his neighbor loves God, and the one who loves God, loves his own soul. St. Anthony Of The Desert (251)

I am the father of living beings and I should rescue them from their sufferings and give them the joy of the measureless and boundless Buddha wisdom so that they may find their enjoyment in that. Buddhism (500 B.C.E.)

There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it. George Bernard Shaw (1856)

The beauty of the world is Christ's tender smile for us, coming through matter. Simone Weil (1909)

I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind. Antoine De Saint-Exupery (1900)

I am blind and do not see the things of this world; but when the light comes from above, it enlightens my heart and I can see, for the Eye of my heart sees everything. Black Elk, Oglala Sioux

It is wonderful, Lord! It is wonderful, Lord! It is as if, Lord, one might set upright that which had been upturned, or might reveal what was hidden, or might point out the path to one who had gone astray, or might bring an oil lamp into the darkness so that those with eyes might see material shapes. Buddhism (500 B.C.E.)

God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. Muhammed (570)

Him the sun does not illumine, nor the moon, nor the stars, nor the lightning - nor, verily fires kindled upon the earth. He is the one light that gives light to all. He shines; everything shines. Hinduism

Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." New Testament

Your work is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Old Testament

It is something within us that doesn't let us sleep,
that doesn't let us rest,
that won't stop pounding
deep inside...

...because in this marathon of Hope,
there are always others to relieve us
who carry the strength
to reach the finish line
which lies beyond death.

Join us in this vigil
and you will know what it is to dream!
Then you will know how marvelous it is
to live threatened with Resurrection!

To dream awake
to keep watch asleep,
to live while dying,
and to know ourselves already resurrected.
Julia Esquivel (1930)

A day, an hour, of virtuous liberty
Is worth a whole eternity in bondage.
Joseph Addison (1672)