A collection of quotes that spoke to me. Inspired by Ruskin Bond's book, “Little Book of Everything”.
Beware: ahead lies mentions of religion, spirituality and various unmentionables.
from Henry David Thoreau. “Civil Disobedience and Other Essays”.
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things..
from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
What is success?
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch Or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!
from Charlie Mackesy. “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”.
“When things get difficult remember who you are.”
'Who am I?' asked the boy.
'You are loved,' said the horse.
from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. “The little prince”. (Chapter 21).
“Goodbye,” he said.
“Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”
“It is the time I have wasted for my rose—” said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.
“Men have forgotten this truth,” said the fox. “But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose . . .”
“I am responsible for my rose,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
From John Pritchard's book, “Why go to church?” (Page 18):
Making the effort to put ourselves into a place of glad gratitude is nearly always worthwhile. It changes our point of view. It says: 'this is what I was made for. This is where I'm meant to be.' and gradually, oh so gradually, we become a fraction more like the one we worship.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
'God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!'
– H. W. Longfellow
I have never had a father’s protection from danger, and I have never had a mother’s tender touch.
Every passer-by could see I was lost and abandoned, but no one had the willingness to help; or, even if they had, they lacked the ability. They shook their heads, and said, “it’s sad to see this”, and then went on with their lives.
It's nice to attend to one's biological needs in the privacy of a toilet. However, city-life does not always promise that a toilet will be nearby when one needs to defecate. Or, even if a toilet is nearby, it may be fully occupied.
What, then?
As things turned out, the call of nature has resulted in screaming outrage, reflected in news articles.
I have received gratefully. I am a nobody in the vast complicated tundra that is the marketplace of paintings. And yet I have been blessed. Let me recount some concrete details.
Special thanks to Alyson for your warm hospitality at Cuturi Gallery.
I. 8th of November, 2019
I was at Art Porters Gallery, where a photographer-artist named Lavender Chang was giving a talk. Then, Monsieur Guillaume offered a pair of tickets, free of charge, to a music recital, named “ Voices of Bernard Sabatier”.
(Bernard Sabatier is a luthier, a maker of string instruments, such as the violin and viola. His viola is unconventionally shaped, and hence is met with resistance in music academies. However the luthier believes that his own instruments make performances easier for younger musicians.)
I accepted this splendid offer, inviting a younger friend along.
The venue for this recital was a studio in the magnificent Esplanade Theatres. If I remember correctly, one of the featured compositions was Schubert's.
II. 9th of November, 2023.
Someone from Gnani Arts Gallery sent me an email, inviting me to Affordable Art Fair, for “a private viewing of new and spectacular work curated by us for this season.”
I happily accepted the complimentary ticket. The venue was Formula One Pit Building.
I have benefitted from the labours of poets and poetesses from decades past – and centuries past – and I have no way of expressing my gratitude except to “pay it forward” (as the younger set says) – I have received freely and now I give freely.
In no particular order, I list poems that have helped me at pivotal moments in my life.