free spirit

Roaming through Peach's Outward Bound: Book of Readings, a few favorites:


'I think', said Christopher Robin, 'that we ought to eat all our provisions now, so we won't have so much to carry.' -A.A. Milne


'We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.' - E.E.Cummings


'When angry, count four; when very angry, swear' -Mark Twain


'"Look here!", said the water rat. "If you've really nothing else on hand this morning, supposing we drop down the river together, and have a long day of it?" The mole waggled his toes from sheer happiness, spread his chest with a sigh of full contentment, and leaned back blissfully into the soft cushions. "What a day I'm having!", he said. "Let us start at once!" -Kenneth Grahame (The Wind in the Willows)


'The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be.' -Anne Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank)


'For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war, and a time for peace.'
- Ecclesiastes: 3


'When you're no longer thinking ahead, each footstep is...a unique event in itself. This leaf has jagged edges. This rock looks loose. These are things you should notice anyway. To live only for some future goal is shallow. It's the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here's where things grow.' -Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance