Joanna Macy
American eco-philosopher, scholar of Buddhism, and translator of Rilke. A pioneer of "Deep Ecology" and the "Work That Reconnects," Macy has spent six decades teaching that grief for the world is the gateway to action for the world. Her translations of Rilke (with Anita Barrows) brought a generation of seekers to a contemplative German poet, and her own books — World as Lover World as Self, Coming Back to Life, Active Hope — gave the modern environmental movement a contemplative core.
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quotes in library
Quotes by Joanna Macy
106 quotes“To be a true human being is to participate in the unfolding.”
participationWorld as Lover, World as Self
“Don't get so caught up in the agony that you lose sight of the wonder.”
wonderComing Back to Life
“The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create.”
futureActive Hope
“Beings change, beings die, but life flows on.”
impermanenceIn Praise of Mortality
“All beings live in the same web. There is no other.”
interbeingWorld as Lover, World as Self
“To honor what is dying is to make space for what is being born.”
deathComing Back to Life
“Trust your heart, even if it is broken.”
trustActive Hope
“The work that reconnects begins with gratitude.”
gratitudeComing Back to Life
“In each moment we have the choice to act on behalf of life.”
choiceActive Hope
“To be present is to participate.”
presenceComing Back to Life
“The soul of the world breathes through us.”
soulWorld as Lover, World as Self
“Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up.”
hopeActive Hope
“In the dark times, the eye begins to see.”
darkIn Praise of Mortality
“What we hold in our hearts is what we offer the world.”
heartComing Back to Life
“Each species is a precious gift from billions of years of evolution.”
speciesActive Hope
“Power-with replaces power-over in every conscious heart.”
powerComing Back to Life
“In befriending death, we befriend life.”
deathIn Praise of Mortality
“To save the world, fall in love with it.”
loveWorld as Lover, World as Self
“The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe.”
heartWorld as Lover, World as Self
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