Joanna Macy

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.

106

quotes in library

Quotes by Joanna Macy

106 quotes
“What does it mean to be a human in this time?”
humanityComing Back to Life
“Open the heart. Let the world in.”
opennessWorld as Lover, World as Self
“The Great Web does not need our protection. It needs our recognition.”
recognitionActive Hope
“What is the courage to live? It is to love what is dying.”
courageIn Praise of Mortality
“To wake up in the morning is the first practice.”
morningComing Back to Life
“Joy in the face of difficulty is the practice of love.”
joyActive Hope
“The earth is not a thing. The earth is a being.”
earthWorld as Lover, World as Self
“In acknowledging our suffering, we acknowledge our love.”
sufferingComing Back to Life
“Walk lightly. Take only what you need. Honor all that lives.”
livingActive Hope
“Hopelessness is the inability to imagine the possible.”
hopeWorld as Lover, World as Self
“The body knows the way back to wholeness.”
wholenessComing Back to Life
“To live is to participate in the dying.”
livingIn Praise of Mortality
“Each ancestor is a thread in the cloth of who we are.”
ancestorsWorld as Lover, World as Self
“The Buddhist teaching of dependent co-arising is the teaching of our time.”
interbeingActive Hope
“Power flows through, not over.”
powerComing Back to Life
“In the company of beings, no one is alone.”
companyWorld as Lover, World as Self
“Whatever you choose to do, do it with your whole soul.”
wholenessActive Hope
“To honor the dying is to honor what gave us life.”
honorIn Praise of Mortality
“The work is the joy. The joy is the work.”
workComing Back to Life
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