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“In each ending is a new beginning.”
endingsIn Praise of Mortality
“Grief is love with nowhere to go. Let it go to the world.”
griefComing Back to Life
“The Great Turning needs all of us, in every role.”
transformationActive Hope
“Beauty is the gift of attention.”
beautyWorld as Lover, World as Self
“Wherever you stand, the world is alive beneath your feet.”
earthComing Back to Life
“The future depends on what we do in the present.”
presentActive Hope
“Each generation is a thread. Hold it gently.”
generationsWorld as Lover, World as Self
“Love is the thread that holds the world together.”
loveActive Hope
“In silence, the soul of the world speaks.”
silenceWorld as Lover, World as Self
“To be of service is to be of joy.”
serviceActive Hope
“The web of life is not a metaphor. It is the actual structure.”
webWorld as Lover, World as Self
“To grieve is to love loudly.”
griefIn Praise of Mortality
“Wholeness includes the wound.”
wholenessComing Back to Life
“The Earth holds us. We hold each other.”
holdingActive Hope
“Joy is the heart's response to its own depth.”
joyComing Back to Life
“Even the mountains are impermanent. So is our grief.”
impermanenceIn Praise of Mortality
“Live as if the future depends on you. It does.”
responsibilityActive Hope
“We are nature, listening to itself.”
natureWorld as Lover, World as Self
“In the company of grief, presence is the gift.”
presenceComing Back to Life
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