John O'Donohue Quotes

“I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.”

“One of the deepest longings of the human soul is to be seen.”

“When one flower blooms spring awakens everywhere.”

“A friend is a loved one who awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you.”

“A person should always offer a prayer of graciousness for the love that has awakened in them. When you feel love for your beloved and the beloved’s love for you, now and again you should offer the warmth of your love as a blessing for those who are damaged and unloved.”

“All through your life your soul takes care of you... your soul is alive and awakened, gathering, sheltering and guiding your ways and days in the world. In effect, your soul is your secret shelter.”

“Celtic mysticism recognizes that rather than trying to expose the soul or offer it our fragile care, we should let the soul find us and care for us.”

“Keep something beautiful in your heart to survive difficult times and enjoy good times.”

“Love opens the door of ancient recognition. You enter. You come home to each other at last. As Euripides said, ‘Two friends, one soul'.”

“Many of us have made our world so familiar that we do not see it anymore. An interesting question to ask yourself at night is, What did I really see this day?”

“May all that is unlived in you blossom into a future graced with love.”

“May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny here, that behind the facade of your life there is something beautiful, good, and eternal happening. May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride, and expectation with which God sees you in every moment.”

“May you recognize in your life the presence, power, and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe. May you have respect for your own individuality and difference.”

“Nature is the direct expression of the divine imagination.”

“Real friendship or love is not manufactured or achieved by an act of will or intention. Friendship is always an act of recognition.”

“The heart of the matter: You should never belong fully to something that is outside yourself. It is very important to find a balance in your belonging.”

“The only difference between a young person at the height of their exuberance and a very old person who is frail and physically wasted is time.”

“The secret and the sacred are sisters. When the secret is not respected, the sacred vanishes. Consequently, reflection should not shine too severe or aggressive a light on the world of the soul.”

“The way you look at things is the most powerful force in shaping your life.”

“To gaze into the face of another is to gaze into the depth and entirety of his life.”

“We do not need to operate according to the idea of a predetermined program for our lives.”

“When you send that love out from the bountifulness of your own love, it reaches other people. This love is the deepest power of prayer.”

“Your soul is the priestess of memory, selecting, sifting, and ultimately gathering your vanishing days toward presence.”

“Your soul knows the geography of your destiny.”

“All human creativity issues from the urgency of longing.”

“Consumerism is the worship of the god of quantity; advertising is its liturgy. Advertising is schooling in false longing.”

“May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.”

“Each of us is an artist of our days; the greater our integrity and awareness, the more original and creative our time will become.”

“May the expectation in other eyes never decide how you are to be.”

“Wherever one person takes another into the care of their heart, they have the power to bless.”