“ To eat in a monastery refectory is an exercise in humility; daily, one is reminded to put communal necessity before individual preference. While consumer culture speaks only to preferences, treating e… Kathleen Norris
“ For me, walking in a hard Dakota wind can be like staring at the ocean: humbled before its immensity, I also have a sense of being at home on this planet, my blood so like the sea in chemical composit… Kathleen Norris
“ When you come to a place where you have to left or right,' says Sister Ruth, 'go straight ahead. Kathleen Norris
“ Because we are made in God's image, in fleeing from a relationship with a loving God, we are also running from being our most authentic selves. Kathleen Norris
“ I recall the passage in the letter to the Hebrews in which we are reminded that Christ has already done everything for us. It speaks of the Christ who "offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins… Kathleen Norris
“ What we perceive as dejection over the futility of life is sometimes greed, which the monastic tradition perceives as rooted in a fear of being vulnerable in a future old age, so that one hoards posse… Kathleen Norris
“ At its Greek root, "to believe" simply means "to give one's heart to." Thus, if we can determine what it is we give our heart to, then we will know what it is we believe. Kathleen Norris
“ ...the imagination works not so much through inspiration as through perseverance. One must slog through the false starts, spot the wrong words and hold out for the right ones, and above all, be vigila… Kathleen Norris
“ Laundry, liturgy and women's work all serve to ground us in the world, and they need not grind us down. Our daily tasks, whether we perceive them as drudgery or essential, life-supporting work, do not… Kathleen Norris
“ I was taught that I had to 'master' subjects. But who can 'master' beauty, or peace, or joy? Kathleen Norris
“ This is a God who is not identified with the help of a dictionary but through a relationship. Kathleen Norris
