Mark Nepo Quote

Integrity Integrity is the ability to listen to a place inside oneself that doesn't change, even though the life that carries it may change. —RABBI JONATHAN OMER-MAN Much of our journey throughout this book has been about discovering that place inside and cultivating the ability to listen to it, while having compassion for the life that carries it. It moves me to share the story of a troubled man who, exhausted from his suffering and confusion, asked a sage for help. The sage looked deeply into the troubled man and with compassion offered him a choice: You may have either a map or a boat. After looking at the many pilgrims about him, all of whom seemed equally troubled, the confused man said, I'll take the boat. The sage kissed him on the forehead and said, Go then. You are the boat. Life is the sea. As we have discovered so many times, we have everything we need within us. This ability to listen inside is our oldest oar. You are the boat.

Mark Nepo

Integrity Integrity is the ability to listen to a place inside oneself that doesn't change, even though the life that carries it may change. —RABBI JONATHAN OMER-MAN Much of our journey throughout this book has been about discovering that place inside and cultivating the ability to listen to it, while having compassion for the life that carries it. It moves me to share the story of a troubled man who, exhausted from his suffering and confusion, asked a sage for help. The sage looked deeply into the troubled man and with compassion offered him a choice: You may have either a map or a boat. After looking at the many pilgrims about him, all of whom seemed equally troubled, the confused man said, I'll take the boat. The sage kissed him on the forehead and said, Go then. You are the boat. Life is the sea. As we have discovered so many times, we have everything we need within us. This ability to listen inside is our oldest oar. You are the boat.

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About Mark Nepo

Mark Nepo (born February 23, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York), is a poet and spiritual adviser who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over 40 years. Nepo is best known for his New York Times #1 bestseller, The Book of Awakening. He has published 23 books and recorded 15 audio projects. A cancer survivor, Nepo writes and teaches about the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship.