21-27 July QOTW
Image description: Goethe’s colour wheel with watercoloured paint dividing the colours written in cursive in German.
First a note on my process for this quotes feature. I find quotes a few weeks ahead of time and create the quotes of the week posts a week or two before they are published here, then schedule them to be published on Saturday mornings. For this week's post, I came back in this week and added a quote from Rilke's Duino Elegies to reflect my profound sadness over the recent death of my ex husband and dear friend. There will be subsequent quotes of the week posts with quotes that reflect this grief and honour his memory. This week's quotes take on a new resonance for me as I navigate this journey from grief at his absence to love and reminder of the constance of his friendship.
Sunday
One thing I love about crows is the way the whole community takes care of the chicks and fledglings. I’ve seen whole groups tending one nest, flying and cawing as the chick squawks for food. Community care warms my heart, and reminds me: we all need each other’s help to grow strong enough to fly.
T. Thorn Coyle, On Crows and Community, and all of us, together.
Monday
In my mind, we must invoke imagination and caring, curiosity and compassion, in order to build a world more hospitable for us all, humans, trees, crows, and other beings.
T. Thorn Coyle, On Crows and Community, and all of us, together.
Also I highly recommend the author’s latest essay, Les Misérables on the need for collective care.
I realize I’m quoting the same person twice this week, but I think they make damn good sense and they remind me that there are people who care out there. That gives me hope in a world of Tonald Drumps.
Tuesday
Possibly the thing that matters, that you are looking for, is like the roots of plants, hidden and happening in the gaps of your knowledge.
Marion Milner, A Life of One’s Own, as quoted in Katherine May’s the Clearing by Freya Rohn in a guest post entitled, “Stray Attention: a reality of their own.”
Wednesday
If you really think that the environment is less important than the economy, try holding your breath while you count your money.” - Guy McPherson
Thursday
How we squander our hours of pain.
How we gaze beyond them into the bitter duration
to see if they have an end. Though they are really
our winter-enduring foliage, our dark evergreen,
one season in our inner year—, not only a season
in time—, but are place and settlement, foundation and soil and home.
― Rainer Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies
Friday
Gayle Brandeis, in her wonderful book, Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration For Women Who Write, quotes a great rejection letter from Two Girls Review in Portland, Oregon:
No.
editorial choices are fucking
arbitrary. you know it. we know it.
that's why you should not take this
no as anything but some jerk-off's
idea about what fit and what didn't
fit this go round. our decisions are no reflection on the merit of your work--they are as full of shit as our own colossal egos. these are important: hands, ideas, mouths, words, images.
our advice?
be relentless
Saturday
“The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think.” ~ Edwin Schlossberg.
If you have inspiring and intriguing quotes to share, please reach out. I’d love to include them here.
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