236 Quotes by David Whyte

Gratitude arises from paying attention, from being awake in the presence of everything that lives within and without us.

Some things cannot be spoken or discovered until we have been stuck, incapacitated, or blown off course for awhile. Plain sailing is pleasant, but you are not going to explore many unknown realms that way.

Being a good parent will necessarily break our hearts as we watch a child grow and eventually choose their own way, even through many of the same heartbreaks we have traversed.

I believe that human beings are desperate, always, to belong to something larger than themselves.

Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into the conversation. Pay attention to everything in the world as if it's alive. Realize everything has its own discrete existence outside your story. By doing this, you open to gifts and lessons that the world has to give you.

Poetry carries the imagery which is large enough for the kind of life we want for ourselves.

Sometimes everything has to be inscribed across the heavens so you can find the one line already written inside you.

Poetry gives us courage and sets us straight with the world. Poems are great companions and friends.

The antidote to exhaustion isn't rest. It's wholeheartedness.