Article June 23, 2003 Issue

DIVINE 'lightning bolts' strike every heart

By Jeffrey Hildner

QUOTATIONS FILL MY LIFE. Push-pinned on the walls around my desk, multilayered in the deep space of my computer, underlined in the books I read, and spilling out of the notebooks I carry around — the words of brave authors and deep thinkers are always with me. They give my life form.

From Helen Keller ("Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing") and Victor Borge ("The shortest distance between two people is laughter") to my ninth-grade niece Elizabeth Pfohl, explaining to me why she likes math ("Because a '3' will always be a '3' "), sentences of wisdom send inspiring, don't-forget-what's-important, idealistic messages to my soul. And I know I'm not alone. Lots of people love quotations. Like written thought-angels, they lift us up. Their inspiration flies into our lives and gives us the spark to keep going.

Perhaps the best quotations function as prayers. They connect us to the infinite. They take us on a thought-journey to the inner structure of reality. They remind us of who we really are what we're doing here, and why we're doing it. They fortify us with spiritual firepower, peace, of mind, and hope. They instill the confidence, grace, and zest we need to face life's challenges. Quotations alter us. They rescue and transform.