On Purpose, Meaning
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver
"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality." – Belva Davis
"I don't think the meaning of life is what we're seeking. I think it's the experience of being alive...so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive." – Joseph Cambell with Bill Moyers
On Survival, Resilience
"Sometimes you don't survive whole, you just survive in part. But the grandeur of life is that attempt. It's not about that solution. It is about being as fearless as one can, and behaving as beautifully as one can, under completely impossible circumstances." – Toni Morrison
On Democracy, Social Consciousness
"The human heart is the first home of democracy. It is where we embrace our questions. Can we be equitable? Can we be generous? Can we listen with our whole beings, not just our minds, and offer our attention rather than our opinions? And do we have enough resolve in our hearts to act courageously, relentlessly, without giving up—ever—trusting our fellow citizens to join with us in our determined pursuit of a living democracy?" – Terry Tempest Williams, "Engagement"
On Transformation, Change
"Transformation doesn't happen in a linear way, at least not one we can always track. It happens in cycles, convergences, explosions. If we release the framework of failure, we can realize we are in iterative cycles, and we can keep asking ourselves – how do I learn from this." – adrienne maree brown
On Artistry, Expression
"When we feel we have "nothing to say" as artists, we are grappling with what it is we do want to say. In struggling to find our sources of inspiration, we find ourselves." – Julia Cameron
“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art....” – Andy Warhol
On Authenticity, Realness
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
"With enough courage, you can do without a reputation." – Margaret Mitchell as Rhett Butler, Gone With the Wind
"It took me years to play like myself." – Miles Davis according to Dave Chapelle
On Activism, Social Impact
"We need in every community a group of angelic troublemakers who really will disrupt. Our power is in our ability to make things unworkable." – Bayard Rustin
On Freedom, Liberty
"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion." – Albert Camus
On Nature, Biomimicry
"Nature has taught me so much about moving with the seasons, that we need to honor times of harvest and times of rest. That the frenetic pace of doing, doing, doing, with being present with each other and the season we are in, what is happening around us, is unnatural and counter to life. So it has made me realize how important community ceremony and celebration is to our efforts to transform the world." – Brenda Salgado
"Water has been my greatest teacher – partially because I am a woman and it is a strong medicine that I carry, but also because of its sheer power. It has taught me to reflect on my own participation in work, taught me to remember the fundamentals that life is built on. That things cycle, that nothing is ever truly finished, so we have to stay vigilant and aware of how things move, even when we think we win. Lastly, water has taught me that with enough force and will, I am unstoppable." – Sharon Lungo
On Duality, Nonlinearity
"The universe is both orderly and chaotic. We understand it to a point, and then there is mystery. And that is not linear or cumulative. There is no eventual elimination of mystery. There will always be mystery. And knowledge. Humans are both understandable and mysterious. Communion is all about acceptance, and organizing is about both." – Peter Hardie
"This, too, is part of who I am. Alongside whatever light is in me, I have inner reaches of deep darkness. Acknowledging this is essential to keeping myself healthy – and if it helps liberate you to acknowledge the darkness alongside your light, I'm glad. Darkness held consciously is less likely to bring us down than darkness denied." – Parker J. Palmer
On Hope, Cynicism
"Cynicism is a form of obedience." – Cornelius Eady according to James Baldwin
"I am in no way an optimist...but I remain a prisoner of hope." – Cornel West
On Solitude, Aloneness
"Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape." – bell hooks
On Interdependence, Connectedness
"I'm learning that interdependence is not about the equality of offers in real time." – adrienne maree brown
On Writing, Storytelling
“Make up a story... For our sake and yours forget your name in the street; tell us what the world has been to you in the dark places and in the light. Don't tell us what to believe, what to fear. Show us belief's wide skirt and the stitch that unravels fear's caul.” – Toni Morrison
On God, Mysticism
"When the gods want to punish you, they answer your prayers." – Karen Blixen
On Teaching, Learning
"I am not a teacher, I am a teaching." – Ram Dass