Inspiring Quotations

[p3nny]

I share this beautiful quotation by Carlos Castaneda from The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge so others can be inspired. My hope is you will share the words that move your heart, your feet, and your spirit along The Way.

"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length--and there I travel looking, looking breathlessly."

 

[mspath]

p3nny,

That is a lovely quote from Carlos Castaneda.

One of my favorites is this by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Country Life, 1858.

"Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much...."

Margaret Meredith

 

[p3nny]

This is lovely. Thank you.

 

[Beeker40]

Hi p3nny,
I love any quotes or texts from the late John O Donoghue and his book Anam Cara.

"Your soul knows the geography of your destiny and the map of your future. Trust this side of yourself. It will take you where you need to go but it will also teach you a kindness of rhythm in your journey"

― John O'Donohue, Anam Cara Book of Celtic Wisdom
Anam Cara refers to the Celtic spiritual belief of souls connecting and bonding.

In Celtic Spiritual tradition, it is believed that the soul radiates all about the physical body, what some refer to as an aura. When you connect with another person and become completely open and trusting with that individual, your two souls begin to flow together. Should such a deep bond be formed, it is said you have found your Anam Cara or soul friend.
Your Anam Cara always accepts you as you truly are, holding you in beauty and light. In order to appreciate this relationship, you must first recognize your own inner light and beauty. This is not always easy to do. The Celts believed that forming an Anam Cara friendship would help you to awaken your awareness of your own nature and experience the joys of others.

According to John O'Donahue, an accomplished Irish poet, philosopher and Catholic priest, "...You are joined in an ancient and eternal union with humanity that cuts across all barriers of time, convention, philosophy and definition. When you are blessed with an anam cara, the Irish believe, you have arrived at that most sacred place: home."

John died very young and is now buried in an old graveyard on the edge of the Burren facing the wild Atlantic Ocean in a little village called Fanore, County Clare. I love to visit there and think of him often.

Heading off on my 1st Camino tomorrow leaving Dublin in the morning with a tingle of excitement and a little fear. But looking forward to meeting everyone in SJPP and 30 days of discovery.

Buen Camino
Ger

 

[Lydia Gillen]

Hi Ger,

Go n'erigh an Bothair leat.

I never knew that John O'Donohue was buried in Fanore. I have spent a week there in July every year since 1988 at 'Camp with Jesus' on the sand-dunes. I'll visit his grave next year . Please God

My quotation is "Faith is not a light that dispels all our darkness but a lamp that guides our steps at night and that is enough for the road." ' Lumen Fidei'

Buen Camino

 

[LTfit]

What a wonderful idea to share quotes!

I guess that you could call me a collector of inspiring quotes, most are in English, Spanish or Dutch. I jot them down in notebooks, on napkins, on my phone- whereever! Besides sharing them from time to time on my FB page I never really did anything else with them until this summer before leaving for Spain. I finally sat down at my computer and typed them all up. I made copies of the Spanish and English ones, cut them out one by one and folded each one. When I was a hospitalera this July in El Burgo Ranero I placed them each morning into 2 glasses next to a candle so that pilgrims could take one before leaving. Some would read it immediately and others would save it for later along the Camino. Each one was different. It was wonderful sharing them with others. So here are two:

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Everyday, I walk myself into a state of well-being & walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.
Søren Kierkegaard

The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made. And the activity of making them changes both the maker and their destination.
John Schaer

Keep them coming!

 

[Tincatinker]

"there are no tourists on the Camino, just pilgrims who haven't found their way yet" 'Chico, volunteer hospitalero at Albergue St Nicolas de Flue, Ponferrada'.

 

[Kiwi-family]

I guess that you could call me a collector of inspiring quotes,

Me too! I have notebooks full of them - when I read a book, I do it with a "quote book" at my side so I can jot them down immediately. My kids are doing the same and I can see their notebooks will be treasured forever. I have recently gone through all mine and typed up the quotes pertaining to travel and poverty to use on my blog when we do our fundraising walk next year. I took a page of travel quotes with me last year and was surprised how often a particular one would wend its way into my journal entry for the day!

 

[wawpdx]

LTfit said
I guess that you could call me a collector of inspiring quotes,

but long before that she shared this quote

We must be the change we wish to see in the world - M. Gandhi

I too love collecting quotes and I especially love the Gandhi quote which has been in her signature space for years. Those words speak to me and, on at least one occasion, nudged me to be a better person. So, thanks!

 

[Offaly Rover]

I came across this on "to bend light" by Adam Solvey... It's from a Jewish perspective if you Christians don't mind learning from other sources oy-vey!

Quick Blessing for a Friend’s Departure
Heart of my heart,

Dear [brother/sister/friend],

Bless you on your journey.

May you find what you seek

And what you need,

What seeks you

And what calls you home.

May the light of health and hope

Carry you toward beauty and wonder.

May the light of holiness

Carry you toward strength and service.

Let peace and joy surround your days.

And let awe and thanksgiving

Lead you on a path of virtue.

 

[Offaly Rover]

Another one... but Christian this time
A Prayer for Pilgrims
God of the guiding star, the bush that blazes

show us Your Way

God of the stormy seas, the bread that nourishes

teach us Your Truth

God of the still, small voice, the wind that blows where it chooses

fill us with Life

God of the elements, of our inward and outward journeys

set our feet on Your road today.

May God bless us with a safe journey

May the Angels and Saints travel with us

 

[PeregrinaIR]

I came across this on "to bend light" by Adam Solvey... It's from a Jewish perspective if you Christians don't mind learning from other sources oy-vey!

Not unlike the traditional Irish blessing which I never fully appreciated until I walked my first solo camino:

"May the road rise up to meet you;

May the wind be always at your back;

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand."

Simple, succinct and full of good wishes / vibes/ positive energy / whatever you're having yourself!

Sending all of those things to people walking today, and to those preparing to walk on another day.

 

[Offaly Rover]

Or as Gaeilge/Gaelic "Giorann Beirt Bóthar"- two shorten the road... excuse bad grammar
Given the Irish definition of a road was where a cow could pass out another cow "Bó-thar" (literally Cow-Across) it came to my mind on some of the narrower parts of the Camino!

 

[mercurynfo]

“… there is a wind behind every one of us that takes us through our lives. We never see it, we can’t command it, we don’t even know its purpose. I would have stayed among you longer, but that wind is taking me away. I will miss it here. And I will miss you. But I’m content that the power that propels me does so with superior knowledge as to what is for the best, and that is my faith.”

--John Patrick Shanley

...may the winds that carry us in our lives take us far, bring about contentment and joy in others, and be pleasing to God always.

 

[PMSLAW]

"I arrived home from walking the Camino. There was a note on the refrigerator from my wife. It read: "It's just not working. I have left to stay with my mother." I opened the refrigerator, the light came on, and the beer was cold. I don't get it."
Anonymous

 

[jl]

One of my favourite quotes, and one that I often end Camino speeches with, is:-

There was he never a pilgrim that did not come back to his own village with one less prejudice and one more idea.

Chateaubriand 1768 - 1848

And then there is this one:-

We are pilgrims on the earth and strangers; we have come from afar and we are going far.

Vincent van Gogh. 1853 - 1890

 

[LTfit]

On the topic of "strangers", I would like to share the follow 2 quotes:

"Be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise"

There is some discussion as to the correct author of this quote (Yeats, George Whitman or an interpretation of the Bible:"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2). Either way it is a wonderful quote.

"There are no strangers, only friends you have not as yet met". Author unknown

 

[MendiWalker]

There is a quote about the Camino in Spanish which says - "El peregrino no exige , agradece. " I´sorry but I don´t know who´s it is.

Unfortunately some of us peregrinos at times forget all about it. ( Mea Culpa)

Translation - A pilgrim doesn´t demand , he´s grateful.

Buen Camino!

 

[MichaelB10398]

It seems that many of us appreciate the value of words spoken with wisdom. I acknowledge the two following are long and not directly applicable to the Camino, but I have found them to be great aids to reflect on often:

From the Zohar---

• "Who is wise? The one who learns from all people…
• “Who is mighty? The one who subdues the evil inclination…
• "Who is rich? The who who rejoices in his portion….
• "Who is honored? The one who honors other human beings….”

A Personal Creed - (by G. A. Smith)

• I would be a friend to the friendless and find joy in ministering to the needs of the poor.
• I would visit the sick and afflicted and inspire in them a desire for faith to be healed.
• I would teach the truth to the understanding and blessing of mankind.
• I would seek out the erring one and try to win him back to a righteous and happy life.
• I would not seek to force people to live up to my ideals, but rather love them into doing the thing that is right.
• I would live with the masses and help to solve their problems that their earth life may be happy.
• I would avoid the publicity of high position and discourage the flattery of thoughtless friends.
• I would not knowingly wound the feelings of any, not even one who may have wronged me, but would seek to do good and make him my friend.
• I would overcome the tendency to selfishness and jealousy and rejoice in the success of all the children of our Heavenly Father.
• I would not be an enemy to any living soul.
• Knowing that the Redeemer of mankind has offered to the world the only plan that will fully develop us and make us really happy here and hereafter, I feel it not only a duty but a blessed privilege to disseminate this truth.

 

[LesBrass]

"there are no tourists on the Camino, just pilgrims who haven't found their way yet" 'Chico, volunteer hospitalero at Albergue St Nicolas de Flue, Ponferrada'.

Great comment and so very true!

During our driving holiday through northern spain this July I decided that I had to walk the camino... my husband thought I was crazy. Since July he has gone to thinking I'm crazy to thinking it may be quite nice.... now he says he would come but he's got to be at home for our son and he has to work.

He's not spiritual in any way shape or form and he's as down to earth as you could find... but I'm thinking he's absolutley in the camp of a pilgrim who's not found his way! His plan now is to cycle part of the camino with his cycling friends... he thinks its the perfect place for a bike ride!

 

[Magwood]

I often plan to note down an excellent quote, but then forget both the note and the quote!

However this one, that was a line in the the film 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel', has always stayed with me, and came to mind on numerous occasions on the camino:

"Everything will be all right in the end... if it's not all right then it's not yet the end"

So simple - and positive.

 

[jpflavin1]

My favorite quote is:

"There are many things in life that will catch your eye but few that catch your heart, pursue those.

Unknown

Another favorite of mine, in particular when I talk about the Camino is from the great Philosopher Mick Jagger^^.

"You can't always get what you want but if you try sometimes well you might find you get what you need"

Great thread.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[KinkyOne]

"How many steps it is given by God. What about them, that is left to you."
(unkown)

 

[JennyH94]

Hi P3nny and Forum members ... a fabulous thread! Lots to inspire! Thank you all.

One of my favourite quotes is one I discovered earlier this year. Nicole Fisher, whose excellent Camino blog I followed, included it as part of her blog ...

"20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore - Dream - Discover." - Mark Twain

I love this quote!

Cheers - Jenny

 

[Alexster66]

So many fabulous inspiring quotes here. Thanks P3nny.

“Walking is the only form of transportation in which a man proceeds erect - like a man - on his own legs, under his own power. There is immense satisfaction in that.”
―Edward Abbey

He could tell by the way animals walked that they were keeping time to some kind of music. Maybe it was the song in their own hearts that they walked to.”
―Laura Adams Armer

May the force be with you
Alex

 

[KinkyOne]

One from my Mom:
"Walking the Camino you can make yourself miserable or strong. But the amount of walking will be still the same."
(translated roughly)

 

[KinkyOne]

I don't know if this one is really inspiring (I've heard it on TV today) but I'll post it anyway:
"If you find yourself going through hell - keep going!"

Ultreia!

 

[stevenjarvis]

You're always going to think so you may as well think big ...

(Of chess pieces )..... mighty King or Queen, noble Knight or lowly Pawn, they all go away in the same box.

 

[tyrrek]

There are a few good walking-related quotations here: http://www.quotegarden.com/walking.html

My favourites are;
How can you explain that you need to know that the trees are still there, and the hills and the sky? Anyone knows they are. How can you say it is time your pulse responded to another rhythm, the rhythm of the day and the season instead of the hour and the minute? No, you cannot explain. So you walk. ~Author unknown, from New York Times editorial, "The Walk," 25 October 1967

My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-three today and we don't know where the hell she is. ~Ellen DeGeneres

 

[KinkyOne]

"We should never regret the things we did, but those that we didn't."

 

[biloute]

One that I find inspiring, by Seneca: "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult."

I think this could particularly apply to the camino.

 

[lizlane]

Do or do not...there is no try~Yoda

 

[Icacos]

Just happened upon this one, and thought it was appropriate for the Camino - for when we run into someone who is not inclined to chat ...

"Never miss an opportunity to make others happy, even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it." Author unknown

 

[Theatregal]

Seen in the woods near O'Cebreiro.

 

[JohnMcM]

My own.

"I am one, you are many, let us be friends, learn from each other, be at peace with each other and infect each other with kindness, patience and love".

Thinking about copyrighting that by the way.

 

[tyrrek]

My own.

"I am one, you are many, let us be friends, learn from each other, be at peace with each other and infect each other with kindness, patience and love".

Thinking about copyrighting that by the way.

I‘ll remember this next time I'm stuck on a train with a group of Leeds United hooligans. (I‘ll let them know about the copyright too.)

 

[StuartM]

I've just been to see Queens of the Stone Age so this is from them: "I need something good to die for to make it beautiful to live".

My favourite Hunter Thompson quote sums up my view on life: "Buy the ticket, take the ride".

Another that always amuses me: "Dear Lord look after me or you'll have me on your hands".

 

[newfydog]

 

[gerardcarey]

"Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly" - Mae West.

 

[KinkyOne]

"I wanna die young. As late as possible."

 

[Al the optimist]

We are nothing more than the sum of our memories and experiences. (Michael Scott, The Sorceress) Especially the Camino ones?

 

[lynnejohn]

I found this lovely forward to the book I'm reading:

I once saw a very beautiful picture. It was a landscape at evening. Through the landscape a road leads to a high mountain far far away. On the road walks a pilgrim. He has been walking for a good long while already and is very tired. And now he meets a woman, or a figure in black.
And the pilgrim asks her: Does the road go on then uphill all the way?
And the answer is: Yes, till the very end.
And he asks again: And will the journey take all day long?
And the answer is: From morn till night, my friend.

--From a letter by Vincent Van Gogh

 

[KinkyOne]

"It always seems impossible until it's done."
(Nelson Mandela)

 

[LTfit]

 

[lettinggo]

Try to be kind to others when it is possible.
It is always possible.
-Dalai Lama-

 

[Icacos]

“Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

(Plato? Philo of Alexandria? Ian MacLaren? John Watson?)

 

[Icacos]

And my Camino favourite ....

“Go as far as you can see; when you get there you’ll be able to see farther”

Thomas Carlyle

 

[karenfromcali]

"My body is broken, but my spirit soars. Please do not pray that my pain should end, rather pray that the others will look beyond the stagger in my walk and see the joy of God in my eyes."

love this...

 

[karenfromcali]

Loving this thread! Great idea

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
― Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss

And my favorite...
“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey

 

[Mark M]

Loving this thread! Great idea

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
― Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss

And my favorite...
“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey

What wonderful words!!! I'm inspired. Life is indeed to be lived. Experienced

 

[KiwiNomad06]

In 2008 I carried a quote with me that I wrote down from a post Lynne made here in the Forum. When the going got tough, I got it out and thought about just the next step, just the next hilltop...

"......concentrate on only the next step; and keep walking.
Think about what is working well
- not about your aches and pains.
Don't think about the total number of kilometres you are walking.
Only think about what you are walking today.
Right now.
Step by step, hill by hill, rest stop by rest stop
- that's how you accomplish your goal."

I put it with a photo here on one of my blogs: http://kiwinomadsphotos.blogspot.co.nz/2010/06/step-by-step.html
Margaret

 

[petzar]

This is a Swedish quot and I dont now if the translation becomes right.
"If you can be happy with little, you have a lot to be happy about"

 

[Mark M]

This is a Swedish quot and I dont now if the translation becomes right.
"If you can be happy with little, you have a lot to be happy about"

So true. Well stated. We can accumulate so much unneccesary "stuff". Both emotionally and materially. It can burden our lives and cloud our vision of possibility.

 

[Theatregal]

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
~Henry Stanley Haskins

 

[grayland]

The rain in Spain falls mainly on Galicia......Rev Phil Wren (Methodist Pilgrim)

 

[Chacharm]

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go."
TS ELIOT

 

[twobats]

The Camino is not a hike; it is a chance to dip your toe into the river of life that is always flowing there.

 

[hecate105]

If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?" Rumi
Little by little, one travels far.— J.R.R. Tolkien

The words I live my life by - This too will pass....
and my new favourite -
Don’t take life so seriously – it isn’t permanent!

 

[TerryB]

I found this lovely forward to the book I'm reading:

I once saw a very beautiful picture. It was a landscape at evening. Through the landscape a road leads to a high mountain far far away. On the road walks a pilgrim. He has been walking for a good long while already and is very tired. And now he meets a woman, or a figure in black.
And the pilgrim asks her: Does the road go on then uphill all the way?
And the answer is: Yes, till the very end.
And he asks again: And will the journey take all day long?
And the answer is: From morn till night, my friend.


--From a letter by Vincent Van Gogh

I think Christina Rossetti 1830–1894 was a contemporary of Van Gogh 1853 – 1890. It may be that she saw the same picture which inspired her poem.

Up-Hill
By Christina Rossetti
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.

But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.

Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.

Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.

Exactly right for a pilgrimage or the image of the journey through life! the opening line comes to mind so often when walking

Blessings
Tio Tel

 

[Felipe]

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

Bilbo's song, The Fellowship of the Ring.

 

[ManyMiles2Go]

"I arrived home from walking the Camino. There was a note on the refrigerator from my wife. It read: "It's just not working. I have left to stay with my mother." I opened the refrigerator, the light came on, and the beer was cold. I don't get it."
Anonymous

I tried to like this one twice, but it didn't work

 

[ManyMiles2Go]

"You don't choose a life, you live one" - Emilio Estevez in The Way

 

[Dutch]

You can't buy happiness, but you can buy icecream and thats kind of the same thing

 

[biloute]

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"There's a long, long trail a-winding into the land of my dreams." -- Stoddard King

 

[fortview]

"Today me will live in the moment unless it is unpleasant in which case me will eat a cookie" The Cookie Monster

 

[Arn]

My Father was a man of few words, but when he spoke..I listened. Here's a favorite:

"If you are going to do something and you tell yourself...It's OK, if I don't get caught. Don't do it!"

 

[scruffy1]

R. Crumb

 

[jayree]

My Father was a man of few words, but when he spoke..I listened. Here's a favorite:

"If you are going to do something and you tell yourself...It's OK, if I don't get caught. Don't do it!"

Your father is very wise or was paying attention in Philosophy when he studied Plato and The Republic, or both. In Plato's allegory, the ring of Gyges enabled one to become invisible at will and do anything he desired without fear of retribution. Plato posits that most of the time he would choose something evil.

 

[jayree]

A quote best understood after walking the Camino ...

"No one wanted to hear the diary version of the walk - the day-to-day home movie tedium of where and when and what ... Where were the good bits?"

- Jack Hitt, "Off the Road: A Modern-day Walk Down the Pilgrim's Route into Spain."

 

[MaryLynn]

It took forever, and it took no time at all.
Oliver Schroer

 

[Thengel1]

I posted a blog when I walked last year. After a particularly difficult day, a friend left this as a comment:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt

 

[Arn]

Taking some editorial license with one of my father's stories...told to me by my dad's brother.

One day, I was walking the Camino with my Uncle George. He was the one I went to when I needed a car, some info about girls. Ah, that's where this begins.
As we walked along, I asked my uncle how do you deal with being in really, really big trouble and it's because of a girl?
If silence is golden, my uncle just wracked up a few thousand in gold coins.
Soon we turned a corner and behind a large barn, up to his neck in manure was my dad. And he was laughing.
Taken aback, I looked from my dad, to my uncle and back; completely perplexed at the sight.
As I approached dad, I felt uncle George applying pressure to my shoulder and, before I could break free he said, "Dominick, there you are, up to your neck in cow dung and you're laughing. What gives?"
Dad, a man of few words stopped laughing long enough to say, "Yes, I may be up to my neck in manure and I may be laughing. But the fellow who's shoulders I'm standing on isn't."
The moral of the story, hit me like a ton of bricks as I realized what my dad meant. And, here it is:
"No matter how bad something may appear, there is always another deeper in the excrement than you."
I really miss my dad and my uncle George.

 

[bchikergirl]

I love this thread Thanks for all the inspiration.
"It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop" -- Confucius
This quote became a mantra for me when my son was recovering from a motorcycle accident and had to adjust to life in a wheelchair.
It is the first thing I wrote in my journal for my upcoming Camino this September.

 

[pep7702]

From David Whyte's poem, Santiago:

"as if, all along, you had thought the end point might be a city
with golden towers, and cheering crowds,
and turning the corner at what you thought was the end
of the road, you found just a simple reflection,
and a clear revelation beneath the face looking back
and beneath it another invitation, all in one glimpse:
like a person and a place you had sought forever,
like a broad field of freedom that beckoned you beyond;
like another life, and the road still stretching on."

 

[cynlynn]

I have been coming to this wonderful forum for some time. I love that all of my questions have been asked and then answered by so many willing to generously share their time, knowledge and experience. There is a wealth of wisdom and humor within this community!

I wish I had noted where I read this, whether on this forum, on a blog, or in a book. Either way it made me chuckle: “Warning from a British pilgrim: Before you reach Santiago, you can count on having the devil appear to you at least once. Be wary of his ways. He often takes the form of a taxi.”

And another all-time favorite:
Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. ~ Steven Wright

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Give me my scallop-shell of quiet,
My staff of faith to walk upon,
My scrip of joy, immortal diet,
My bottle of salvation,
My gown of glory, hope's true gage;
And thus I'll take my pilgrimage.

Sir Walter Raleigh. 1552–1618

Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino y nada más;
Caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace el camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante no hay camino
sino estelas en la mar.

Antonio Manchado. 1875-1939

 

[Kanga]

"Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in your own".

Adam Lindsay Gordon, 1833 – 1870

 

[jayree]

"Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in your own".

Adam Lindsay Gordon, 1833 – 1870

"Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”
― Henry James

 

[wayfarer]

Our lives are not our own,
From womb to tomb
We’re bound to others,
past and present.
And by each crime and every kindness,
We birth our future.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.

 

[Wanderer64]

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced. --S. Kierkegaard


And one could just as well replace "Life" with Camino.

 

[Dutch]

Well, opinions are like a**holes. Everybody has one.

Harry Callahan aka Dirty Harry - 1988


My guess, if Harry was a member of this or any other forum on the internet, he would have quoted himself over and over again

 

[Arn]

When I was a young second lieutenant of Marines, I was in the doldrums as I wracked my pea brain for the solution to a perplexing artillery problem. Realizing I needed something, anything to raise my confidence and clear my mind, I gathered up the materials into a neat pile with the intention of reordering my mind and pressing on.
As I raised the papers off my desk, I uncovered the following scratched into the desk top:

"If the artillery is the queen of battle. Artillery School is the home of apathy. Then again, I don't really give a Crap!" 2nd Lt H. Barnum

Now, here is the rest of the story:
When the company was suddenly pinned down by a hail of extremely accurate enemy fire and was quickly separated from the remainder of the battalion by over 500 meters of open and fire-swept ground, and casualties mounted rapidly. Lt. Barnum quickly made a hazardous reconnaissance of the area, seeking targets for his artillery. Finding the rifle company commander mortally wounded and the radio operator killed, he, with complete disregard for his safety, gave aid to the dying commander, then removed the radio from the dead operator and strapped it to himself. He immediately assumed command of the rifle company, and moving at once into the midst of the heavy fire, rallying and giving encouragement to all units, reorganized them to replace the loss of key personnel and led their attack on enemy positions from which deadly fire continued to come.

For the above actions: The President of the United States in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Captain Barnum.

I knew Col Barnum for most of my twenty-three years in the Corps. He was gracious, humble and a friend to many. Like my dad, Harvey was a good friend and an inspiration.

 

[KinkyOne]

"A winner is a dreamer who never gives up."
(N.Mandela)

 

[santiago_67]

“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened”Winston Churchill quotes(BritishOrator,AuthorandPrime Ministerduring World War II.1874-1965)

 

[simply B]

Apologies for an overly long quote. I hope it resonates with you.

October end in 2012 on an early morning atop a minor peak in eastern Galicia brought to mind a section of a beloved book:

“The sky began to grow light in the east behind me. I just walked and watched. Mist clung to the river as sunlight crept over the Coast Range. The road was white with frost: it shone like a strip of moon surface in the early light, running from east to west like a horizontal bar of a cross. The entire valley hovered, still, before me. Somewhere a raven called….


And then I felt it – a sharp pain in the heart, like a hook being set. I whirled around: sunlight struck me full in the face. My eyes closed.


And then I saw it – the vertical bar – a line so subtle it must be made of nothing nameable. And it ran from my heart of earth and blood, through my head, to the sky; ran like a beam of watery light; ran from the changing, flowing forms of the world to a realm that light alone could enter. But my pain grew sharper: mad with joy, I sank to my knees on the white road,


And I felt the hand, resting like sunlight on my head. And I knew that the line of light led not to a realm but to a Being, and that the light and the hook were his, and that they were made of love alone. My heart was pierced. I began to weep. I felt the Ancient One drawing me toward him, coaxing me out of this autumn landscape, beckoning me on toward undying joy.


The hand was lifted. The nameless presence faded, and the light around me blended with the sunlight I knew. But in my heart the wound stayed, and the good hurt. I rose from the road, brushed off my knees, wiped my eyes and drew breath. Then I walked – though I knew that from this point on the road, and from this point in my soul, there was no escape, and nowhere to go.”

(The River Why, David James Duncan [1983])

B

 

[AlanSykes]

This is from Miguel Hernández, a lovely peasant poet sentenced to death by the fascists, who died in Alicante prison in 1942, aged only 31:

Conozco bien los caminos,
Conozco bien los caminantes,
Del mar, del fuego, del sueño,
De la tierra, de los aires.
Y te conozco a ti
Que estás dentro de mi sangre.

 

[KinkyOne]

This is from Miguel Hernández, a lovely peasant poet sentenced to death by the fascists, who died in Alicante prison in 1942, aged only 31:

Conozco bien los caminos,
Conozco bien los caminantes,
Del mar, del fuego, del sueño,
De la tierra, de los aires.
Y te conozco a ti
Que estás dentro de mi sangre.

Beautiful!!!
Thanks!

 

[Theatregal]

“Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.”

― Henry Miller

 

[KinkyOne]

"The war against yourself is the worst, but the triumph over yourself the sweetest."
(Alma M. Karlin)

 

[Koidream]

After our 2012 Camino I read the following:
"Puede dejar el camino, pero el camino nunca te dejará" which means "You can leave the Camino, but the Camino will never leave you"...
And after two years I can assure you that the camino is on our thoughts ... every single day.

 

[marbuck]

I think I read this somewhere on the forum so I am not taking credit for it. But it goes something like this.

'You don't quit walking because you get old..... You get old because you quit walking'

http://tamborinetosantiago.blogspot.com.au/

 

[KinkyOne]

When it gets tough this Spanish proverb comes to my mind: "Poco a poco." (step by step)
But I guess every language has the same one

This year I have chosen two very solitary Caminos (de Madrid & de Invierno) and recently I came across this quote by Greta Garbo:
"I never said, I want to be alone. I only said, I want to be left alone. There is all the difference."
I love it. It's like people never understand, that I'm not lonely but only enjoying my consciously chosen solitude.

 

[Kerstinh47]

This is a lovely thread, and I'm grateful for all you have shared here. I had several 'mantra' quotes in key moments; and the one that sticks? "There's a lady who knows all that glitters is gold and she's buying the stairway to heaven". I must've sang that aloud twenty times on the never ending hill before I got to Lavacolla.

 

[KinkyOne]

This is a lovely thread, and I'm grateful for all you have shared here. I had several 'mantra' quotes in key moments; and the one that sticks? "There's a lady who knows all that glitters is gold and she's buying the stairway to heaven". I must've sang that aloud twenty times on the never ending hill before I got to Lavacolla.

I remember that stretch not because of neverending uphill but more of neverending going around that Lavacolla airport. And I would sing "Hairway to Steven" (by Butthole Surfers) instead...

PS (first song:

)

 

[tpmchugh]

I have a few. Walk with the sun till ur shadow disappears, painted on a wall just before Calzadilla. I would rather be on a mountain thinking of God than in a church thinking about the mountain - John Muir and finally found this in a little CTS publication about the camino that said what I was feeling at the pilgrim mass
I felt the fatigue, hunger and pain of those hundreds of thousands who have gone before
I felt their presence. I also shared their joy, awe and elation

 

[DurhamParish]

I've heard this one attributed to Dwight Eisenhower: "Things are more like they are now than they've ever been before."

 

[amorfati1]

When it gets tough this Spanish proverb comes to my mind: "Poco a poco." (step by step)
But I guess every language has the same one

This year I have chosen two very solitary Caminos (de Madrid & de Invierno) and recently I came across this quote by Greta Garbo:
"I never said, I want to be alone. I only said, I want to be left alone. There is all the difference."
I love it. It's like people never understand, that I'm not lonely but only enjoying my consciously chosen solitude.

~~~ Here is one of my favorites on that very same topic:
“Solitude does not mean living apart from others; it means never living apart from one’s Self.” Parker Palmer
(and thanks for the GGarbo quote - )

 

[Arn]

Now in Santiago, I remember coming across a lass sitting by the road...crying.
This leg toward Monte de Guzo has few arrows. Being the gentleman I am and always ready with a smart...remark, I asked what is the problem?
Sniffling, slightly slobbering and obviously expecting me to spin some Camino Magic, I told her how much my Dad moulded my determination to work my way through adversity and rather than give me the answer to a perplexing problem, he'd say something like this: "Anytime you think you are lost; you're exactly where you are at!"
Tears now gone and a smile on her face she pondered this sage truism.
She may still be there, but she's no longer slobbering.
Miss you Dad!

 

[Al the optimist]

Glad you got there OK Arn.

 

[Diefenbaker]

Loving this thread! Great idea

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
― Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss

And my favorite...
“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey

I'll remember the Dr Suess quote the next time I reach Santiago, thanks.