Too much is happening. And believe me when I tell you that you are not alone in what
you’re feeling. I feel it too. And here’s what sustains me (for the most part) when I’m
feeling like I’m falling: hope, which includes surrender, and my bookshelf.
Like cozy PJs, I seek out my best worn-out copy of Gift From The Sea. This book speaks
to me and it seems to have grown on me more and with me through the years. It gives
me what I need.
You, Cindy, are no longer a stranger but a part of me; something like a finger *smile*
Your pain — I feel it. Your vulnerability touched me. I send you healing grace.
Here are a ‘few’ of my favorite quotes by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
My selected ‘few’ talk of solitude, order, essence, faith, love, life, and peace.
Words I couldn’t have come up with on my own. I borrow from Ms. Lindbergh.
I sincerely hope something here ‘helps’ you to find your inner harmony.
1. Too many activities and people and things.
Too many worthy activities, valuable things, and interesting people.
For it is not merely the trivial which clutters our lives
But the important as well.
We can have a surfeit of treasures — an excess of shells,
Where one or two would be significant.
— Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Gift From The Sea
2. Woman must come of age by herself. This is the essence of ‘coming of age’– to learn
how to stand alone. She must learn not to depend on another, nor to feel she must
prove her strength by competing with another. In the past, she has swung between
these two opposite poles of dependence and competition, of Victorianism and
Feminism. Both extremes throw her off balance; neither is the center, the true center of
being a whole woman. She must find her true center alone. She must become whole.
— Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
3. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at
the flow of time and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist
on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible in life, as
in love, is in growth, in fluidity – in freedom. — Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
4. I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world
would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning,
understanding, patience, love, openness, and the willingness to remain vulnerable.
— Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
5. Only when one is connected to one’s inner core is one connected to others. And, for
me, the core, the inner spring, can best be re-found through solitude.
— Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
6. I find there is a quality to being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back
into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than before. — Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
7. —to live ‘in grace’ as much of the time as possible. I am not using this term in a
strictly theological sense. By grace I mean an inner harmony, essentially spiritual,
which can be translated into outward harmony. — Anne Morrow Lindbergh
8. I must try to be alone for part of each year…and part of each day…in order to keep
my core, my center…Woman must be still as the axis of a wheel in the midst of her
activities. She must be the pioneer of achieving this stillness, not only for her own
salvation but for the salvation of family life, of society, and perhaps even of our
civilization.— Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
9. Perhaps middle age is, or should be, a period of shedding shells; the shell of
ambition, the shell of material accumulations and possessions, the shell of the ego.
— Anne Morrow Lindbergh
10. Men kick friendship around like a football, but it doesn’t seem to crack. Women treat it like glass and it goes to pieces. — Anne Morrow Lindbergh
11. One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few,
and they are more beautiful if they are few. — Anne Morrow Lindbergh
There’s more but I collected 11 for you today, dear Cindy Georgakas. These speak to me.
Hold on to the ones that fit nicely where you need them the most. I wish you harmony, I
wish you healing grace, I wish you miracles — selma.
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What a wonderful collection of quotes! 🌟
Ingrid. So glad you liked them. Xoxo
I’ve kept three shells on or near my desk since I first read Gifts from the Sea. I’ve read it numerous times and through both the good and challenging waves of life. I’ve gifted the book and quoted the book. You shared a few of my favorites as well. Lindbergh’s words seem to ebb and flow touching a life when they most need the caress of silence and waves. Thanks for sharing.
Hey, Kathryn. Gift From The Sea: I knew you’d know.
“Lindbergh’s words seem to ebb and flow touching a life when they most need the caress of silence and waves.” — yes, yes. Just like you say.
Thanks for these words. Xoxo
These quotes are beautiful in their own way. Wise words that ring true to me also. I particularly like 1) Too many activities and people and things. ‘For it is not merely the trivial which clutters our lives, But the important as well. We can have a surfeit of treasures — an excess of shells,
Where one or two would be significant.’ This is so accurate and I can relate to it well. Thank you for sharing, Selma. Xx 💖
It pleases me to know you can relate to these lovely quotes as well. Dear Ellie. I love #1 too. So much.
Be well. Sweet one. I bless you. Xoxo
Having just come from a lovely event centered around women’s empowerment and struggle, I feel like this collection of stunning quotes and moments could not have touched me at a better time! Love the flow of the words and the message in each piece. <3
Jaya, you’re precious. Glad you found the collection stunning. Be well. Blessings. Xoxo
Wonderful quotes. Ages ago my late mother gave me a copy of Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s book…I now have 2 copies😊
That book is a keeper. Glad you know it. Blessings
Thank you so much Dear Selma for your sweetness and being touched enough by my post and your warm heart to share these treasured words that Anne is famous for and touched so many lives. I have a few copies on my bookshelf to share at just those times when needed most. LIfe is a beautiful gift as we navigate the trials and tribulations of loss, birth and the daily pull of life. It is beautiful and heart wrenching at tines.
Thank you so much for this beautiful creation and your kind heart of acknowledgement. \
Sending love and harmony your way and appreciation! 💖💖💖💖🙏
Thanks, Cindy. Glad you stopped by to read and that you liked it. Be well. Sending healing vibes. Congrats on everything. 👏
I was so surprised and it was such a heartfelt gesture. Thank you again and for sharing my site. Hugs and love to you and all you do. Thank so mcuh 💖💖💖
Glad I did. My pleasure… always. xoxo
Thanks again! 💖💖
Sometimes, not often, I feel a little guilty about not being more social. But when I reach a threshold of too many “worthy activities, valuable things, and interesting people, my peace and health start to drift and I have to nurture me again. Reading these wonderful quotes while stroking my cat who sits between my chest and my laptop brought waves of delicious relaxation and the reassurance that solitude is healing. Thank you for the confirmation! I smiled when I read the one about the shells, because earlier today, I was going through one of my baskets of shells to pick out my favorites.
Solitude. Yes, JoAnna. You’ve been right all along. It’s healing.
Shells: the Universe is watching. I know. 👏
<3
Ohhhh, I so needed to read this today. 1, 6, 10 and 11 in particular really resonated with me. Thank you for sharing this, Selma <3
They are my faves too. Gosh I just love the whole book. Have read it countless times in the 25years+ I’ve had it. Have bought and gifted that book more often than I recall. Bless you.
I’ll have to check it out! 🙂
This is so beautiful Selma. I’ll have to get a copy of Gifts from the Sea, I haven’t heard of it before but those quotes are wonderful. <3
Kate. You won’t go wrong with this one. I’ve had it for 25+years. It never stales. I find new shells every time I read it.
This is the book I’ve purchased and gifted more times than I remember. It’s been translated widely. I have gifted to my Japanese friends too.
I’m sure you’ll see the beauty of it after every read through the years. Bless you. Xoxo