Rachel Naomi Remen - excerpts from Speaking of Faith

"My grandfather was a flaming mystic... What is mysticism? It can mean a scholarly thing, like the study of a school of mysticism, like Kaballah, but it is also a way of seeing the world. My grandfather felt that the world was in constant communication with him. That there was a spirit in the world, a God in the world, that could be spoken to and could respond, at all times. That there was a presence in the world that was holy and sacred, and that he was in constant dialog with this as he went through the events of his day."

"Over time, things evolve and change. At the very least people who have lost a great deal can recognize that they are not victims, they are survivors. They are people who have found the strength to move through something unimaginable to them, perhaps, in the past. And just asking people that question, you have suffered a really deep loss, what have you called upon for your strength? Most people haven't even noticed their strength, they are completely focused on their pain."

"The view from the edge of life is so much clearer than the view that most of us have. That what seems to be important is much more simple and accessible for everybody, which is, who you've touched on your way through life, who's touched you. What you're leaving behind you in the hearts and minds of other people is far more important than whatever wealth you may have accumulated."

"We get distracted by stories other people have told us about ourselves. That we are not enough, that we will be happy if we have material goods, that material goods will keep us safe. None of these stories are true. What is true is that what we have is each other."