BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Philosophy Random Ruminations

True to his existentialist beliefs, here a few of Jean-Paul Sartre's thoughts:

"Man is fully responsible for his nature and his choices."

"Evil is the product of the ability of humans to make abstract that which is concrete."

"Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does."

"We are our choices."

"Man is what he wills himself to be."

"Commitment is an act, not a word."

"As far as men go, it is not what they are that interests me, but what they can become."

"Life has no meaning a priori… It is up to you to give it a meaning, and value is nothing but the meaning that you choose."

Recently BellaOnline's Poetry Site editor asked the following: "What is your most favorite quote in all the poetry you have read so far? what lines keep echoing through your mind, refusing to leave?"

Well, I did not have to randomly ruminate at all to come up with a (silently lurking LOL) reply as what I, in verse, for almost five decades had internalized in my heart, mind and soul certainly encapsulates the essence of my philosophical moral compass.

From William Wordsworth's "The World is Too Much With Us" (circa 1802) comes forth those "echoing" and life defining lines:

"The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!"

Are there any lines from poetry that are philosophically important to your being?

Well, I'm back into my monolithic, trite and hackneyed, non-depeche mode once again:

"Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm a Schizophrenic and so am I".

"Life is like a $hit sandwich, the more bread you have, the less $hit you eat".

ad hoc

Let the 'gods' and the 'devils' work it out for themselves, eassse not my yob.

Lance.....I am drawn these days to the Desiderata by Max Ehrmann, a prose poem written in 1927. Here are a few quotes from it that I especially like:

"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence."

"Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune."

"Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."

"With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world."

Burt...I hear ya, Brother!

Thanks Deb