Be careful whom you choose to hate. The small and the vulnerable own a protection great enough, if you could but see it, to melt you into jelly. Beware those who reside beneath the shadow of the Wings. Leif Enger More Quotes by Leif Enger More Quotes From Leif Enger Sometimes heroism is nothing more than patience, curiosity, and a refusal to panic. Leif Enger heroism panic curiosity Love is a strange fact - it hopes all things, believes all things, endures all things. It makes no sense at all. Leif Enger love-is believe facts Real miracles bother people, like strange sudden pains unknown in medical literature. It's true: They rebut every rule all we good citizens take comfort in. Lazarus obeying orders and climbing up out of the grave - now there's a miracle, and you can bet it upset a lot of folks who were standing around at the time. When a person dies, the earth is generally unwilling to cough him back up. A miracle contradicts the will of the earth. Leif Enger climbing-up pain real Pride is the rope God allows us all. Leif Enger rope pride I remember it as October days are always remembered, cloudless, maple-flavored, the air gold and so clean it quivers. Leif Enger october gold air You can embark on new and steeper versions of your old sins, you know, and cry tears while doing it that are genuine as any. Leif Enger cry sin tears Many a night I woke to the murmer of paper and knew (Dad) was up, sitting in the kitchen with frayed King James - oh, but he worked that book; he held to it like a rope ladder. Leif Enger dad kings book Where do you think you’re going?” Dr. Nokes demanded…. “What do you have for directions?” And Dad… said, “I have the substance of things hoped for. I have the anticipation of things unseen Leif Enger unseen dad thinking Fair is whatever God wants to do. Leif Enger fairs want Hope is like yeast, you know, rising under warmth. Leif Enger yeast rising knows So thoughtlessly we sling on our destinies. Leif Enger our-destiny destiny Once traveling, it's remarkable how quickly faith erodes. It starts to look like something else--ignorance, for example. Same thing happened to the Israelites. Sure it's weak, but sometimes you'd rather just have a map. Leif Enger ignorance example looks It is one thing to be sick of your own infirmities and another to understand that the people you love most are sick of them also. You are very near then to being friendless in the world. Leif Enger sick people world Of all facial expressions, which is the worst to have aimed at you? Wouldn't you agree it's disgust? Leif Enger disgusting worst expression Is there a single person on whom I can press belief? No sir. All I can do is say, Here's how it went. Here's what I saw. I've been there and am going back. Make of it what you will. Leif Enger single-person saws belief Why is it our failures only show us more clearly the people we are failing? Leif Enger failing shows people Once in my life I knew a grief so hard I could actually hear it inside, scraping at the lining of my stomach, an audible ache, dredging with hooks as rivers are dredged when someone's been missing too long. I have to think my mother felt something like that. Leif Enger grief mother thinking Good advice is a wise man's friend, of course; but sometimes it just flies on past, and all you can do is wave. Leif Enger wise men past We see a newborn moth unwrapping itself and announce, Look, children, a miracle! But let an irreversible wound be knit back to seamlessness? We won't even see it, though we look at it every day. Leif Enger miracle children looks Real miracles bother people, like strange sudden pains unknown in medical literature. Leif Enger pain real people