I think there is a place where self-awareness becomes self-preoccupation if you don't take what you have discovered and bring it to bear on the conditions of the world. Marianne Williamson More Quotes by Marianne Williamson More Quotes From Marianne Williamson Of course, a woman's choice to go out into the world is a very significant thing. But part of real liberation is recognizing that mothering is every bit as important as other kinds of work. I actually believe it's more important than anything we do out in the world. Marianne Williamson significant-things real believe Gender or skin color does not of itself determine the nature of a person's thinking. Marianne Williamson skin-color skins thinking Some of the most patriarchal thinkers I know are women. Some of the most feminist thinkers are men. Marianne Williamson thinker feminist men If I had to choose between a narrow-minded woman or a man who was an enlightened thinker, I would vote for the man. Marianne Williamson enlightened vote men There is a trend in child-rearing that I find abhorrent: "Whatever the kids want to do is fine." For me, the classic example of this is when someone has a visitor and says, "Go kiss Aunt Gertrude," and Aunt Gertrude says, "She doesn't have to kiss me if she doesn't want to." Well, I think that's wrong. Marianne Williamson kissing kids children If I say to my daughter, "Go say `hi' to Aunt Gertrude," there is a reason there. I'm teaching her manners. I think the idea that she'll say `hi' to Aunt Gertrude only if she wants to is the biggest crock of silliness I've ever heard. Yet I meet people everyday who were clearly brought up to think that if they didn't want to say "hi" to Aunt Gertrude, that was fine. Marianne Williamson daughter teaching thinking The way I see it, we teach our children through modeling. Marianne Williamson teach children way Ultimately, my daughter is not going to learn from what I do, not from what I say. For better or for worse. I see that everyday. Marianne Williamson my-daughter daughter everyday Until you have a child, it's very tempting to look at the state of the world and say, "To hell with it, in 50 years I won't be around anyway." But if you have a child you don't say that, because even if you're not around in 50 years, your children presumably will be, and maybe even their children. You think of yourself as responsible to future generations in a whole different way. Marianne Williamson children years thinking I believe we are shown the path that is right as soon as we ask for it. Then we must live in the world and in some way express what we have learned. Marianne Williamson believe way world The gap is not between knowing it and living it, it's between knowing it and living it consistently. You know, we've all had moments when we got it right. Most of us have moments when we get it right every day. The trouble is getting it right when a curve-ball comes at us. Marianne Williamson curves balls knowing We go through those circumstances in order to evolve into people who can hold to our loving center no matter what the world throws us. A loving universe makes sure that we go through those things too. Marianne Williamson order people world Experience is necessary for us to grow. Marianne Williamson grows Life is hard enough, you don't have to embellish the drama! Marianne Williamson life-is-hard enough drama I think optimism is a moral imperative. Marianne Williamson optimism moral thinking I think that every moment you succumb to cynicism, you're taking energy away from change. Marianne Williamson moments energy thinking When somebody comes up to you and shows you yellow underlining of something you wrote, that's such a high. It's a connection to others. Marianne Williamson connections up-to-you yellow We need adventure, we need meaning, we need identity. We need love. Someone who has seen us through loving eyes has awakened us from the ranks of the formerly dead. Most people bear the terminal stress of walking the world unseen, a mere number or cog in a lifeless machine. Marianne Williamson stress eye adventure Society never progresses because the majority one day wakes up and says, “Let’s do things differently.” The majority didn’t wake up and say, “Oh, let’s just free the slaves.” ... Society always progressed because a relatively small group of people — usually considered outrageous radicals by the status quo of their time — had a better idea and articulated another way. That’s simply how evolution works; it’s the mutation — the member of the species who does things differently - that points the way to the future because they’re better adapted for survival. Marianne Williamson survival people ideas It is absolutely a relationship with food that is a displaced relationship with God. And that displaced relationship with God takes two forms: our availability to other people and our availability to our own thoughts and feelings. Marianne Williamson availability two people
