To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from. Terry Tempest Williams More Quotes by Terry Tempest Williams More Quotes From Terry Tempest Williams I am interested and deeply curious about our need for a spiritual life, a life of greater meaning, and how we come to a more ethical view of life within our communities that is more inclusive than exclusive, one that is extended even beyond our own species. Terry Tempest Williams community spiritual views I don't think of myself as an American; I see myself as a human being. Terry Tempest Williams human-beings humans thinking I wonder, What is it to be human? Especially now that we are so urban. How do we remember our connection with place? What is the umbilical cord that roots us to that primal, instinctive, erotic place? Every time I walk to the edge of this continent and feel the sand beneath my feet, feel the seafoam move up my body, I think, "Ah, yes, evolution." It's there, we just forget. Terry Tempest Williams roots moving thinking What is evolution if not creative adaptation and the progression of our own souls? Terry Tempest Williams evolution creative soul An individual doesn't get cancer, a family does. Terry Tempest Williams cancer survival inspirational As a writer, I have learned that each time I pick up my pencil I betray someone. Terry Tempest Williams pencils i-have-learned betray We are wearing coats of trust. When one tells a story this is what happens. Terry Tempest Williams coats stories happens I appreciate all of the unexpected places, internal and external, that my writing has taken me. Terry Tempest Williams appreciate taken writing I look at Los Angeles and I ask myself, How can this ever be sustainable? And what are we contributing to that? Because we are all complicit. None of us is without blame. It's so difficult and it's so overwhelming and I think we have to make small choices in our own lives that can loom large collectively. Terry Tempest Williams choices looks thinking Pico Iyer describes his writing as "intimate letters to a stranger," and I think that is what the writing process is. It begins with a question, and then you follow this path of exploration. Terry Tempest Williams letters writing thinking To write requires an ego, a belief that what you say matters. Writing also requires an aching curiosity leading you to discover, uncover, what is gnawing at your bones. Terry Tempest Williams ego curiosity writing Dying doesn't cause suffering. Resistance to dying does. Terry Tempest Williams dying suffering doe To withhold words is power. But to share our words with others, openly and honestly, is also power. Terry Tempest Williams honestly our-words share These handwritten words in the pages of my journal confirm that from an early age I have experienced each encounter in my life twice: once in the world, and once again on the page. Terry Tempest Williams encounters age world Not everything is meant for all to hear. Terry Tempest Williams The pain that we feel when we are making love with someone is that we know it will end. It's that paradoxical response of joy and suffering. Terry Tempest Williams making-love pain joy The discipline of writing a memoir comes in the editing. This is where I cut, slash, and burn - where my creative mind is transformed into a ruthless one. No word escapes my scrutiny. It is here where I see what boundaries need to be set. Terry Tempest Williams cutting editing writing Buddha says there are two kinds of suffering: the kind that leads to more suffering and the kind that brings an end to suffering. Terry Tempest Williams suffering inspirational two Sometimes you have to disclaim your country and inhabit another before you can return to your own. Terry Tempest Williams return sometimes country Our power lies in our love of our homelands. Terry Tempest Williams homeland our-love lying
