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To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that Love is the reason for my existence, for God is love.
Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character. Love is my name.

— Thomas Merton Seeds of Contemplation (1949)

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More quotes by Thomas Merton

Chuang Tzu is not concerned with words and formulas about reality, but with the direct existential grasp of reality in itself.

The Way of Chuang-Tzŭ (1965)

This new language of prayer has to come out of something which transcends all our traditions, and comes out of the immediacy of love.

The humor, the sophistication, the literary genius, and philosophical insight of Chuang Tzu are evident to anyone who samples his work.

The Way of Chuang-Tzŭ (1965)

All problems are resolved and everything is clear. The rock, all matter, all life, is charged with dharmakaya… everything is emptiness and everything is compassion.

The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton (1975)

The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.

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Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.

William Shakespeare A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595)

To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead.

Bertrand Russell Marriage and Morals (1929)

Not for the body, but for the heart; companion and company are needed.

Sanu Sharma

Love seldom haunts the breast where learning lies,
And Venus sets ere Mercury can rise.

Alexander Pope

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Thomas Merton (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.