“Your idea of me is fabricated with materials you have borrowed from other people and from yourself. What you think of me depends on what you think of yourself. Perhaps you create your idea of me out of material that you would like to eliminate from your own idea of yourself. Perhaps your idea of me is a reflection of what other people think of you. Or perhaps what you think of me is simply what you think I think of you”. Thomas Merton
It was written on the first page of my tattered journal (tattered now anyway since I had it like more than forty years ago). I love quoting Thomas Merton. I used to devour his writings when I was still a student librarian at the University of Santo Tomas Main Library. I wonder where I could buy copies of some of his books. Two of his books are still on my wish list until now.
In the Dark Before Dawn
The Seven Storey Mountain
Some years ago, a friend gave me a copy of Merton’s Thoughts in Solitude along with the pretty volume of Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote. They are two of the books I treasure.
A good quote, and always a joy to read of how much you treasure literature.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thanks Pete!
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I found a free copy for you arlene.
https://archive.org/details/TheSevenStoreyMountain
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Thank you so much Nahla. I appreciate it.
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you are very welcome
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Just downloaded it on e-pub.
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This is very good. Thank you for the thought. And the author. Had never heard of him. (But then there are so many books to read, and so little time)
Be good
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Thanks a lot. Thomas Merton was an American Catholic writer, theologian and mystic. He was a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky.
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And he was born in France! 🙂 Quite interesting person. Thank you for the intro.
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You’re welcome. Thanks again for commenting 🙂
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I love Merton’s writing. We had the joy of having a priest who had studied Merton give a one day retreat on him at church.
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That’s good to know Elizabeth. I have yet to read his other works. I downloaded the Seven Storey Mountain.the link was kindly given by Nahla, one of my online friends here.
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