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Anne Lamott Quotes - Page 2

All Quotes Acceptance Age Animation Anxiety Art Atheist Awakening Belief Caring Certainty Character Children Church Commitment Community Culture Dancing Discipline Doubt Drinking Earth Effort Energy Expectations Faith Fear Feelings Giving Giving Up God Goodness Grace Gratitude Grief Grieving Hardship Hate Healing Heart Heaven Home Hurt Inspiration Inspirational Inspiring Intuition Jesus Joy Laughter Life Loss Lying Magic Makeup Mask Memories Morning Mountain Pain Parenting Past Perfectionism Prayer Progress Reading Reality Recovery Resentment Running Self Esteem Shame Silence Singing Son Soul Spring Struggle Students Suffering Sunday Tea Understanding Vision Waiting Water Worry Writing

You are going to feel like hell if you never write the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves in your heart--your stories, visions, memories, songs: your truth, your version of things, in your voice. That is really all

You are going to feel like hell if you never write the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves in your heart--your stories, visions, memories, songs: your truth, your version of things, in your voice. That is really all you have to offer us, and it's why you were born.

Song, Memories, Writing

The road to enlightenment is long and difficult, and you should try not to forget snacks and magazines.

Snacks, Long, Enlightenment

Anne Lamott (2000). “Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith”, p.113, Anchor

I have a lot of faith. But I am also afraid a lot, and have no real certainty about anything. I remembered something Father Tom had told me--that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns.

Father, Real, Light

I was reminded of the Four Immutable Laws of the Spirit: Whoever is present are the right people. Whenever it begins is the right time. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened. And when it's over, it's over.

Law, People, Four

But grace can be the experience of a second wind, when even though what you want is clarity and resolution, what you get is stamina and poignancy and the strength to hang on.

Wind, Grace, Want

Anne Lamott (2013). “Thanks: The Second Essential Prayer”, p.7, Hachette UK

You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.

Inspirational, Life, God

Anne Lamott (2007). “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life”, p.22, Anchor

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.

Inspirational, Motivational, Voice

Anne Lamott (2007). “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life”, p.28, Anchor

You can get the monkey off your back, but the circus never leaves town

Recovery, Monkeys, Circus

Here are the two best prayers I know: 'Help me, help me, help me' and 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Prayer, Two, Helping

Anne Lamott (2000). “Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith”, p.75, Anchor

Gratitude begins in our hearts and then dovetails into behavior. It almost always makes you willing to be of service, which is where the joy resides. It means that you are willing to stop being such a jerk. When you are aware of all that has been given to you, in your lifetime and the past few days, it is hard not to be humbled, and pleased to give back.

Gratitude, Mean, Heart

"Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers". Book by Anne Lamott, November 13, 2012.

Sometimes I think that Jesus watches my neurotic struggles, and shakes his head and grips his forehead and starts tossing back mojitos.

Jesus, Struggle, Thinking

Anne Lamott (2008). “Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith”, p.47, Penguin

You were loved because God loves, period. God loved you, and everyone, not because you believed in certain things, but because you were a mess, and lonely, and His or Her child. God loved you no matter how crazy you felt on the inside, no matter what a fake you were; always, even in your current condition, even before coffee. God loves you crazily, like I love you...like a slightly overweight auntie, who sees only your marvelousness and need.

Lonely, Children, Crazy

Anne Lamott (2010). “Imperfect Birds: A Novel”, p.17, Penguin

When faced with a crisis, do three things: breathe, pray and be kind.

Three, Be Kind, Praying

I didn't need to understand the hypostatic unity of the Trinity; I just needed to turn my life over to whoever came up with redwood trees.

Tree, Unity, Needs

Anne Lamott (2006). “Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith”, p.295, Penguin

Your inside person doesn’t age. Your inside person is soul, is heart, in the eternal now, the ageless, the old, the young, all the ages you’ve ever been.

Heart, Soul, Age

You can either practice being right or practice being kind.

Positivity, Practice, Be Kind

Anne Lamott (2006). “Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith”, p.94, Penguin

Everything was coming together by coming apart . . . It is the most difficult Zen practice to leave people to their destiny, even though it's painful - just loving them, and breathing with them, and distracting them in a sweet way, and laughing with them . . . if something was not my problem, I probably did not have the solution.

Sweet, Destiny, Practice

I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish.

Jesus, Cat, Alcohol

Anne Lamott (2000). “Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith”, p.117, Anchor

Rule 1: When all else fails, follow instructions. And Rule 2: Don't be an asshole.

Failing, Instruction, When All Else Fails

Anne Lamott (2006). “Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith”, p.75, Penguin

Everyone is flailing through this life without an owner's manual, with whatever modicum of grace and good humor we can manage.

Grace, This Life, Owners

Expectations are resentments under construction.

Parenting, Expectations, Resentment

Anne Lamott (2017). “Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy”, p.29, Penguin

Prayer means that, in some unique way, we believe we're invited into a relationship with someone who hears us when we speak in silence.

Prayer, Believe, Mean

Anne Lamott (2012). “Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers”, p.7, Penguin

I can tell you that what you're looking for is already inside you.

I Can

Anne Lamott (2006). “Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith”, p.304, Penguin

Forgiveness means it finally becomes unimportant that you hit back.

Forgiveness, Mean, Unimportant

Anne Lamott (2006). “Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith”, p.47, Penguin

You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.

Writing, Should Have, People

Twitter post from Apr 23, 2012

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