Your Children Are Not Your Children

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.
They come through you, but not from you.
And though they are with you, they do not belong to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies, but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them
But seek not to make them like you,
For life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
As living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the universe
And he bends you with his might
That his arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be gladness,
For even as he loves the arrow that flies,
So he loves also the bow that is stable.

-Kahlil Gibran

What is commonplacing?

Commonplacing is the practice of entering literary excerpts and personal comments into a private journal, that is, into a commonplace book or, to use a 17th century synonym, a silva rerum ("a forest of things").

Typically the excerpts were regarded as exceptionally insightful or beautiful or as applicable to a variety of situations, and so as such they are often especially quotable. . .


-Norman Elliott Anderson,
Commonplacing in the Spiritual Traditions

All my life I've had a collection of journals, notebooks, binders of paper, boxes of paper, where I've copied over the bits and pieces of books, magazines, conversations and movies that seemed somehow essential to grab hold of, to record, for later use.

For the last year I've been trying to dig my way out from under this smothering paper pile of my past. Meanwhile, new quotes and passages pop up. It never ends.

So now, a new version of the commonplace: this blog.

A showcase of the clever turn of phrase; a platform for the profound. An island of inspiration. But also: the dumping ground of my sentimentality, the library of my mind. Tread carefully and enjoy.

But please notice, this is a commonplace in a common space. Please, please, please! If you have any favorite quotes please pass them along and I'll include them here.