Phyllis Theroux

An enlightened person raises the level of the consciousness of the entire community.

Writing is not only a reflection of what one thinks and feels but a rope one weaves with words that can lower you below or hoist you above the surface of your life, enabling you to go deeper or higher than you would otherwise go. What excites me about his metaphor is that is makes writing much more than a lifesaving venture.

There were times, in the beginning, when I used my journal as a wailing wall, but I learned not to immortalize the darkness. Rereading it was counterproductive. What I needed was a place in which to collect the light.

Children are born with imaginations in mint condition, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Then life corrects for grandiosity.

I think this is what hooks one to gardening: it is the closest one can come to being present at creation.

We were all so young that there were no lines on our faces to read between.

Mistakes are the usual bridge between inexperience and wisdom.

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.