1915 - 1968
Thomas Merton (1915–1968) was a Trappist monk, writer, theologian, and mystic. He is best known for his spiritual writings, including "The Seven Storey Mountain," which chronicles his journey from a worldly life to becoming a monk, and for his advocacy for social justice and interfaith dialogue.
We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves.
Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience.
Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone - we find it with another.
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.
People settle for a level of despair they can tolerate and call it happiness.