Thomas Merton Writer
- Gender: Male
- Citizenship: United States
- Born: Jan 31, 1915
- Died: Dec 10, 1968
Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. was an American Catholic writer and mystic. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion. In 1949, he was ordained to the priesthood and given the name Father Louis.
Merton wrote more than 70 books, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews. Among Merton's most enduring works is his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain, which sent scores of World War II veterans, students, and even teenagers flocking to monasteries across the US, and was also featured in National Review's list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the century. Merton was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding. He pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama, the Japanese writer D.T. Suzuki, the Thai Buddhist monk Buddhadasa, and the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh, and authored books on Zen Buddhism and Taoism. In the years since his death, Merton has been the subject of several biographies.
If you want to study the social and political history of modern nations, study hell.
history
The least of the work of learning is done in the classroom.
learning & work
Perhaps I am stronger than I think.
strength
Just remaining quietly in the presence of God, listening to Him, being attentive to Him, requires a lot of courage and know-how.
courage & God
Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.
art & time
When ambition ends, happiness begins.
happiness
Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul.
inspirational & life
Be good, keep your feet dry, your eyes open, your heart at peace and your soul in the joy of Christ.
being good & peace
We have what we seek, it is there all the time, and if we give it time, it will make itself known to us.
time
The very contradictions in my life are in some ways signs of God's mercy to me.
God
Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone - we find it with another.
being alone, life & love
Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.
happiness