Inspired Words, Part 1

I remember that Mom used to keep a little notebook with quotes and ideas that she liked. As a kid I always thought that was cool. I wanted to do the same thing "when I grew up" and, in fact, over the years I have filled several notebooks with words that linger in my mind, words that make me happy... words that capture a feeling or an idea in a new way or voice something I have never thought of before. Inspired words.

I just finished reading the three part series, The Prince of Nothing, by R. Scott Bakker. These books are definitely a commitment. Not only are they really long (which I generally love) but philosophy is fully woven into the storyline (which I also love). I was disappointed in the third book but the first two were amazing. Breathtaking. Remarkable. Inspired. I read very quickly but these books made me slow down so that I could savor the feel of the words. I found several passages that have stuck with me and I thought I would share them here...

These two excerpts are from the first book, The Darkness That Comes Before. They don't have a common theme or mean anything in particular. I just like them in and of themselves.

Some events mark us so deeply that they find more force of presence in their aftermath than in their occurrence. They are moments that rankle at becoming past, and so remain contemporaries of our beating hearts. Some events are not remembered - they are relived. (pg. 191)

There's faith that knows itself as faith and there's faith that confuses itself for knowledge. The first embraces uncertainty, acknowledges the mysteriousness of the God. It begets compassion and tolerance. Who can entirely condemn when they're not entirely certain they're in the right? But the second... the second embraces certainty and only pays lip service to the God's mystery. It begets intolerance, hatred, violence... (pg. 450)