Purple Passages made its debut on July 10. Here is the August 10, 2013 installment.
Why people read
1.7.94 We read books to know we are not alone. William Nicholson
Love to children
4.2.89 The love you give your children is like black paper: it absorbs and you can’t see it, but you know it’s there. Mary Kalegis
My Hometown
7.27.91 Jacksonville . . . an Oz of blue-green skyscrapers, a city of dreams at the end of the pine-green tunnel . . . shines from a number of angles like a jewel being turned in your hand. John Updike, Rabbit at Rest
On Relationships
10.21.91 Relationships with the opposite sex reflect our efforts to find answers for problems with our parents. Relationships with our friends represent our efforts to find solutions for problems with our siblings. (Quoted by Shirley McLaine, who undoubtedly quoted from someone else.)
On Sanity
7.19.92 It occurred to her that her sanity was becoming intermittent, like a sudden stretch of intact road in an abandoned region. Or radio music, blatant after months of static. K. Braverman, Tall Tales from the Mekong Delta
On Birthdays
2.10.96 The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose the other ages you’ve been. Madeleine L’Engle
On Angels
5.8.97 Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly. G. K. Chesterton
On Hope
7.11.95 As long as matters are hopeful, hope is a mere . . . platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength. Like all Christian virtues, it is as unreasonable as it is indispensable. G. K. Chesterton, Heretics
Make one of your own!
Well, you can coin a new quote, but you could also begin or continue your own journal of purple passages:
White pages would be easier, or computer pages with a pale purple background. How about it?
Plain and Fancy 
I love your quotes. That is a really good idea to keep a journal with them, both your own and those that are meaningful to you. I used to have something like that in a ring bound notebook but I lost it years ago.
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As always, happy to have you listening in! What quote would you add to the list?
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Sybil, in my book says, “Sometimes, the greatest gift you can give someone is the freedom to pursue their own happiness.”
I could have picked a really cute southern girl quote but they are all over the place.
I think that quote speaks to the realities to be found in some relationships. My former husband decided he was gay…or maybe he was born that way and living a delusion with me. I did not want a divorce, but I did not wish to deny him his happiness either.
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I have cut/pasted this quote from your book into my Purple Passages iii file to use with the next edition. We have to promote each other, don’t we?
You are brave and wise to have such a great attitude about your relationship with your husband.
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I think the quote applies well to parents watching their children grow up as well.
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One of my favorite quotes by Sue Monk Kidd in The Secret Life of Bees: People who think dying is the worst thing don’t know a thing about life.
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How timely of you to refer to that book right now. Last evening I went through it again, speed-reading, in preparation for a blog to be posted soon. My inspiration: My son’s now a bee-keeper in the city; his poor dog Teddy got bitten recently. I agree with SMK’s quote, life can sting you hard!
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It’s one of my favorite books, and I’ll soon be teaching it to my freshmen.
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Watch for “It’s No Secret: The Life of Bees and Beamans” coming Wednesday. Since you know the book so well, you undoubtedly will see even more connections than I did. I always look forward to your comments. Did you ever get to the Loire Valley?
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Yes! It was spectacular. I’ve got posts on France coming soon.
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And the sharing of the beauty continues on . . . with Marian, who is like a purple passage herself.
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I guess I’ll blush as I say thank you. We certainly are kindred spirits. Because of Shirley Showalter, I’ve meet you and other wonderful folks who inspire me. In the process, I’ve been challenged to strive toward the high bar you’ve set as writers, set up a Riffle account, joined LinkedIn, and on and on it goes. It’s always nice to know someone is paying attention on the other side of the screen. A huge thank you!
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I have a computer document made up of my favourite quotes and several notebooks as well. I opened a drawer in my study and picked up this note book, opened a page and came across this one:
Tolstoy: The more we live by our intellect the less we understand the meaning of life.
I love quotes that say so much in so few words.
Another one from the top of my head:
Oscar Wilde: The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.
Thank you for this post!
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Thanks for stopping by. I love your pithy quotes. By the way, I do a “Purple Passages” installment once a month.The next one should come out September 11. Join in any time, Susan.
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