“Let us not weep for those who have gone away when their lives were at full bloom and beauty. Who are we that we should mourn them and wish them back? Life at its every stage is good, but who shall say whether those who die in the splendor of their prime are not fortunate to have known no abatement, no dulling of the flame by ash, no slow fading of life’s perfect flower.”
Helen Keller
We Bereaved (Primary source)
In We Bereaved, Helen Keller offers compassionate reflections on grief, loss, and faith for those mourning loved ones. Drawing from her own experiences with suffering, she provides comfort and wisdom, emphasizing that the bereaved belong to humanity’s largest company.
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope.”
— Helen Keller Primary source“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
— Helen Keller Primary source“The test of all beliefs is their practical effect in life. It be true that optimism compels the world forward, and pessimism retards it, them it is dangerous to propagate a pessimistic philosophy.”
— Helen Keller Primary source“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.”
— Helen Keller Primary source“There are, as is known, insects that die in the moment of fertilization. So it is with all joy: life’s highest, most splendid moment of enjoyment is accompanied by death.”
— Søren Kierkegaard Primary source“A company’s ability to respond to unplanned events, good or bad, is a prime indicator of its ability to compete.”
— Bill Gates Primary source“A long life may not be good enough, but a good life is long enough.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Moreover, I, on my side, require of every writer, first or last, a simple and sincere account of his own life, and not merely what he has heard of other men’s lives.”
— Henry David Thoreau Primary source