Almost all the joyful things of life are outside the measure of IQ tests.
Interpretation
Joy in life often comes from experiences and relationships beyond intellectual measures.
This quote by Madeleine L'Engle emphasizes that true joy and fulfillment in life are derived from experiences, relationships, and emotions rather than being defined solely by intellectual capabilities measured through IQ tests. It suggests that happiness and meaningful moments cannot be quantified, as they often stem from love, creativity, and personal connections.
In practice
This quote can be quoted during a personal development seminar to emphasize the importance of personal experiences.
Truth is what is true, and it's not necessarily factual. Truth and fact are not the same thing. Truth does not contradict or deny facts, but it goes through and beyond facts. This is something that it is very difficult for some people to understand. Truth can be dangerous.
George MacDonald gives me renewed strength during times of trouble--times when I have seen people tempted to deny God--when he says, "The Son of God suffered unto death, not that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like his.
If you don't recount your family history, it will be lost. Honor your own stories and tell them too. The tales may not seem very important, but they are what binds families and makes each of us who we are.
I never want to lose the story-loving child within me, or the adolescent, or the young woman, or the middle-aged one, because all together they help me to be fully alive on this journey, and show me that I must be willing to go where it takes me, even through the valley of the shadow.
The minute we begin to think we have all the answers, we forget the questions.
When we believe in the impossible, it becomes possible, and we can do all kinds of extraordinary things.
I like bars just after they open in the evening. When the air inside is still cool and clean and everything is shiny. The first quiet drink of the evening in a quiet bar -- that's wonderful.
When I lay my head on the pillow at night I can say I was a decent person today. That's when I feel beautiful.
Happiness is not a reward - it is a consequence. Suffering is not a punishment - it is a result.
If we only look around us, there are a thousand reasons for us not to be happy, and it is simplicity itself to blame our unhappiness on the things we lack in life. It doesn’t take any talent at all to find them. The problem is, the more we focus on the things we don’t have, the more unhappy and more resentful we become.
Each time you look at a tangerine, you can see deeply into it. You can see everything in the universe in one tangerine. When you peel it and smell it, it’s wonderful. You can take your time eating a tangerine and be very happy.
The happiest moments my heart knows are those in which it is pouring forth its affections to a few esteemed characters.
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