You know the old adage: Plant an expectation, reap a disappointment.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
Devotion is diligence without assurance. Faith is a way of saying "Yes, I pre-accept the terms of the universe and I embrace in advance what I am presently incapable of understanding.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Devotion involves commitment without certainty, while faith is an acceptance of the unknown.
In this quote, Elizabeth Gilbert suggests that true devotion requires a steadfast commitment to a cause or purpose, even when outcomes are uncertain. Faith, on the other hand, is portrayed as an active agreement to embrace the complexities of life, acknowledging that there will be aspects we do not yet comprehend; it reflects a trust in the universe's larger plan.
Themes
DevotionFaithUnderstandingCommitmentUncertainty
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about overcoming challenges.
More from Elizabeth Gilbert
All quotes →Do not apologize for crying. Without this emotion, we are only robots.
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I had always been taught that the pursuit of happiness was my natural (even national) birthright. It is the emotional trademark of my culture to seek happiness. Not just any kind of happiness, either, but profound happiness, even soaring happiness. And what could possibly bring a person more soaring happiness than romantic love.
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When I tried this morning, after an hour or so of unhappy thinking, to dip back into my meditation, I took a new idea with me: compassion. I asked my heart if it could please infuse my soul with a more generous perspective on my mind's workings. Instead of thinking that I was a failure, could I perhaps accept that I am only a human being--and a normal one, at that?
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And when you sense a faint potentiality for happiness after such dark times you must grab onto the ankles of that happiness and not let go until it drags you face-first out of the dirt - this is not selfishness, but obligation. You were given life; it is your duty to find something beautiful within life no matter how slight.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilling yearnings.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
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Her mind lives tidily, apart from cold and noise and pain. And bolts the door against her heart, out wailing in the rain.
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