To live fully, outwardly and inwardly, not to ignore the external reality for the sake of the inner life, or the reverse, that's quite a task
Interpretation
True fulfillment comes from balancing outward experiences with inner reflection.
Etty Hillesum's quote emphasizes the importance of living a balanced life, where one does not neglect the external world while pursuing inner growth and vice versa. It suggests that achieving this harmony is a challenging yet essential endeavor for a fulfilling existence.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a personal development workshop focused on mindfulness and living in the moment.
Thinking gets you nowhere. It may be a fine and noble aid in academic studies, but you can't think your way out of emotional difficulties. That takes something altogether different. You have to make yourself passive then, and just listen. Re-establish contact with a slice of eternity.
The more peace there is in us, the more peace there will be in our troubled world.
We have to fight them daily, lake fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies.
Each of us must turn inward and destroy in himself all that he thinks he ought to destroy in others.
I think what weakens people most is fear of wasting their strength.
I really see no other solution than to turn inwards and to root out all the rottenness there. I no longer believe that we can change anything in the world until we first change ourselves. And that seems to me the only lesson to be learned.
The great object of life is Sensation - to feel that we exist - even though in pain - it is this "craving void" which drives us to gaming - to battle - to travel - to intemperate but keenly felt pursuits of every description whose principal attraction is the agitation inseparable from their accomplishment.
I like to read away as much of the afternoon as possible, until real life rears its ugly head.
Jumping from boulder to boulder and never falling, with a heavy pack, is easier than it sounds; you just can't fall when you get into the rhythm of the dance.
because life slips away, and because I need for the rest of my journey a star that will not play false to me, a compass that will not lie.
I've had a very full life, and I've enjoyed it very much. I've learned a great deal and feel indebted to all the people who have worked so hard.
There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.
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