May we look upon our treasure, the furniture of our houses, and our garments, and try to discover whether the seeds of war have nourishment in these our possessions.
Interpretation
This quote encourages reflection on whether our possessions contribute to conflict and discord.
John Woolman's quote invites us to examine our material belongings and consider if they might be the source of strife or conflict. It suggests that the things we hold dear, such as furniture and clothing, may sometimes foster discord rather than harmony, urging us to be mindful of our possessions and their impact on our lives and society.
In practice
In a discussion on minimalism, one might reference this quote to highlight the relationship between possessions and personal conflict.
There is a principle which is pure, placed in the human mind, which in different places and ages hath had different names. It is, however, pure and proceeds from God. It is deep and inward, confined to no forms of religion nor excluded from any, where the heart stands in perfect sincerity. In whomsoever this takes root and grows, of what nation soever, they become brethren in the best sense of the expression.
To say we love God as unseen and at the same time exercise cruelty toward the least creature moving by His life or by life derived from Him, was a contradiction in itself.
While I meditate on the gulf towards which I travelled, and reflect on my youthful disobedience, for these things I weep, mine eye runneth down with water.
Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.
The solution of the problem of life is life itself. Life is not attained by reason and analysis but first of all by living.
Every time I hear a political speech or I read those of our leaders, I am horrified at having, for years, heard nothing which sounded human. It is always the same words telling the same lies. And the fact that men accept this, that the peopleβs anger has not destroyed these hollow clowns, strikes me as proof that men attribute no importance to the way they are governed; that they gamble β yes, gamble β with a whole part of their life and their so called 'vital interests.
Rebellion cannot exist without the feeling that somewhere, in some way, you are justified.
I believe the universe wants to be noticed. I think the universe is inprobably biased toward the consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed. And who am I, living in the middle of history, to tell the universe that it-or my observation of it-is temporary?
An 'impersonal God'-well and good. A subjective God of beauty, truth and goodness, inside our own heads-better still. A formless life-force surging through us, a vast power which we can tap-best of all. But God himself, alive, pulling at the other end of the cord, perhaps approaching at an infinite speed, the hunter, King, husband-that is quite another matter.
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