Quotes: Grace Lee Boggs

"To make a revolution, people must not only struggle against existing institutions. They must make a philosophical/spiritual leap and become more "human" human beings. In order to change/transform the world, they must change/transform themselves."

–– Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015), American writer, philosopher, social activist and feminist 

via: Sketchbook N 14, 2024, p. 30. 

Quotes: Nick Bantock

"Of all the reasons for being an artist, there is one that outweighs all others: Art offers a path to our souls.

"But the path isn't direct. There are no shortcuts. The road is confusing, and seemingly getting lost along the way is inevitable.

"However, perhaps that is the point. After all, if it were simply a matter of going from A to B as the crow flies, how much would we learn along the way? In order to gather wisdom, we are obliged to stumblebum, our search careening us against the periphery of our comfort and comprehension."

–– Nick Bantock (b. 1949), British author and artist based in Canada 

Source: Nick Bantock. The Trickster's Hat: A Mischievous Apprenticeship in Creativity. New York: A Perigree Book (Penguin Group), 2014; p. 4. 

via: Commonplace Book, 2013-2014, 2014, p. 101.

Quotes: Morton Feldman

"When he did find the time to compose, Feldman employed a strategy that John Cage taught him – it was "the most important advice anybody ever gave me," Feldman told a lecture audience in 1984. "He said that it's a very good idea that after you write a bit, stop and then copy it. Because while you're copying it, you're thinking about it, and it's giving you other ideas. And that's the way I work. And it's marvellous, just wonderful, the relationship between working and copying." 

–– Morton Feldman (1926-1987), American composer 

Source: Mason Currey. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013; p. 15. 

via Commonplace Book 2013-2014, 2014, p. 107.

Quotes: Bruce Lee

"Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one."

–– Bruce Lee (1940-1973), Hong Kong-American martial artist and actor 

via: Sketchbook O 15, 2024, p. 12.

Quotes: William Carlos Williams

"A new world is only a new mind." 

–– William Carlos Williams (1883-1963), American writer and physician 

Source: Daily Philosopher, Instagram, May 2, 2024.

via: Sketchbook O 15, 2024, p. 16. 

Quotes: Edith Wharton

"In spite of illness, in spite even of the arch-enemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways." 

–– Edith Wharton (1862-1937), American writer and designer 

Source: Austin Kleon newsletter October 25, 2024.

via: Sketchbook O 15, 2024, p. 18.

Quotes: Deborah Levy

"The seeds of the future are always planted in the past." 

–– Deborah Levy (b. 1959), South African-born, British novelist, playwright, and poet. 

Source: Deborah Levy. The Cost of Living: A Living Autobiography. Toronto, ON: Hamish Hamilton Canada, 2018; p. 145.

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2022, p. 95.