Probably few people today remember or think about Dag Hammarskjöld. In his time, though, and for some years after his death in a mysterious plane crash in what is now Zambia, on 18 September 1961 — while he was engaged in a mission to end a conflict there — he was a major figure. A Swedish diplomat and the second secretary general of the United Nations (and considered by more than a few the best ever to hold that position), he’s one of only four people to have posthumously received a Nobel Prize.
He’s on my mind today because he was a graduate of Sweden’s oldest university, here in Uppsala,
Here are seven passages from the book of reflections entitled Markings, which was published from notes found after his death:
“Never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience or convictions.”
“Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for.”
“Life only demands from you the strength you possess.”
“Do not seek death. Death will find you. But seek the road which makes death a fulfillment.”
“You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal, play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth, play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind. He who wants to keep his garden tidy does not reserve a plot for weeds.”
“It is when we all play safe that we create a world of utmost insecurity.”
“Never measure the height of a mountain, until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was.”
Posted from Uppsala, Sweden
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