It’s a memorable quote from Shawshank Redemption, one of my favorite movies. The lead character Andy Dufrense (an innocent man who is incarcerated for murdering his wife) is having a dialogue with his friend Red on his plans of spending the rest of his life in coastal Mexico upon his release. Red, unlike his friend Andy, worries about parole; ultimately released when he has very little life left to live. In contrasting perspectives, Red chastises Andy on the dangers of… Read more

To celebrate his legacy, another gem from Martin Luther King Junior in Strength to Love, on the measure of one’s character, along with what a true leader is: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others.” Character, like physical structures, is revealed only… Read more

A mic drop for universalism, whether or not you’re attracted or revolted by the concept, from David Bentley Hart’s That All Shall be Saved: “The position I want to attempt to argue, therefore, to see how well it holds together is far more extreme: to wit, that, if Christianity is in any way true, Christians not doubt the the salvation of all, and that any understanding of what God accomplished in Christ that does not include the assurance of a… Read more

Sagely advice, another classic in the “dichotomy of control” from Marcus Aurelius’ famous Meditations. And after 2020, I couldn’t think of a better quote to ring in the New Year: “Things have no hold on the soul. They stand there unmoving, outside it. Disturbance comes only from within – from our own perceptions” Prior to this sentiment, Marcus writes about our “inward power” and how there is always a choice on how we can respond to adversity “by going within”… Read more