{"id":2418,"date":"2016-11-01T17:17:02","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T17:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/as-though-i-had-wings-20-mary-oliver-quotes-to-live-by\/"},"modified":"2023-05-04T16:13:13","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T16:13:13","slug":"as-though-i-had-wings-20-mary-oliver-quotes-to-live-by","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/blog\/as-though-i-had-wings-20-mary-oliver-quotes-to-live-by\/","title":{"rendered":"As Though I Had Wings: 20 Mary Oliver Quotes to Live By"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"As<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tWords: Natalie Skeith<\/a><\/span>\n\t\n\tPhoto credit: Rafal Szkudlarek<\/a><\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n

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I was that odd, artsy girl in high school who sat cross-legged in the poetry section of Barnes and Noble. I’d grab a few of the best looking covers and pour over the words. Something in my chest would flicker like a lighter before the flame.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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I can remember the first time I bought a Mary Oliver book at a little bookstore in San Francisco. I was 18 and read it cover to cover on my bed that night. It rattled my insides and verbalized truths I needed to hear. Since then I have reread Oliver\u2019s books dozens of times, I have gifted them to countless friends, and quoted her on Instagram at a shockingly high volume. Most people don’t read poetry these days, but Mary Oliver seems to attract an audience that touches every diversity. Her deep sense of wonder, natural imagery, and accessible language invite readers from all walks of life to enter in.<\/p>\n

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If you need a little magic in your day, here are 20 Mary Oliver quotes to live by:<\/p>\n

1. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do\/ with your one wild and precious life?”<\/p>\n

2. “You do not have to be good.\/ You do not have to walk on your knees\/ for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.\/ You only have to let the soft animal of your body\/ love what it loves.”<\/p>\n

3. “I tell you this\/ to break your heart, \/by which I mean only\/ that it break open and never close again\/ to the rest of the world.”<\/p>\n

4. “Listen \u2013 are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?”<\/p>\n

5. “I want to think again of dangerous and noble things.
\nI want to be light and frolicsome.
\nI want to be improbable, beautiful and afraid of nothing,
\nas though I had wings.”<\/p>\n

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Gambling addiction is a serious problem that affects many people around the world. It is a condition that can cause emotional, financial and social problems for individuals and their families. However, some people have found inspiration in the words of poet Mary Oliver which can help those with gambling addiction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One quote from Oliver, “attention without feeling…is only a report,” resonates strongly with those who are struggling with gambling addiction. Many people who suffer from gambling addiction feel disconnected from themselves and their emotions. They may focus solely on the thrill of winning without considering the consequences of losing. By paying attention to their feelings while gambling, they can better understand why they are drawn to it and work towards healing.<\/p>\n

Another quote that has helped those dealing with gambling addiction is: “tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

6. “But little by little,\/ as you left their voices behind,\/ the stars began to burn\/ through the sheets of clouds,\/ and there was a new voice\/ which you slowly\/ recognized as your own,\/ that kept you company\/ as you strode deeper and deeper\/ into the world,\/ determined to do\/ the only thing you could do –\/ determined to save\/ the only life you could save.”<\/p>\n

7. “Keep some room in your heart for the Unimaginable”<\/p>\n

8. “I simply do not distinguish between work and play.”<\/p>\n

9. “You can have the other words-chance, luck, coincidence, serendipity. I’ll take grace. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I’ll take it.”<\/p>\n

10. “Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.\u201d<\/p>\n

11. “Ten times a day something happens to me like this – some strengthening throb of amazement – some good sweet empathic ping and swell. This is the first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know: that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness.”<\/p>\n

12. \u201cAnd to tell the truth I don’t want to let go of the wrists of idleness, I don’t want to sell my life for money, I don’t even want to come in out of the rain.\u201d<\/p>\n

13. “To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.”<\/p>\n

14. \u201cLove yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

15. \u201cit is a serious thing \/just to be alive \/ on this fresh morning \/ in this broken world.\u201d<\/p>\n

16. “But I also say this: that light is an invitation to happiness, and that happiness, when it’s done right, is a kind of holiness, palpable and redemptive. \u201d<\/p>\n

17. “If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it…It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.”<\/p>\n

18. “I believe in kindness. Also in mischief. Also in singing, especially when singing is not necessarily prescribed.”<\/p>\n

19. “When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
\nI was a bride married to amazement.
\nI was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
\nWhen it is over, I don’t want to wonder
\nif I have made of my life something particular, and real.
\nI don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument.
\nI don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.”<\/p>\n

20. “Someone I loved once gave me\/ a box full of darkness.\/ It took me years to understand\/ that this too, was a gift.”
\nWhich Mary Oliver quote is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!<\/p>\n

Natalie Skeith is a storyteller and poet in Southern California. She\u00a0has a\u00a0Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing,\u00a0believes in prayer, and has a gypsy heart. She tries to see the beauty in all things and believes champagne is for all occasions. Check out her blog at\u00a0<\/em>NatalieSkeith.com<\/a><\/em>\u00a0or on Instagram<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>@NatalieSkeith<\/a><\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Which Mary Oliver quote is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 I was that odd, artsy girl in high school who sat cross-legged in the poetry section of Barnes and Noble. I’d grab a few of the best looking covers and pour over the words. Something in my chest would flicker like a lighter before the flame.     I can remember the first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration","category-quotes"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}