--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We each should have 2 pockets: in 1 the…" description: "\"We each should have 2 pockets: in 1 the message, 'I am dust & ashes;' in the other, 'For me the universe was made.'\" — Joan D. Chittister" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/joan-d-chittister-2635_ashes_we-each-should-have-2-pockets-in-1-the-m_2751210.png" --- # We each should have 2 pockets: in 1 the message, 'I am… ![“We each should have 2 pockets: in 1 the message, 'I am dust & ashes;' in the other, 'For me the universe was made.'” quote by Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/joan-d-chittister-2635_ashes_we-each-should-have-2-pockets-in-1-the-m_2751210.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/joan-d-chittister-2635_ashes_we-each-should-have-2-pockets-in-1-the-m_2751210.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/joan-d-chittister-2635_ashes_we-each-should-have-2-pockets-in-1-the-m_2751210.png) > “We each should have 2 pockets: in 1 the message, 'I am dust & ashes;' in the other, 'For me the universe was made.'” [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Two inner pockets hold messages: our mortality and our purpose in the universe. **In simple terms:** Remember dust and purpose. Key Takeaway Live with humility and purpose. Themes spirituality mortality purpose Mood contemplative inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily meditation - writing - teaching Key Concepts theology existential reflection Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of mortality shape your actions? - What purpose drives you? A Different Perspective Focusing on mortality can cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashes/) [Dust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dust/) [Dust Ashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dust-ashes-979909/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/message/) [Message Dust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/message-dust-3101448/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Pockets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pockets/) [Pockets Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pockets-message-3101447/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Should have](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should-have/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [“to subdue one’s self to other people’s ends was dust and ashes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/to-subdue-one-s-self-to-other-people-s-ends-was-dust-and-ashes/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Is that all?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/dust-to-dust-ashes-to-ashes-is-that-all/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Halleluiah amen, you are dismissed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/dust-to-dust-ashes-to-ashes-halleluiah-amen-you-are-dismissed/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [“I will cast flowers on my own grave before I am dead. And I will tell people how good I were, in case nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langston-hughes/i-will-cast-flowers-on-my-own-grave-before-i-am-dead-and-i-will-tell/) [Langston Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langston-hughes/) > [“Hate him she did not quite; but he was dust and ashes to her...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/hate-him-she-did-not-quite-but-he-was-dust-and-ashes-to-her/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Shadow and dust shall be reclaimed, earth sealing the tomb from which you came. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, warrior return, breathe your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/shadow-and-dust-shall-be-reclaimed-earth-sealing-the-tomb-from-which/) [Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/) > [Ring around the rosie. A pocket full of posie. Ashes ashes, we all fall down. Some people say that this poem is about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/ring-around-the-rosie-a-pocket-full-of-posie-ashes-ashes-we-all-fall/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [Ash on an old man's sleeve / Is all the ash the burnt roses leave, / Dust in the air suspended / Marks the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/ash-on-an-old-man-s-sleeve-is-all-the-ash-the-burnt-roses-leave-dust/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Under the Timber and Stone Act of 1878, which might well have been called the 'Dust and Ashes Act,' any citizen of the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/under-the-timber-and-stone-act-of-1878-which-might-well-have-been/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Earth, Ashes to ashes and dust to dust in mother earth we place our trust and as we cycle through our years we water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-holder/earth-ashes-to-ashes-and-dust-to-dust-in-mother-earth-we-place-our/) [Nancy Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-holder/) > [When you make something fetish, ashes and dusts will laugh at you, because they know even the most valuable fetishes will turn into dusts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-make-something-fetish-ashes-and-dusts-will-laugh-at-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I do value my work awfully; but in reality only consider this: all this world of ours is nothing but a speck of mildew,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-do-value-my-work-awfully-but-in-reality-only-consider-this-all-this/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Would you become a pilgrim on the road of love? The first condition is that you make yourself humble as dust and ashes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/would-you-become-a-pilgrim-on-the-road-of-love-the-first-condition-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I would rather be ashes than dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-ashes-than-dust/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [When any civilization is dust and ashes," he said, "art is all that's left over. Images, words, music. Imaginative structures. Meaning—human meaning, that is—is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-any-civilization-is-dust-and-ashes-he-said-art-is-all-that-s/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More by Joan D. Chittister > [A hard heart makes for hard judgments; a compassionate heart understands the humanity of the one we presume to judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/a-hard-heart-makes-for-hard-judgments-a-compassionate-heart/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [To be enlightened is to know that heaven is not "coming." Heaven is here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/to-be-enlightened-is-to-know-that-heaven-is-not-coming-heaven-is-here/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [We don't change as we get older - we just get to be more of what we've always been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/we-don-t-change-as-we-get-older-we-just-get-to-be-more-of-what-we-ve/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [We may well be the ones Proverbs warns when it reminds us: "Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value the one who speaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/we-may-well-be-the-ones-proverbs-warns-when-it-reminds-us-kings-take/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [Today we live in a world that judges its achievements by speed and busyness. Â… We are so busy making things happen that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/today-we-live-in-a-world-that-judges-its-achievements-by-speed-and/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [My limitations make space for the gifts of other people. Without the grace of our limitations we would be isolated, dry, and insufferable creatures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/my-limitations-make-space-for-the-gifts-of-other-people-without-the/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [Humility is authenticity. It comes from the Latin word humus, meaning "earth." As the church has taught, we're made of dust, and unto dust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/humility-is-authenticity-it-comes-from-the-latin-word-humus-meaning/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [Compassion makes no distinction between friends and enemies, neighbors and outsiders, compatriots and foreigners. Compassion is the gate to human community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/compassion-makes-no-distinction-between-friends-and-enemies-neighbors/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [Prophets are so dangerous because they cry in season and out of season, politely and impolitely, loud and long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/prophets-are-so-dangerous-because-they-cry-in-season-and-out-of/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [“We don't change as we get older - we just get to be ore of what we've always been.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/we-don-t-change-as-we-get-older-we-just-get-to-be-ore-of-what-we-ve/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [“What happens to the spiritual life of a young girl who is made to understand, consciously or subconsciously, that she has no place in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/what-happens-to-the-spiritual-life-of-a-young-girl-who-is-made-to/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [Old age tells us that we ourselves have failed often, have never really done anything completely right, have never truly been perfect - anad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/old-age-tells-us-that-we-ourselves-have-failed-often-have-never/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [But we are here to depart from this world as finished as we can possibly become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/but-we-are-here-to-depart-from-this-world-as-finished-as-we-can/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [“Whatever happens to the body, what toll age takes on the physical, the spirit does not grow old. In our dreams, in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/whatever-happens-to-the-body-what-toll-age-takes-on-the-physical-the/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [Two ideas militate against our consciously contributing to a better world. The idea that we can do everything or the conclusion that we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/two-ideas-militate-against-our-consciously-contributing-to-a-better/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) [Explore all 156 Joan D. Chittister quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) ## More Ashes quotes > [You can flush my ashes down the toilet, for all I care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-flush-my-ashes-down-the-toilet-for-all-i-care/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-is-gold-does-not-glitter-not-all-those-who-wander-are-lost/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want to have a gravestone. I want to have all my friends burn me and then snort the ashes. I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-don-t-want-to-have-a-gravestone-i-want-to-have-all-my-friends-burn/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [He said that he will never let you cry,he will always be there for you no matter how hard the situation is,that he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhra/he-said-that-he-will-never-let-you-cry-he-will-always-be-there-for/) [Zhra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhra/) > [“The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-past-is-to-be-learned-from-but-not-lived-in-we-look-back-to-claim/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Much can they praise the trees so straight and high, The sailing pine,the cedar proud and tall, The vine-prop elm, the poplar never dry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/much-can-they-praise-the-trees-so-straight-and-high-the-sailing-pine/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [When any civilization is dust and ashes," he said, "art is all that's left over. Images, words, music. Imaginative structures. Meaning—human meaning, that is—is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-any-civilization-is-dust-and-ashes-he-said-art-is-all-that-s/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/man-is-a-noble-animal-splendid-in-ashes-and-pompous-in-the-grave/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [“Bury us, and mark our names above. Let us be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/bury-us-and-mark-our-names-above-let-us-be-free/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [There is nothing quite like an Ashes trip Down Under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anderson/there-is-nothing-quite-like-an-ashes-trip-down-under/) [James Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anderson/) > [I think momentum is huge in sport, especially in a series like the Ashes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stokes/i-think-momentum-is-huge-in-sport-especially-in-a-series-like-the/) [Ben Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stokes/) > [Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man-yesterday in embryo, tomorrow a mummy or ashes. So for the hairsbreadth of time assigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/mark-how-fleeting-and-paltry-is-the-estate-of-man-yesterday-in-embryo/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“When you burn a bridge, you have to be prepared to live with some ashes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-coppernoll/when-you-burn-a-bridge-you-have-to-be-prepared-to-live-with-some-ashes/) [Chris Coppernoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-coppernoll/) > [I would rather be ashes than dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-ashes-than-dust/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) [Browse all 900 Ashes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We each should have 2 pockets: in 1 the message, 'I am dust & ashes;' in the other, 'For me the universe was made.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joan D. Chittister" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/we-each-should-have-2-pockets-in-1-the-message-i-am-dust-ashes-in-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ashes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/we-each-should-have-2-pockets-in-1-the-message-i-am-dust-ashes-in-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/joan-d-chittister-2635_ashes_we-each-should-have-2-pockets-in-1-the-m_2751210.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/joan-d-chittister-2635_ashes_we-each-should-have-2-pockets-in-1-the-m_2751210.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/joan-d-chittister-2635_ashes_we-each-should-have-2-pockets-in-1-the-m_2751210.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We each should have 2 pockets: in 1 the message, 'I am dust & ashes;' in the other, 'For me the universe was…” — Joan D. Chittister", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joan D. Chittister", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We each should have 2 pockets:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/we-each-should-have-2-pockets-in-1-the-message-i-am-dust-ashes-in-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/we-each-should-have-2-pockets-in-1-the-message-i-am-dust-ashes-in-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```