--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I will never cut it as a Quaker - I…" description: "\"“I will never cut it as a Quaker - I cannot find it in me to renounce all violence, not with two daughters under my protection - but I do love their si..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/michael-perry-14580_busy-life_i-will-never-cut-it-as-a-quaker-i-cannot_2387041.jpg" --- # I will never cut it as a Quaker - I cannot find it in me… ![“I will never cut it as a Quaker - I cannot find it in me to renounce all violence, not with two daughters under my protection - but I do love their silent hour, which in my case invariably evolved into a self-scouring meditation on the idea that the busy life is not the full life.” quote by Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/michael-perry-14580_busy-life_i-will-never-cut-it-as-a-quaker-i-cannot_2387041.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/michael-perry-14580_busy-life_i-will-never-cut-it-as-a-quaker-i-cannot_2387041.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/michael-perry-14580_busy-life_i-will-never-cut-it-as-a-quaker-i-cannot_2387041.jpg) > ““I will never cut it as a Quaker - I cannot find it in me to renounce all violence, not with two daughters under my protection - but I do love their silent hour, which in my case invariably evolved into a self-scouring meditation on the idea that the busy life is not the full life.”” [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He struggles with pacifism while protecting his daughters, finding peace in quiet reflection. **In simple terms:** Balancing non‑violence and family duty through meditation. Key Takeaway Embrace quiet reflection to reconcile conflict. Themes family pacifism meditation conflict peace Mood thoughtful conflicted Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - parenting - spiritual practice - daily stress - ethical decision Key Concepts ethical dilemma personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile personal ethics with protecting loved ones? - What role does silence play in your decision‑making? A Different Perspective Balancing violence may still be necessary in extreme self‑defense. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Busy life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busy-life/) [Cut Quaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cut-quaker-5932288/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Full life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/full-life/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Quaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quaker/) [Quaker Renounce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quaker-renounce-5932289/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Silent Hour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silent-hour-593932/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Two daughters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-daughters/) ## Related quotes > [All the wild sweetness of the flower Tangled against the wall. It was that magic, silent hour… The branches grew so tall They twined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/all-the-wild-sweetness-of-the-flower-tangled-against-the-wall-it-was/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [How beautiful the silent hour, when morning and evening thus sit together, hand in hand, beneath the starless sky of midnight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/how-beautiful-the-silent-hour-when-morning-and-evening-thus-sit/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [I love the silent hour of night, for blissful dreams may then arise, revealing to my charmed sight what may not bless my waking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/i-love-the-silent-hour-of-night-for-blissful-dreams-may-then-arise/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [“In the evening, when everything is tired and quiet, I sit with Walt Whitman by the rose beds and listen to what that lonely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/in-the-evening-when-everything-is-tired-and-quiet-i-sit-with-walt/) [Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/) > [“QUAKER: Since God maintains direct accessibility with every human life and offers instant and uncomplicated guidance, the intervention of priests and ministers is unnecessary.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/quaker-since-god-maintains-direct-accessibility-with-every-human-life/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [My List of Virtues contain'd at first but twelve: But a Quaker Friend having kindly inform'd me that I was generally thought proud; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/my-list-of-virtues-contain-d-at-first-but-twelve-but-a-quaker-friend/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [I was influenced by my children's education in Quaker schools in the Philadelphia area. I experienced a spiritual awakening and became a Christian, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-berenstain/i-was-influenced-by-my-children-s-education-in-quaker-schools-in-the/) [Mike Berenstain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-berenstain/) > [Could the peaceable principle of the Quakers be universally established, arms and the art of war would be wholly extirpated: But we live not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/could-the-peaceable-principle-of-the-quakers-be-universally/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [I was maybe 5 or 6, and my grandmother would begin sitting me in the Quaker meeting house. I asked my grandmother, 'What am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-turrell/i-was-maybe-5-or-6-and-my-grandmother-would-begin-sitting-me-in-the/) [James Turrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-turrell/) > [All that you seek is already within you. In Hinduism it is called the Atman, in Buddhism the pure Buddha-Mind. Christ said, 'the kingdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/all-that-you-seek-is-already-within-you-in-hinduism-it-is-called-the/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [All writers who can claim to be called 'living' must be political in a sense. They must have what the Quakers call a concern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/storm-jameson/all-writers-who-can-claim-to-be-called-living-must-be-political-in-a/) [Storm Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/storm-jameson/) > [There is no way to find yourself until you discover how utterly to lose yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-jones/there-is-no-way-to-find-yourself-until-you-discover-how-utterly-to/) [Rufus Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-jones/) > [Out here you better have a gun, and a gun in the wagon ain't good for nothin'. I believe what the old Quaker said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/out-here-you-better-have-a-gun-and-a-gun-in-the-wagon-ain-t-good-for/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [As the Quakers say, "When you pray, move your feet."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/as-the-quakers-say-when-you-pray-move-your-feet/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/) [James Nayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nayler/) ## More by Michael Perry > [“Over the years, I have developed a visceral reaction to families and victims expressing surprise at tragedy. Why are we surprised? Why do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/over-the-years-i-have-developed-a-visceral-reaction-to-families-and/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“In specific moments of ground-level clarity, I recognize the dumbing down of the nation for what it is: an act of charity committed specifically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/in-specific-moments-of-ground-level-clarity-i-recognize-the-dumbing/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“Inevitably, our children come to see us as we are. Not as we wish we were, or even as we should be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/inevitably-our-children-come-to-see-us-as-we-are-not-as-we-wish-we/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“... Tom got to rattling off the pranks he and his school boy buddies pulled ... and what I saw wasn't an old man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/tom-got-to-rattling-off-the-pranks-he-and-his-school-boy-buddies/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“Alice once told me artistry does not reside in motivation but rather stems from showing up, with the intent to be honest. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/alice-once-told-me-artistry-does-not-reside-in-motivation-but-rather/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“Sleeping in the same bed with someone to whom you can admit your failings is a lasting comfort indeed. This is not about "mea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/sleeping-in-the-same-bed-with-someone-to-whom-you-can-admit-your/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“The amateur study of philosophy is like taking a few laps with a NASCAR driver. You’re not qualified to do it on your own,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/the-amateur-study-of-philosophy-is-like-taking-a-few-laps-with-a/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“If you had gone around the table last night ticking off the Ten Commandments and asking for a show of hands to indicate transgression,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/if-you-had-gone-around-the-table-last-night-ticking-off-the-ten/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“As usual, I overdreamed and underbudgeted. . . ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/as-usual-i-overdreamed-and-underbudgeted/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“Mom is a compulsive reader. She reads for pleasure, she reads to edify herself, but more often than not, she reads because she can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/mom-is-a-compulsive-reader-she-reads-for-pleasure-she-reads-to-edify/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“I understand that what you're doing when you call 911--it sounds so perfunctory--is announcing to strangers that you are losing the battle. I no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/i-understand-that-what-you-re-doing-when-you-call-911-it-sounds-so/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“The pesto and angel hair are warm in the bowl on my lap, the fragrances of olive oil and basil blending the exotic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/the-pesto-and-angel-hair-are-warm-in-the-bowl-on-my-lap-the/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“It’s hard to talk about guns without sounding defensive or blustery. I’m pro-gun the same way I’m pro-potato fork. I use them both to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/it-s-hard-to-talk-about-guns-without-sounding-defensive-or-blustery-i/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“Her eyes are wide and steady beneath the brim of her floppy cap. How far out of infancy do we lose this gaze, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/her-eyes-are-wide-and-steady-beneath-the-brim-of-her-floppy-cap-how/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) > [“Memory is a means of possession, but eventually, the greatest grace is found in letting go. \_Population: 485\_, p 178.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/memory-is-a-means-of-possession-but-eventually-the-greatest-grace-is/) [Michael Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) [Explore all 46 Michael Perry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/) ## More Busy life quotes > [Experience makes a lesson to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/experience-makes-a-lesson-to-us/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If a girl is sad or mad just take 20 mins out of your busy life and make her feel better, I promise she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-a-girl-is-sad-or-mad-just-take-20-mins-out-of-your-busy-life-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When all goes wrong, PUSH! When you wish for something, PUSH! When people don't understand you, PUSH! When you wish for love, PUSH! P-ray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/when-all-goes-wrong-push-when-you-wish-for-something-push-when-people/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [Don't be like cigarettes:people buy you when they need you and step on you when they finish from you,but be like drugs,they DIE if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/don-t-be-like-cigarettes-people-buy-you-when-they-need-you-and-step/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [You have to find things that are accessible and doable in your busy life and try to fit some time in your schedule to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anousheh-ansari/you-have-to-find-things-that-are-accessible-and-doable-in-your-busy/) [Anousheh Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anousheh-ansari/) > [I don't mind being there for you. I just mind being the one you run to just because everyone else is busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-mind-being-there-for-you-i-just-mind-being-the-one-you-run-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every human runs in crowd and hopes that he will get the path one day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie/every-human-runs-in-crowd-and-hopes-that-he-will-get-the-path-one-day/) [Rosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie/) > [“It doesn't matter how busy life's been, how long the five of us have gone without seeing one another: meeting at the cottage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-henry/it-doesn-t-matter-how-busy-life-s-been-how-long-the-five-of-us-have/) [Emily Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-henry/) > [The simplest things to see are the things we are most blind to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milliton-munney/the-simplest-things-to-see-are-the-things-we-are-most-blind-to/) [Milliton MUNNEY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milliton-munney/) > [Life is grinding stone, weather it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-grinding-stone-weather-it-grinds-us-down-or-polishes-us-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Learning to pray doesnt offer us a less busy life; it offers us a less busy heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-miller/learning-to-pray-doesnt-offer-us-a-less-busy-life-it-offers-us-a-less/) [Paul Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-miller/) > [There is no one busy in this world, it's always about priorities. You will always find time for the things you feel important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-one-busy-in-this-world-it-s-always-about-priorities-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The irony is that we are busy doing many things that don't matter and we have no time for things that do. Shouldnt we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-irony-is-that-we-are-busy-doing-many-things-that-don-t-matter-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [More young people are volunteering than ever before. More people are including service to others on their busy lives' to do list. The promise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/more-young-people-are-volunteering-than-ever-before-more-people-are/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [And so, I will be probably, since I am not involved in all the activity, I will have some spare time to devote to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-guidoni/and-so-i-will-be-probably-since-i-am-not-involved-in-all-the-activity/) [Umberto Guidoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-guidoni/) [Browse all 349 Busy life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busy-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I will never cut it as a Quaker - I cannot find it in me to renounce all violence, not with two daughters under my protection - but I do love their silent hour, which in my case invariably evolved into a self-scouring meditation on the idea that the busy life is not the full life.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Perry" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/i-will-never-cut-it-as-a-quaker-i-cannot-find-it-in-me-to-renounce/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Busy life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/i-will-never-cut-it-as-a-quaker-i-cannot-find-it-in-me-to-renounce/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/michael-perry-14580_busy-life_i-will-never-cut-it-as-a-quaker-i-cannot_2387041.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/michael-perry-14580_busy-life_i-will-never-cut-it-as-a-quaker-i-cannot_2387041.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/michael-perry-14580_busy-life_i-will-never-cut-it-as-a-quaker-i-cannot_2387041.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I will never cut it as a Quaker - I cannot find it in me to renounce all violence, not with two daughters…” — Michael Perry", "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": "Michael Perry", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-perry/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I will never cut it as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/i-will-never-cut-it-as-a-quaker-i-cannot-find-it-in-me-to-renounce/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-perry/i-will-never-cut-it-as-a-quaker-i-cannot-find-it-in-me-to-renounce/#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 } } ] } ```