Great war Quote by Thomas Merton
““On the last day of January 1915, under the sign of the Water Bearer, in a year of a great war, and down in the shadow of some French mountains on the borders of Spain, I came into the world. Free by nature, in the image of God, I was nevertheless the prisoner of my own violence and my own selfishness, in the image of the world into which I was born. That world was the picture of Hell, full of men like myself, loving God and yet hating Him; born to love Him, living instead in fear and hopeless self-contradictory hungers.””
About This Quote
Source Autobiography: The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton, 1948
The author reflects on being born into a world of violence and contradiction, feeling both divine and damned.
In simple terms: Born into a conflicted world of love and hatred.
Key Takeaway
Seek inner peace amidst external chaos.
Themes
spirituality
conflict
identity
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
philosophical
confessional
When to use this quote
- personal crisis
- spiritual journey
- war
- social injustice
Key Concepts
theodicy
human nature
Questions to Reflect On
- Can you reconcile love for God with hatred of the world?
- How does inner conflict shape purpose?
A Different Perspective
Divine love and human hatred coexist, creating inner turmoil.
