Even though, as I quoted the other day, Sertillanges encourages us to find our particular calling and seek to do it well, he by no means wants us to focus on that to the exclusion of everything else. He repeatedly tells us that we must have contact with many fields of interest both for the… Continue Reading
Another quote about humility today – this one earned a ♥ in the margin, and just might be my favorite quote in The Intellectual Life: Do not be ashamed not to know what you could only know at the cost of scattering your attention. Be humble about it, yes, for it shows our limitations; but… Continue Reading
Continuing the theme of humility in The Intellectual Life, Sertillanges reminds us that we cannot do everything. Once we have laid a foundation of broad knowledge, we should seek out our particular specialty and leave the rest to others: In the first place, each individual has his capabilities, his resources, his interior or exterior difficulties,… Continue Reading
Humility and a proper view of one’s work in relation to that of others are recurring themes in The Intellectual Life. Sertillanges exhorts us accept our place in time and seek to serve those around us instead of longing for “the good old days”: [The spirit of the intellectual life] also excludes a certain archaeological… Continue Reading
It’s break week here, and for me that usually means some reading goals. Sometimes it’s something fun, sometimes a pre-read or “teacher training” (educational philosophy) book, sometimes both. This week my priorities are reading/listening to The Winter’s Tale by Shakespeare (so I can catch up on the Literary Life podcast episodes and actually read it while… Continue Reading