No Man Is an Island Cover
Podcast Mentions

No Man Is an Island

Thomas Merton

A recapitulation of his earlier work Seeds of Contemplation, this collection of sixteen essays plumbs aspects of human spirituality. Merton addresses those in search of enduring values, fulfillment, and salvation in prose that is, as always, inspiring and compassionate. â A stimulating series of spi...

Podcasts 1
Quotes 8
On Being with Krista Tippett

It was described as an important book that resonated with the speaker at a transformative moment in their life; a specific quote from the book is highlighted as particularly impactful, prompting self-reflection and a change in career path.

"

And it was really transformative And somewhere in your one of your books you You know you pull out this first paragraph No man is an island, you know Why do we spend our lives striving to be something...

— Episode: [Unedited] James Martin with Krista Tipp...

Episode: [Unedited] James Martin with Krista Tippett

It was described as an important book that resonated with the speaker at a transformative moment in their life; a specific quote from the book is highlighted as particularly impactful, prompting self-reflection and a change in career path.

"

And it was really transformative And somewhere in your one of your books you You know you pull out this first paragraph No man is an island, you know Why do we spend our lives striving to be something that we would never want to be?

No man is an island, you know Why do we spend our lives striving to be something that we would never want to be? If only we knew what we wanted Why do we waste our time doing things Which if we only stop to think about them Or just the opposite of what we were made for

Episode: James Martin — Finding God in All Things

The speaker found this book transformative, highlighting a quote that resonated deeply and prompted self-reflection on their life choices. A paragraph from it was quoted as being particularly impactful.

"

Why do we spend our lives striving to be something that we would never want to be if only we knew what we wanted? Why do we waste our time doing things which if we only stop to think about them or just the opposite of what we were made for?

Yeah, that's the line that changed my life really and I just thought, well, why am I doing that? And it felt like he was speaking directly to me and I felt like, you know, business is a real vocation for a lot of people and it just wasn't for me and I was miserable and I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't know how I could find a way out and that sentence which really was like a thunderbolt just prompted me to shake things up and ask myself that question, I always say to young people, you know, what would you want to do if you could do anything that you could do?

Episode: [Unedited] James Martin with Krista Tippett

The book's first paragraph was described as transformative for the speaker, prompting self-reflection on their life choices and career path. It was noted for directly addressing the speaker's feelings of misery and confusion.

"

And it was really transformative And somewhere in your one of your books you You know you pull out this first paragraph No man is an island, you know Why do we spend our lives striving to be something that we would never want to be?

No man is an island, you know Why do we spend our lives striving to be something that we would never want to be? If only we knew what we wanted Why do we waste our time doing things Which if we only stop to think about them Or just the opposite of what we were made for Yeah, that's the line that changed my life really And I just thought why Why am I doing that

Episode: James Martin — Finding God in All Things

The speaker found this book transformative, particularly a quote that resonated deeply and prompted self-reflection on his life choices. The book's message about finding one's true calling deeply impacted the speaker's decision to leave his corporate career.

"

Why do we spend our lives striving to be something that we would never want to be if only we knew what we wanted? Why do we waste our time doing things which if we only stop to think about them or just the opposite of what we were made for?

Yeah, that's the line that changed my life really and I just thought, well, why am I doing that? And it felt like he was speaking directly to me and I felt like, you know, business is a real vocation for a lot of people and it just wasn't for me and I was miserable and I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't know how I could find a way out and that sentence which really was like a thunderbolt just prompted me to shake things up and ask myself that question, I always say to young people, you know, what would you want to do if you could do anything that you could do?

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.