Category: Commonplace book

The Basics

A strong pro-life apologist, [Charlie] Kirk spoke with numerous college students who had been thoroughly versed in the notion of being “pro-choice.” He stripped the argument down to its basics. “Why should you have the…

The Rules of Memorizing

St. Thomas proposes four rules: (1) To set in order what one wants to rememberbach; (2) to apply the mind deeply to it; (3) to think over it often; (4) when one wants to recollect…

Today’s One-Liner (#262)

What is necessary every moment is to be where  we ought to be and to do the thing that matters.  –AG Sertillanges, O.P., The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods, trans. Mary Ryan, 242

Preserving Potency

Writing to Simone, Proust requested her photograph, as he had her mother’s not so long ago without success. He explained to Simone the importance photographs had for him: “I shall think of you even without…

Selective Appreciation

We usually like prophets when they say what we want to hear. They are especially welcome if they heap indictments on our enemies. When they get close to home, it is a different matter. –John…

All

Dear Mother, when meditating upon these words of Jesus, I understood how imperfect was my love for my Sisters. I saw I didn’t love them as God loves them. Ah! I understand now that charity…