Famous and Favorite Quotations

In Into the Wild, there are several excerpts from famous authors and those who are not as well known, but interesting nonetheless.

One of my favorite quotations is found on page nine and is an excerpt from The Call of the Wild by Jack London. This quotation describes and personifies the harsher side of nature, which is the side of nature that Chris was so fascinated with. It is also the side of nature that claimed his life. My favorite line from this quotation is, "It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was the Wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northern Wild."

Another interesting quotation from a well-known author is the excerpt from Walden, or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau on page forty-seven. This quotation speaks about the true meaning of success, which is intangible and indescribable, but when it is there, we will know all the same. My favorite line from this quotations is, "If the day and night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more starry, more immortal,--that is your success."

On page two hundred is a quotation from Annie Dillard, a less well-known author. This quotation from Holy the Firm talks about tossing earthly things away as one crosses over into death. It also speaks about simplifying life, as Chris wanted to do. My favorite part of thes quotation is the line, "There are no events but thoughts and the heart's hard turning, the heart's slow learning where to love and whom. The rest is merely gossip, and tales for other times."

My favorite quotation is probably one spoken by Marianne Williamson (picture). This quotation talks about being our true selves and the benefits of striving to reach our full potential. The quotation reads: "Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some; it is in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Picture Source: http://www.bodhitree.com/lectures/Marianne.Williamson.html