Gilead (Gilead #1)

by Marilynne Robinson

Sometimes I have loved the peacefulness of an ordinary Sunday. It is like standing in a newly planted garden after a warm rain. You can feel the silent and invisible life. All it needs from you is that you take care not to trample on it.

This is an interesting planet. It deserves all the attention you can give it.

Well, I can imagine him beyond the world, looking back at me with an amazement of realization—“This is why we have lived this life!” There are a thousand thousand reasons to live this life, every one of them sufficient.

I’ll pray that you grow up a brave man in a brave country. I will pray you find a way to be useful.