The Leaf and the Cloud Quotes

“A lifetime isn’t long enough for the beauty of this world
and the responsibilities of your life.

Scatter your flowers over the graves, and walk away.
Be good-natured and untidy in your exuberance.

In the glare of your mind, be modest.
And beholden to what is tactile, and thrilling.”
― Mary Oliver, The Leaf and the Cloud: A Poem

“When loneliness comes stalking, go into the fields, consider the orderliness of the world.”
― Mary Oliver, The Leaf and the Cloud: A Poem

“If you are in the garden, I will dress myself in leaves. If you are in the sea I will slide into that smooth blue nest, I will talk fish, I will adore salt. But if you are sad, I will not dress myself in desolation. I will present myself with all the laughters I can muster. And if you are angry I will come, calm and steady, with some small and easy story.”
― Mary Oliver, The Leaf and the Cloud: A Poem

“Because there is no substitute for vigorous and exact description, I would like to say how your eyes, at twilight, reflect, at the same time, the beauty of the world, and its crimes.”
― Mary Oliver, The Leaf and the Cloud: A Poem