The Weight of a Moment Quotes

“Words can evoke emotions, change minds, teach lessons, convey ideas, lift spirits, or simply make us smile. I am here to tell you that as a young boy, when I read the great authors, the words sang and danced for me; the words caused me to dream; the words caused me to laugh and smile; The words gave me hope; The words brought me to tears. Young and unaware, I wondered how this is possible-how can words on a page in a book have such a profound effect on me? So many years later, I believe I finally know the answer to that question: Words are the foundation of our humanity. We exist in our words. We are the words that we choose. Words matter. It’s as simple as that.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment

“In every lifetime, sometimes more than once, a circumstance occurs that opens the heart to its fullest measure, where significant, meaningful change is possible, where failures and shortcomings can be absolved, and a person can be reborn. Some are healed or renewed by the experience, while others fail to recognize the opportunity and it passes by.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment

“On the dining room table, beside a photo of us beaming and obviously very much in love in front of Sacre-Coeur in Paris, she left a simple, two-sentence note. Staring at the note, the writer in me loved her conciseness and eloquence -- the rest of me just plain loved her.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment

“True accomplishment comes from bettering yourself, not defeating another.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment

“Having grown up in this little town, I had attended countless street fairs, but I still felt comforted by the Norman Rockwell-esque nature of the scene as I felt like I was strolling in an oil painting of another era rather than an actual town. From my experience as a reporter in Philadelphia, our city streets and suburban neighborhoods were tougher and grittier than ever before and so there was something comforting about small-town America. The feeling of community was much stronger, the streets much softer and warmer. Three times each summer, people drove long distances to Shelbyville to attend street fairs, but the truth was that the booths weren't any different than the booths at the street fairs in their cities and neighborhoods. They came to be comforted.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment

“As we strolled, I noticed the soft light and its effect on the buildings around us. Like an aging screen actress shot in soft light to conceal her age lines, this magical twilight softened the avenues of Paris and produced an elegant scene not unlike a movie. Lining the street ahead of us, the buildings were constructed of solid white stone and more than one hundred years old, but all traces of age or dirt were diffused by the twilight, while their classic French architecture was center stage and highlighted. Fifty Parisians, the bluish cobblestones of the sidewalk, glowing neon, and a colorful outdoor flower stand completed the scene in front of us. Overwhelmed and in awe of the setting, I stopped and stared silently ahead.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment

“I don't think Marie killed your father but, if she did, she did it to protect you. Maybe even murder can be a beautiful act.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment

“You're eighteen and you have a long journey in front of you. You don't need to know what you want to be right now, only that you want to be something.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment

“Whenever I thought about having a conversation with [the widow], my words felt like confederate currency to me, worthless, ineffectual, meaningless, and of no use to anyone in the present day. No matter how many portraits of Jefferson Davis I placed on the table before her, she would never feel like my debt was paid, my obligation met. [We] could never be even. No matter how fast I talked or how eloquently I crafted the English language, my words couldn't turn back the clock, reverse the bullets, and reunite her with her husband, the only actions that would truly right my mistake. I was a writer and I believed in the power of words, but my words were as useless now as the defunct currency of the Old South.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment

“For the better part of an hour, I watched a young man throw a red rubber ball about fifty yards into the bay and his Labrador retriever swim out and get it. Over and over again, that dog swam with such joy and enthusiasm and purpose that I realized I was watching him do exactly what he was born to do, the thing that came most naturally to him. As I watched, I could see the beauty in that, the sheer joy of it, the fulfilled heart.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment

“Sandra showed me that if we are graceful people and extend kindness and compassion to one another during those moments, we have the ability to impact one another’s moments, to impact one another’s lives. With measures of grace, kindness, and compassion that I had never witnessed before, Sandra Maxwell did that for me.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment

“Words are the foundation of our humanity. We exist in our words. We are the words that we choose. Words matter. It’s as simple as that. Thank you for saying that my words have mattered and that my words have made a difference. I’m grateful for your acknowledgment.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment

“Words are the foundation of our humanity.  We exist in our words.  We are the words that we choose.  Words matter.  It’s as simple as that.  Thank you for saying that my words have mattered, that my words have made a difference.  I’m grateful for your acknowledgement.”
― Michael Bowe, The Weight of a Moment