It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It Quotes

“Then he read the words of the scroll slowly, first in Japanese and then carefully translated into English:

'There is really nothing you must be.
And there is nothing you must do.
There is really nothing you must have.
And there is nothing you must know.
There is really nothing you must become.
However. It helps to understand
that fire burns, and when it rains,
the earth gets wet. . . .'

'Whatever, there are consequences. Nobody is exempt,' said the master.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It

“I often say that I don't worry about the meaning of life--I can't handle that big stuff. What concerns me is the meaning in life--day by day, hour by hour, while I'm doing whatever it is that I do. What counts is not what I do, but how I think about myself while I'm doing it.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It

“Making a living and having a life are not the same thing. Making a living and making a life that's worthwhile are not the same thing. Living the good life and living a good life are not the same thing. A job title doesn't even come close to answering the question. "What do you do?".”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It

“To ponder is not to brood or grieve or even meditate. It is to wonder at a deep level.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It

“1. Children are not pets.
2. The life they actually live and the life you perceive them to be living is not the same life.
3. Don’t take what your children do too personally.
4. Don’t keep score cards on them – a short memory is useful.
5. Dirt and mess are a breeding ground for well-being.
6. Stay out of their rooms after puberty.
7. Stay out of their friendships and love-life unless invited in.
8. Don’t worry that they never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.
9. Learn from them; they have much to teach you.
10. Love them long; let them go early.

Finally. You will never really know what kind of parent you were or if you did it right or wrong. Never. And you will worry about this and them as long as you live. But when your children have children and you watch them do what they do, you will have part of an answer.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It

“I and you-We are infinate, rich, large, contradictory, living, breathing miracles-free human beings, children of God and the everlasting universe. That's what we do.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It

“I and you—we are infinite, rich, large, contradictory, living, breathing miracles—free human beings, children of God and the everlasting universe. That’s what we do.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It

“Sometimes I think of all the times in this sweet life when I must have missed the affection I was being given. A friend calls this “standing knee-deep in the river and dying of thirst.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It

“To get through this life and see it realistically poses a problem. There is a dark, evil, hopeless side to life that includes suffering, death, and ultimate oblivion as our earth falls into a dying sun. Nothing really matters. On the other hand, the best side of our humanity finds us determined to make life as meaningful as possible NOW; to defy our fate. Everything matters. Everything.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It

“I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light—truth, understanding, knowledge—is there, and it will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it. “I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world—into the black places in the hearts of men—and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life.” And then he took his small mirror and, holding it carefully, caught the bright rays of daylight streaming through the window and reflected them onto my face and onto my hands folded on the desk.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It

“And give money to all street musicians.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It

“We are as different from one another on the inside of our heads as we appear to be different from one another on the outside of our heads.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It

“I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light—truth, understanding, knowledge—is there, and it will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it. “I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world—into the black places in the hearts of men—and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It

“WEDDINGS ARE USUALLY THOUGHT OF AS fairytale times when Real Life is momentarily suspended.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It

“What counts is not what I do, but how I think about myself while I’m doing it.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It

“In that moment of educational ennui, a freshman girl says, “I can bring a human brain to school if you want–my father has lots of them.“ (Talk about a full-scale class alert: "She’s going to do WHAT?!”)”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It

“We are the only creatures that both laugh and weep. I think it’s because we are the only creatures that see the difference between the way things are and the way they might be. Tears bring relief. Laughter brings release.”
― Robert Fulghum, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It