Inspiring Words From "Eat, Pray, Love"

I'm coming to the final chapters of the book "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.  At first, I wanted to hurry up and finish it.  I breezed through the first section rather quickly.  But then I began loving it too much to let it end... (For example, I recall my friend Tracy loved a novel so much that she put it aside for nearly a year refusing to read the last chapter, saying that it wouldn't be over until she was ready).  Okay, so I'm not as crazy as her.  But I'm taking my time through the next few days to read the ending and gather my thoughts before I review it here.


In the mean time, I do want to share some wonderful, inspiring quotes from this novel with you -- words that I marked and wanted to remember for later as I was reading them.  I hope you find these lines as profound, thought-provoking and wonderful as I did.   (Note that some quotes were written by the author but others were spoken to her by someone else throughout her travels): 


"It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection." 


"In a world of disorder and disaster and fraud, sometimes only beauty can be trusted.  Only artistic excellence is incorruptible.  Pleasure cannot be bargained down.  And sometimes the meal is the only currency that is real." 


"The appreciation of pleasure can be the anchor of one's humanity." 


"You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight."


"Faith is a courageous act of humanity, NOT an insurance policy."

"I am assuming custodial responsibility for the maintenance of my own soul." 


"Destiny is a relationship.  Half of it you control and the other half you don't." 


"I will not harbor unhealthy thoughts anymore."

"Silence is the only true religion."


"Flexibilty is just as essential for divinity as is discipline.  Your job then, should you choose to accept it, is to keep searching for the metaphors, rituals and teachers that will help you move ever closer to divinty." 


"I think you have every right to cherry-pick when it comes to moving your spirit and finding peace and God.... You take whatever works from wherever you can find it, and you keep moving forward toward the light...." 


"YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW STRONG MY LOVE IS!!!!!!!!!!"

"I have frantically searched for contentment for so many years in so many ways.... At some point you have to stop because.... You have to admit that you can't catch it.  You're not supposed to catch it.  At some point, you gotta let go and sit still and allow contentment to come to you." 


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Now can you understand why I'm having a hard time letting go of this novel AND reviewing it here?  This book has given me so much to think about....  I've laughed and cried throughout the experience.  I'm not ready to conclude just yet but I will soon. 

In the mean time, I hope the quotes above will inspire you or make you think in a different way, as they did for me.  Best wishes!