Retreat Quotes

“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion."

[The Minotaur]”
― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays

“Staying silent is like a slow growing cancer to the soul and a trait of a true coward. There is nothing intelligent about not standing up for yourself. You may not win every battle. However, everyone will at least know what you stood for—YOU.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“Some details in life may look insignificant but appear to be vital leitmotifs in a person's life. They may have the value of "Rosebuds" of Citizen Kane or "Madeleine cookies" of Marcel Proust or "Strawberry fields" of the Beatles. People regularly walk down the memory lane of their early youth. The paper boats of their childhood are recurrently floating on the waves of their mind and bring back the mood and the spirit of the early days. They enable us to retreat from the trivial, daily worries and can generate delightful bliss and true joy in a sometimes frantic and chaotic life. ("Paper boats forever" )”
― Erik Pevernagie

“He who advances without seeking fame,
Who retreats without escaping blame,
He whose one aim is to protect his people and serve his lord,
The man is a jewel of the Realm”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“The darkness makes everything disappear but it makes nothing go away.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“The choice to avoid risk is the choice to avoid living, and to avoid living is one of the greatest risk of all.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“If we want to understand its imprint, we must put silence in context. This allows us to retreat, reflect, rejuvenate, and gain redeeming strength. We escape then triviality and find depth and meaning. ("A gap of silence")”
― Erik Pevernagie

“If we want to let loose and let reality sink in, silence can be a welcoming partner. It becomes a refuge, a sanctuary for peace and clarity. It helps us reset and provides a canvas on which new thoughts and perspectives can emerge. ("When only silence remains")”
― Erik Pevernagie

“Go deeply into the urge to be silent and not the mental interference of how, where and when. If you follow silence to its source you can be taken by it in a moment.”
― Jean Klein, Who Am I?: The Sacred Quest

“Surrendering is intentionally laying down the power I possess. And have I considered that the power I lay down is often more powerful than that which I’m laying it down in front of? Therefore, I would be wise to recognize that surrender is less the absence of power and more the presence of fear.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“When all else fails, go away completely, however long feels necessary.”
― Shellen Lubin

“You can harden your heart, dig yourself in, and retreat into the pit of the deepest, darkest cave, but that will not make the light die. Light will always exist. Hiding from it cannot snuff it out.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich, Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year

“Without silence, we can neither know ourselves, another, or the depth of anything beautiful. We learn how to take silence into the noise.”
― Donna Goddard, Pittown

“How many times have I told them that I’m enjoying life and finally taking my time? While in reality, it’s actually time that’s taking me, bit by bit, like the cruel tide gnawing at the cliffside. Retirement, my ass! More like a retreat from life!”
― Zidrou & Aimée de Jongh, L'obsolescence programmée de nos sentiments

“There’s nothing wrong with coming back, the Sun does it every day. - On the Reluctance of Going Back”
― Lamine Pearlheart, Awakening

“A man that coveted a retreat in this world might as agreeably spend his time... in Dorchester as in any town I know in England.”
― Daniel Defoe, From London to Land's End

“Too often surrender is an option that exists only because we created it. And if that‘s so, is it really an option?”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“As we know, bears hibernate in caves. They appear almost lifeless. This is an analog to the practices of ancient shamans, and to Sufis who practice the forty-day halvet (retreat), in which the Shaman would enter a cave, have an experience of dying, explore the spiritual realms, and then is reborn as the Initiate or Master (just as the bear is reborn each spring as it “wakes up” and leaves its cave).”
― Laurence Galian, The Sun at Midnight: The Revealed Mysteries of the Ahlul Bayt Sufis

“Eagles remind us of the power of solitude and reflection, as they retreat to high places to rest and renew their strength”
― Dr. Lucas D. Shallua

“Withdrawal is not really a choice. Nor is it something one should try to do. Some people will find that their attachment to the world has, without effort, diminished and they will crave solitude. They may withdraw from mainstream life in order to focus on their growth. Withdrawal can be deceptive in appearance. A person can live an apparently solitary lifestyle but their mind is full of noise. On the other hand, someone can have the appearance of a normal life but, unknown to others, be in a state of inner solitude.”
― Donna Goddard, Pittown

“It is the aversion to fear that kills the greatest of dreams. And until the aversion to the death of our dreams outpaces the fears that kill them, what we could achieve will only be a dream.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“The only thing that we should give up on is the idea that we should be giving up.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“To ‘give up’ on the idea of ‘giving up’ is the first step in ‘getting up.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“It is essential to continue to take that next small step forward, no matter how small it is. With each step, each decision, you build momentum and it becomes easier to continue moving forward and harder to retreat”
― Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld, Above All Else

“The greatest fatigue that we experience is not incurred in fighting the battle. Rather, the greatest fatigue occurs when we run from the battle, for cowardice in retreat is always more exhausting than bravery forging ahead.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“The only reason that we’ve settled is that there’s something greater that we’ve let slip away.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“There is no retreat like repentance.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita

“My tidy and well-appointed box might be ‘my’ world, but it will never be ‘the’ world.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“Although it often appears to be the case, retreating to God is not an impulse bred of cowardice. Rather, it is a decision born of the understanding that God fights battles a whole lot better than I do.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“No use trying to cat fight with a skunk.”
― D. Michael Quinn, Chosen Path: A Memoir