Quotation by

Thomas Merton

We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have - for their usefulness.

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Understanding this quote AI Analysis

Thomas Merton is saying that people focus so much on constant activity and achievements that they forget to simply exist and reflect. This leads to judging individuals based on their actions and possessions rather than their true nature or inner qualities.

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Imagination is not something apart and hermetic, not a way of leaving reality behind it is a way of engaging reality.

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One lifetime is never enough to accomplish one's horticultural goals. If a garden is a site for the imagination, how can we be very far from the beginning?