Thoughtful Thursday

Every week I'm going to share a quote that I've been pondering lately. I search for quotes that capture a nugget of wisdom, insight, or truth. A good quote can be the bridge that leads us farther along the path of understanding ourselves and our world. 

Madeleine L'Engle's book "A Circle of Quiet", the first in her quartet of the Crosswicks Journals, is full of gems, so many Thursdays will probably be devoted to her, like this one today! Please feel free to share your thoughts about the quote in the comment section if you'd like : ) 

"Here we are, living in a world of 'identity crises', and most of us have no idea what an identity is. Half the problem is that an identity is something which must be understood intuitively, rather than in terms of provable fact. An infinite question is often destroyed by finite answers. To define everything is to annihilate much that gives us laughter and joy. I found that I could think about this strange thing, the self, only in terms of the characters in the novel I was writing, or in terms of other people, never of myself. If I try self-consciously to become a person, I will never be one. The most real people, those who are able to forget their selfish selves, who have true compassion, are usually the most distinct individuals. But that comes second. Personhood comes first, and our civilization tempts, if not teaches, us to reverse the process."

~ Madeleine L'Engle, "A Circle of Quiet"