I got stopped by this quote — In a Helpless Baby, the Roots of Our Social Glue — from the NYTimes today:

In the view of the primatologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, the extraordinary social skills of an infant are at the heart of what makes us human. Through its ability to solicit and secure the attentive care not just of its mother but of many others in its sensory purview, a baby promotes many of the behaviors and emotions that we prize in ourselves and that often distinguish us from other animals, including a willingness to share, to cooperate with strangers, to relax one’s guard, uncurl one’s lip and widen one’s pronoun circle beyond the stifling confines of me, myself and mine.

I know that when you have a large collection of quotes, chosen by yourself, it’s likely you chose them because you liked them. I am often amazed though how often the random quote chooser apparently picks out just the right quote, just for me. Coincidence? Who knows!

You are seeking joy and peace in far-off places. But the spring of joy is in your heart. The haven of peace is in yourself. — Satya Sai Baba

So when this quote appeared today, I can honestly say I wasn’t surprised. As I turn over the idea in my head – how do you explain peace as a possibility – it seems it’s hardest to convince someone or yourself that the answer is inside. Not everyone is wealthy but wealth doesn’t insure happiness. Not everyone has children or the perfect job or whatever. The happiness and peace comes from within and makes what you have shine in its goodness.

And it shouldn’t have surprised me at all that when I went to preview this post, this is what popped up as the random quote:

Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, until the sun goes down. And this is all that life really means. — Robert Louis Stevenson