Quotes about Attentiveness

Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Give ear to my word, you overconfident daughters.

I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the ramparts. I will watch to see what He will say to me, and how I should answer when corrected.

Do not treat prophecies with contempt,

Don't say that again. Life might be listening, and give you less the next time.

It is my business, to manage carefully and dexterously whatever happens

And while from inside we would hear coughs and stirrings, there was never a rustle in the listeners out the door.

Make sure that the person you're in the room with is the most important person in the world when you're together.

I was all ear, And took in strains that might create a soul under the ribs of death.

Our failure to hear His voice when we want to is due to the fact that we do not in general want to hear it, that we want it only when we think we need it.

It's a phone call in the morning to pray about our day, a text-message to say I'm thinking of her, a handwritten note, a postcard when I'm out of town on business, remembering what drink she likes when we're at a bar, asking follow-up questions about her friends, and not hiding behind humor when it's time for a serious conversation.

The gift of presence is a rare and beautiful gift. To come - unguarded, undistracted - and be fully present, fully engaged with whoever we are with at that moment.

Wherever you are, be there. Lifestyle is not something we do; it is something we experience. And until we learn to be there, we will never master the art of living well.