Thoughtful and eloquent, as timely (or timeless) now as when it was originally published in 1956, Thoughts in Solitude addresses the pleasure of a solitary life, as well as the necessity for quiet reflection in an age when so little is private. Thomas Merton writes: "When society is made up of men who know no interior solitude it can no longer be held together by love: and consequently it is held together by a violent and abusive authority. But when men are violently deprived of the solitude and freedom which are their due, the society in which they live becomes putrid, it festers with servility, resentment and hate." Thoughts in Solitude stands alongside The Seven Storey Mountain as one of Merton's most uring and popular works. Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, is perhaps the foremost spiritual thinker of the twentiethcentury. His diaries, social commentary, and spiritual writings continue to be widely read after his untimely death in 1968.

This volume is a stimulating series of spiritual reflections which will prove helpful for all struggling to find the meaning of human existence and to live the richest, fullest and noblest life. --Chicago Tribune

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Thread the needle, Weave the beads. Black, white, wheatish (human colors) All in one. The peace on the planet Will be done. All hatred from the earth will be shun. Tranquility and calm will prevail, When the shoulders will be made Free from the gun. Racism and casteism will be none. Grief, sorrow, and doubts Will be on the run. Thread the needle, Weave the beads, Shun the gun, And be one.

Chronicle Books is proud to present A Box of Thoughts, a charming series of little thoughts, each printed on a separate card and stowed in an irresistible new format. An innovative way of showing someone you care, these boxes offer not one, but forty affirmations featuring the words of literary greats and contemporary truths alike.