I would like to introduce you to my all-time favorite book. I just finished reading it for the 3rd time. It is filled with inspiration, wisdom, love, compassion, gratitude, and all things good. I think everyone should read it at least once.

I am posting this review this week in an effort to aid in spreading ALS awareness. As I write this, people all over the nation are dumping buckets of ice water over their heads for the ALS ice bucket challenge (which I also did earlier this week.) For those who want to gain a better understanding of this horrible disease, I think this book provides just that. For more information on ALS, or to donate, visit http://www.alsa.org/

And now, let me introduce my favorite book:

Tuesdays with Morrie

by Mitch Albom

Why did I read it?

I rarely read books more than once, but this was my third time reading this book and I could read it over and over again. I was looking for a quick and easy read and as I walked by my bookshelf, this book was there and I just felt like I needed to read it again. And I’m so glad I did! Sometimes we all need a little reminder about what is really important in life, and this book does just that. 🙂

What did I think?

I LOVE this book! Tuesdays with Morrie IS my all-time favorite book! I love it because it is a very quick read, yet it is filled with so much wisdom and advice. It is a great reminder of what really matters in life – relationships, love, and compassion. Through his actions, Morrie shows us that gratitude is the key to happiness. He experiences so much loss as his body gradually withers away, yet he is happy because he chooses to focus on the things he is grateful for. I think this book is a gift to humanity, and I think everyone should read it at least once. For those who are not into reading, the movie is very good as well!

Summary

Tuesdays with Morrie is a story of a wise old man named Morrie Schwartz who has ALS (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease). As his body slowly deteriorates, he shares his wisdom and advice on many different areas of life with his former student, Mitch Albom. They meet for 14 weeks, on Tuesdays, right up until Morrie’s death. The topics they discuss include: the world, feeling sorry for yourself, regrets, death, family, emotions, the fear of aging, money, how love goes on, marriage, our culture, forgiveness, and “The Perfect Day.” This book is a result of those interviews, and through their words and actions, Morrie and Mitch show us the real meaning and importance of love, compassion, and gratitude. Morrie wanted to be known as “A Teacher to the Last”, and that he was and still is through this book. This book was Morrie’s gift to the world, and he and his teachings will continue to live on through it.

My Favorite Quotes from Morrie Schwartz

“The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We’re teaching the wrong things. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it. Create your own.”

“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.”

“I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on all the good things still in my life.”

“It’s horrible to watch my body slowly wilt away to nothing. But it’s also wonderful because of all the time I get to say goodbye. Not everyone is so lucky.”

“Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently.”

“Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”

“If you don’t have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don’t have much at all.”

“This is part of what a family is about, not just love, but letting others know there’s someone who is watching out for them. Nothing else will give you that. Not money. Not fame. Not work.”

“Learn to detach. Don’t cling to things, because everything is impermanent.”

“I embrace aging…if you’re always battling against getting older, you’re always going to be unhappy, because it will happen anyhow.”

“You have to find what’s good and true and beautiful in your life as it is now. Looking back makes you competitive. And, age is not a competitive issue.”

“The truth is, part of me is every age. I delight in being a child when it’s appropriate to be a child. I delight in being a wise old man when it’s appropriate to be a wise old man. Think of all I can be! I am every age, up to my own.”

“We put our values in the wrong things. And it leads to very disillusioned lives.”

“You can’t substitute material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship.”

“You know what really gives you satisfaction? Offering others what you have to give.”

To find meaning in your life: “Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”

“Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone.”

“Giving to other people is what makes me feel alive.”

“Love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone.”

“I believe in being fully present. That means you should be with the person you’re with.”

“People are only mean when they are threatened, and that’s what our culture does. And when you get threatened, you start looking out only for yourself.”

“Here’s what I mean by building your own little subculture. I don’t mean you disregard every rule of your community. The little things, I can obey. But the big things – how we think, what we value – those you must choose yourself. You can’t let anyone – or any society – determine those for you.”

“Every society has its own problems…You have to work at creating your own culture.”

“If we saw each other as more alike, we might be very eager to join in one big human family in this world, and to care about that family the way we care about our own.

“Invest in the human family. Invest in people. Build a little community of those you love and who love you.”

“Be compassionate. And take responsibility for each other. If we only learned those lessons, this world would be so much better a place.”

“Forgive yourself before you die. Then forgive others.”

“As long as we can love each other, and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away. All the love you created is still there. All the memories are still there. You live on – in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here.”

“Death ends a life; not a relationship.”