"That is a good book which is opened with expectation and closed with profit."
--A. Bronson Alcott




"Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson"
by Mitch Albom

This the true story of the last days of a wise college professor. When Mitch Albom, a successful reporter, finds his former mentor dying of a devastating disease, he returns once again to meet each Tuesday as in college. Mitch visits with his professor, Morrie Schwartz, on these precious Tuesdays to discuss the important things in life as they did twenty years earlier. The result is a touching, thought-provoking journey through the philosophy of life, death and the search for meaning. Below are a few thoughts from the book (Doubleday 1998).

Morrie Schwartz on Life:

• A meaningful life will not be found in the next job or the next car. The way you get meaning in your life is to devote yourself to helping others and creating something that gives you purpose.
  

• The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves.  And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it.
  

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

• Do what the Buddhists do.  Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, 'Is today the day [that I will die]? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do?  Am I being the person I want to be?
  

• Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.
  

• In this culture it's so important to find a loving relationship with someone because so much of the culture does not give you that.  But the poor kids today, either they're too selfish to take part in a real loving relationship, or they rush into marriage and then six months later, they get divorced.  They don't know what they want in a partner.  They don't know who they are themselves--so how can they know who they're marrying?

• I decided what I wanted on my tombstone...A teacher to the last.

Links about the Book:

Sparknotes

BookBrowse.com Discussion

More about Mitch

Morrie Schwartz

• So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they are busy doing things they think are important.  This is because they are chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.
  
  
• Forgive yourself before you die.  Then forgive others.