“A single misery suffices to condemn a society. It suffices that a single man be kept or knowingly left in need for the entire civil contract to be null and void. As long as there is one man outside, the door which is closed in his face encloses a city of injustice and hatred.”
Charles Péguy (1873-1914), French socialist, nationalist and Christian, quoted in Louis Evely’s classic “Suffering” (1967)
I remember the first time I realized the injustice of the U.S. health care system. (more…)
Susan Pitchford
Fioretti ("little flowers")
A "florilegium" is a collection, or bouquet, of writings. It comes from the Latin "flora" (flower)+ "legere" (to gather). It has the same meaning as the Greek word "anthology."
In the Middle Ages and beyond, when books were rare and expensive, people copied their favorite excerpts from books into a booklet they carried with them, a florilegium. In a similar vein, the "fioretti" or "little flowers" of Francis of Assisi are a series of stories about the saint that were gathered into a single volume. In this florilegium (nicer than "blog," isn't it?), I'd like to gather some of my favorite bits of writing by various authors, adding a little commentary but mostly letting the quotations speak for themselves. I hope it will grow into a garden that will be a pleasant place to linger for a bit. Enjoy! Archives
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Florilegium |
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