Subtle Guidance Quotes

Which are the people who have influenced us most? Not the ones who thought they did, but those who had not the remotest notion that they were influencing us. In the Christian life, the implicit is never conscious, if it is conscious it ceases to have this unaffected loveliness which is the characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring.

I have yet to hear God's audible voice, although I have often felt led by God in more subtle ways.

Heaven gives its glimpses only to those not in position to look too close.

A leader. . .is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.

I pray that I may never meddle, interfere, dictate, give advice that is not wanted, or assist when my services are not needed. If I can help people, I'll do it by giving them a chance to help themselves; and if I can uplift or inspire, let it be by example, inference and suggestion, rather than by injunction and dictation. That is to say, I desire to be Radiant -- to Radiate Life!

You must never name the goal. You must never tell us the target you're hitting for. You must automatically go toward it without ever naming it.

Take time to listen to what is said without words, to obey the law too subtle to be written, to worship the unnameable and to embrace the unformed.

Painting seems like impossibility, with only a sign now and then of its own light.

In life as well as in art Zen never wastes energy in stopping to explain; it only indicates.

You know, in some ways conducting is counter-intuitive. It's like winter driving in Finland - if you skid, the natural reaction is to fight with the wheel and jam on the brakes, which is the quickest way to get killed. What you have to do is let go, and the car will right itself. It's the same when an orchestra loses its ensemble. You have to resist the temptation to semaphore, and let the orchestra find its own way back to the pulse.

Amplify, clarify, and punctuate, and let the viewer draw his or her own conclusion.

A good producer brings out the best in the artist he's working with. You shouldn't be able to listen to something and say, 'So-and-so produced this album.'

There are a lot of little lessons that can be taught around the home without sitting a child down and boring them to death with your philosophy of life!

When you see a good horseman, you're unable to tell where the instruction is coming from. It's like telepathy.