"There are glimpses of heaven to us in every act, or thought, or word, that raises us above ourselves"
About this Quote
Quillen’s “heaven” isn’t a destination so much as a brief change in altitude. The line works because it smuggles spiritual language into an essentially journalistic ethic: watch for the moments when a person climbs out of the small, sticky confines of ego. “Glimpses” does a lot of quiet labor here. It refuses grand conversions and permanent purity; it promises flashes. That’s an argument tailored to a modern, busy, compromised life where transcendence is more likely to arrive as a tiny correction than a dramatic overhaul.
The triad “act, or thought, or word” is Quillen’s way of democratizing the sacred. Heaven isn’t reserved for saints doing heroic deeds; it can show up in a sentence you choose not to sharpen into cruelty, an impulse you decide not to indulge, a private thought that widens rather than narrows your view. The repetition of “or” keeps lowering the threshold, like a writer making sure no reader can claim exemption. You don’t need the perfect life; you need a moment of self-surpassing.
The subtext is a critique of self-absorption, and it’s pointed without being preachy. “Above ourselves” implies that the default human setting is downward: petty, defensive, self-justifying. Quillen, a journalist in the early 20th century, wrote in an era of mass persuasion, public moralizing, and social upheaval. In that context, this is a secular-minded antidote to both cynicism and sanctimony: meaning is not a doctrine you inherit, but a practice you perform, often in small, unphotographed ways.
The triad “act, or thought, or word” is Quillen’s way of democratizing the sacred. Heaven isn’t reserved for saints doing heroic deeds; it can show up in a sentence you choose not to sharpen into cruelty, an impulse you decide not to indulge, a private thought that widens rather than narrows your view. The repetition of “or” keeps lowering the threshold, like a writer making sure no reader can claim exemption. You don’t need the perfect life; you need a moment of self-surpassing.
The subtext is a critique of self-absorption, and it’s pointed without being preachy. “Above ourselves” implies that the default human setting is downward: petty, defensive, self-justifying. Quillen, a journalist in the early 20th century, wrote in an era of mass persuasion, public moralizing, and social upheaval. In that context, this is a secular-minded antidote to both cynicism and sanctimony: meaning is not a doctrine you inherit, but a practice you perform, often in small, unphotographed ways.
Quote Details
| Topic | Kindness |
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