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What is essence?

Essence is a seven letter word. Merriam-Webster defines essence as “the choicest or most essential or vital part of some idea or experience.” What is essential in life is unique to the topic and to the individual.

My blog, Essence of Life Chronicles, is about life and life topics. The essence category is about my understanding of truth or the meaning of life; what’s essential for personal improvement and growth. Essence is my favorite category. The topic or idea is one that inspires me to write and it might be triggered by an old memory, experience, mistake, a present dilemma or personal opinion. Many times it’s emotional writing or a reflective and personal piece.

“If the essence of my being has caused a smile to have appeared upon your face or a touch of joy within your heart, then in living-I have made my mark.” ~Thomas L. Odem Jr.

I hope my posts will entertain you. Maybe one will cause you to pause and reflect, even question your own opinion of what is essential in this life.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes on the topic of essence:

“The energy of the mind is the essence of life” ~ Aristotle

“In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.” ~Anthony Robbins

“Originality is the essence of true scholarship. Creativity is the soul of the true scholar.” ~Nnamdi Azikiwe

“The very essence of the creative is its novelty, and hence we have no standard by which to judge it.” ~Carl R. Rogers, (On Becoming a Person)

“The essence of living is discovering. Indeed, it is the joy of discovery that makes life worth the effort.”~ Vijay Krishna

“As the essence of courage is to stake one’s life on a possibility, so the essence of faith is to believe that the possibility exists.”~William Salter

” The essence of life is finding something you really love and then making the daily experience worthwhile.”~Denis Waitley

“Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence.”~Vincent Van Gogh

“The essence of a man is found in his faults.“~Francis Picabia

“If you seek the kernel, then you must break the shell. An likewise, if you would know the reality of Nature, you must destroy the appearance, and the farther you go beyond the appearance, the nearer you will be to the essence.”~Meister Eckhart

“The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned; it enables a man to hold his head high, to claim the future for himself and not to abandon it to his enemy.”~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“The essence of romantic love is that wonderful beginning, after which sadness and impossibility may become the rule.“ ~Anita Brookner

“Success is no exclusive club. It is open to each individual who has the courage to choose his own goal and go after it. It is from this forward motion that human growth springs, and out of it comes the human essence known as character.” ~Howard Whitman