THE NATURE OF WISDOM

It's not about brains.
It's not about the accumulation of knowledge.
It's about being decent.
(Bryce Courtenay)

You can't get to wonderful
without passing through all right.
(Bill Withers)

You cannot control people by fear
because their ultimate essence is constantly craving dignity.
The human being has a need for dignity like water, like air.
(Wole Soyinka)

You don't have to be rich.
You don't have to be an army.
If you find yourself in a situation that needs to be changed,
if you're willing to offer your life for it,
you might actually get something done.
(Bernice Johnson Reagon)

We've got to learn to love something deeply.
Sounds sentimental as hell,
but I think [wisdom is] love.
(Andrew Wyeth)

"Inspired by the idea that wisdom is the greatest gift one generation can give to another, award-winning photographer and filmmaker Andrew Zuckerman interviewed, photographed and filmed 50 of the world’s great writers, actors, artists, designers, politicians, musicians and religious and business leaders of our time. He posed seven questions to each of his subjects—all over 65 years of age—and their candid responses offer uniquely inspirational and often surprising insights.

"Thoughts from Nelson Mandela, Frank Gehry, Judi Dench, The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Clint Eastwood, Ted Kennedy, Robert Redford, Vaclav Havel, Terence Conran, Buzz Aldrin, Lou Reed, Willie Nelson, Madeline Albright, Jane Goodall, Burt Bacharach, Andrew Wyeth, Vanessa Redgrave, Nadine Gordimer and many more reveal lifetimes of adversity and triumph, and present intimate insights into very public lives."

Talk about an impulse buy! When my friends at Wisdom House sent me a link to the video trailer promoting it, I watched the thing .5 times before I needed whatever it had to offer. If you have five or so minutes, have a look at the trailer here and enjoy this work of art.