Three Quotes From Rainer Maria Rilke That May Change the Way You View Life

“Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave.”

When I won a prestigious poetry award in high school, my English teacher rewarded me with a copy of Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet. The book spoke to me in a way very few books do. And that’s quite a feat because as an English teacher, almost all books speak to me.

The ironic thing was his words provided me more lessons about life than about poetry. And I still reflect on them when I feel lost, broken, or simply “stuck.” For example, one of his statements speaks particularly loudly to me when I am at my lowest points:

“Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.”

Through the years, the wisdom in his writings has brought me serenity, given me courage, and helped me gain perspective. And today, I was especially reminded of his words. The amazing thing was it was just an ordinary day. Except that I chose that day to free myself from all my daily responsibilities and just live.

I laughed and giggled with my husband and children as we washed our one-hundred and twenty pound Great…