“This world is a mountain, and our action the shout:the echo of the shouts comes back to us.” —  Rumi, The Masnavi I Ma’navi , Trans. E. H. Whinfield She was walking past me in a hurry, headphones in, her pace light but determined — that London rhythm of people moving between places. But when she saw me raise a hand, signalling I wanted to speak, she paused. She slipped out one earbud, then the other, and smiled as if she had been listening to something she could easily return to later. There...

"We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity."  —  Charlie Chaplin He had been standing nearby while I spoke with the police officers — watching, hands in his pockets, a faint smile as though remembering something distant. When we finished, he walked toward me, unhurried. “I’m off to Spain this afternoon,” he said, his voice steady and light, “but I’ve got time. I like to share what I’ve learned.” He was in his seventies, his frame lean and upright, hair as...

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."  —  Mahatma Gandhi They appeared at the turn of a quiet street in Kensington — three officers on patrol, moving with that mix of alertness and ease that comes from routine. The pavement was narrow, and they stepped aside to let me pass, but I stopped instead. There was something about their warmth — the kind that dissolves the usual distance between uniform and passerby. The woman among them caught my eye first. She...