A friend of mine sent me this quote yesterday — wont say why (grin). It’s from ‘Letters to a Young Poet’ by Rainer Maria Rilke.

Rainer Maria Rilke (4 December, 1875 — 29 December, 1926) is generally considered the German language’s greatest 20th century poet.

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

On wikiquote.org I also found this variation:

Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer. (as translated by Stephen Mitchell)

I could give you no advice but this: to go into yourself
and to explore the depths where your life wells forth.

~ Rainer Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926) is generally considered the German language’s greatest 20th century poet. His haunting images tend to focus on the problems of Christianity in an age of disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety, themes that sometimes place him in the school of modernist poets.

English is my native tongue and like all good Englishmen I have refrained from learning any other language. I figure it this way — communicating in one language is hard enough especially when it comes to the opposite sex, so why push your luck.

When I was younger I spoke a reasonable French but got discouraged because I was never able to speak it well enough. By that I mean ‘well enough’ for the Parisians that I had to parlay with back then. In the end I got fed-up with the raised eyebrows and started speaking to them in English — they of course would reply in French. It was only a short jump from there to decide — if they understand English then why am I bothering with French!

I also had a short foray into German but I found German hard to learn and like French I had a real problem finding the right gender for a cup of tea.

Last year I visited China and let me tell you nobody, I mean, NO BODY speaks English in China. There were no signs in English and no English speakers. I travelled alone in the boonies but I found my hotels, I bought my bus tickets, I ordered my food and I did it all without speaking one single word of Mandarin, to anyone.

The Chinese people I met understood me, eventually, as I did them. They laughed thinking it funny that I didn’t understanding simple Mandarin words and concepts. And sometimes one of them would grab my hand and sit me down and try to explain whatever it was with a gentle smile on their face as if to say: Now listen here John! I am speaking to you in kiddie-talk and I’m doing it veeerrry slooowly and distinctly so that you’ll understand.

In truth, communication in China was often accomplished with surprising ease. Rarely did I experience frustration or anger or disinterest and I often experienced considerable warmth and patience accompanied by lots of happy smiles.

Will I be heading off to learn another language soon? I’m sure there are many good reason why I should, but for now I’ll stick with English and the universal language of a smile.

What a useful bit of legislation!

SUPERMARKET workers in Germany cannot be sacked for flirting, kissing or engaging in love affairs between the shopping aisles, according to a court ruling that looks set to change attitudes to sex in the office.

Times Online | Link