Top Highlights

• One must resist the temptation to reduce one’s identity to a single dimension that takes priority
• Unlike literalists who merely rely on quoting verses, reformists must take the time to put things in perspective, to contextualize, and to suggest new understandings.
• I understood that nothing is ever finally achieved and that our frailties remain . . . behind the masks of strength. Strength indeed lies in accepting one’s frailties and not in persuading oneself that one has “overcome” them. But “overcoming” them may simply consist in accepting them.
• To understand is not to justify: empathy makes this distinction possible and, through understanding, intelligence can help us adopt a critical stance that allows us to look for solutions.
• the power of knowledge, the strength of emotion, the necessity of patience, the need to listen.