Morrie Schwartz
Morrie Schwartz
Morris "Morrie" S. Schwartzwas a sociology professor at Brandeis University and an author. He was the subject of the best-selling book Tuesdays with Morrie, which was written by Mitch Albom, a sportswriter who was a former student of his, and published in 1997. The book was followed by a film version based on the book that was made for television...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth20 December 1916
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
What is it about silence that makes people uneasy?
The fact is, there is no foundation, no secure ground, upon which people may stand today if it isn't the family.
All younger people should know something. If you’re always battling against getting older, you’re always going to be unhappy, because it will happen anyhow.
We have a sense that we should be like the mythical cowboy... able to take on and conquer anything and live in the world without the need for other people.
These were people so hungry for love that they were accepting substitutes. There were embracing material things and expecting a sort of hug back. But it never works. You can't substitute material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship. Money is no substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness. I can tell you as I'm sitting here dying, when you most need it, neither money nor power will give you the feeling you're looking for, no matter how much of them you have.
It's not too late to develop new friendships or reconnect with people.
The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it.
People are only mean when they're threatened… and that's what our culture does. That's what our economy does. Even people who have jobs in our economy are threatened, because they worry about losing them. And when you get threatened, you start looking out only for yourself. You start making money a god. It is all part of this culture.
Without love, we are birds with broken wings.
Do you prefer Mitch, or is Mitchell better?
Learn how to live and you'll know how to die; learn how to die, and you'll know how to live.
The little things, I can obey. But the big things - how we think, what we value - those you must choose yourself. You can't let anyone - or any society - determine those for you.
Everyone knows they're going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did we would do things differently. Do what the Buddhists do. Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, "Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?
So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things.