Plain Living: A Quaker Path to Simplicity (Paperback)

by Catherine Whitmire (Author) "It has never been easy to lay down an encumbered lifestyle..." (more)
Key Phrases: plain living, yearly meeting, George Fox, Elizabeth Watson, Patricia Loring (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Catherine Whitmire's book of contemporary and historic Quaker voices reads like an antidote to consumer-driven despair. We all know the spiritual downfall of compulsively acquiring material goods (or what Quakers refer to as "cumber"); how it leads to a frantic-paced lifestyle built around working long hours so we can buy more stuff. In assembling Plain Living, a collection of paragraph-long quotes, Whitmire offers readers a simple and soothing alternative--the path that Quakers call "plain living." "We have chosen lives that crowd our appointment books, fill our email boxes, and overload our answering machines, even as we long for a plainer way of living--one that will free us from the strain and activity of these times," writes Whitmire. "The Spirit is speaking through the whirlwind of modern life, and if we listen quietly to the cool, calm Center within, there is an invitation to plain living awaiting us."

In the early chapters readers will find inspiration for laying down their interior and exterior cumber. The book's wisdom eventually expands into other important Quaker values, such as "Parenting and Mentoring," "Practicing Non-Violence," and "Listening to the Earth." Ultimately, this is a book with a long shelf life, offering timeless quotations on living the life worth living. --Gail Hudson

Review
"Living--just plain living--is the finest thing of all, and this good, good book will help all who read it stay centered on that truth."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Sorin Books (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893732282
• ISBN-13: 978-1893732285
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #122,998 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Addition to My List of Quaker "Must Haves", July 19, 2001

By	Annie Quaker "reader" - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This small book comes packed with a wealth of information. This new paperback (July 2001) is a wonderful book to have by your side, to give as a gift, or to read with a group!

We were fortunate enough to receive a review copy, which a neighbor borrowed (and we haven't seen it since)! But before it disappeared, we found it has a collection of Quaker writings and thoughts that those genuinely seeking inner peace and a simpler life will love. This is many steps beyond the books you find everywhere, with empty promises of living a simple life. Following the path Whitmire illustrates, as many have for years and years, means bringing Quaker beliefs into every day life.

Reading the words of well known and not so well known Quakers made us want to read more. However, not all of the sources are from in print books -- some are gleaned from out of print editions, from speeches, from conversations remembered by various Friends, or in little pamphlets not readily available to the average reader. Which is why we had to have a book of our own, to read and reread, and mark up.

Chapters, and subchapters, include:

Chapter 1 Keeping to Plainness by Choosing - Simple Living; Plain Living

Chapter 2 Beginning with Ourselves and Our - Work; Time; Integrity; Plain Speech (not just simple words - sarcasm goes against plain speaking); Money and Resources

Chapter 3 Plain Living Day by Day in - Committed Relationships; Parenting and Mentoring; Aging; Humor, Joy and Gratitude

Chapter 4 Unexpected Songs for Times of - Fear; Suffering; Despair; Death; Grief; Hope

Chapter 5 Opening Our Hearts Through - Longing; Seeking; God; Faith; Prayer; Scripture

Chapter 6 Discovering a Spiritual Path to Plain Living Through - Contemplative Listening; Everyday Mysticism; Leadings; Discernment

Chapter 7 Growing Together in - Community; Decision-Making; Struggle and Conflict Resolutions; Reconciliation and Forgiveness

Chapter 8 Let us See What Love Can Do in - Practicing Nonviolence; Seeking Equality for All; Listening to the Earth; Spirit-Led Service

A pleasant surprise -- at the end of each chapter are a few "queries" (a Quaker practice, of raising questions that will prompt reflection) pulled directly from the quotes in the chapters, very inducive to group discussions.

Nicely crafted book for Friends and other seekers, although the chapter titles may sound too fundamentalist to some, and new agey to others, inside the book Whitmire offers centered, essential wisdom from many sources which can improve individual lives, community and living with the earth.

We're giving that borrowed copy to our neighbor, and we've ordered up many copies for our own use. We hope you'll find one somewhere for yourself.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple Persuasion, April 15, 2002

By A Customer

The writings inspire the spirit in plain and simply terms, allowing the reader to mentality disengage from the commercialism of today. The book takes the reader on a journey of 'potentials' and illustrates thought processes on how to get there. The questions poised at the end of each chapter are reflective in nature, and I found the little glossary of Quaker terminology to be helpful.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Health food for life's journey, March 31, 2006

By	E. W. Poitras (Freeport, ME USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a welcome gift for anyone looking for spiritual and moral renewal. It is a library of wise quotes from the Quaker tradition that lead the reader to find peace and inner cleansing. I have read it three times, in short, quiet doses, and will return again for more. More substantial than shelves of self-help books, less strident than relentlessly positive cheerleading, it quietly takes you to places where you can have rewarding "aha!" moments and grow within.