“More than the painting you see or the music you hear, the words you read become in the very act of reading them part of who you are, especially if they are the words of exceptionally promising writers. If there is poison in the words, you are poisoned; if there is nourishment, you are nourished; if there is beauty, you are made a little more beautiful. In Hebrew, the word dabar means both word and also deed. A word doesn’t merely say something, it does something. It brings something into being.”

American author, Presbyterian minister, preacher, and theologian

Frederick Buechner was an American author, Presbyterian minister, preacher, and theologian, active across more than six decades. He is known for fiction, memoir, and theological writing. He published thirty-nine books and worked in several genres. His novels include Godric, A Long Day's Dying, and The Book of Bebb. His memoirs include The Sacred Journey, and his theological works include Secrets in the Dark, The Magnificent Defeat, and Telling the Truth.