“We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have - for their usefulness.”

American Trappist monk, Catholic priest, theologian, mystic, poet, and writer

Thomas Merton was an American Trappist monk, Catholic priest, theologian, mystic, poet, and writer. He was a professed member of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani near Bardstown, Kentucky, and lived there from 1941 until his death. He is best known for his religious writing and for work that reflects his life as a monk, priest, and theologian. His poems and books grow out of contemplation, faith, and the discipline of monastic life, and his reputation rests on the range of roles he held within the Catholic tradition.