Description

In a world that asks us to choose – between work and love, independence and belonging, ambition and rest – what if the deepest task of a life well lived is not choosing at all, but learning how to inhabit all three simultaneously?

In The Three Marriages, David Whyte offers a luminous exploration of the three central commitments that shape every life: to our work, to ourselves and to others.

Drawing on the experiences of writers from Dante to Jane Austen as well as his own, he invites readers to ask themselves: How do I belong, without abandoning myself? How do I give myself to my work, without losing my soul? How do I remain true to my inner life, without turning away from the world?

In an ever more frenetic and demanding world, Whyte’s enduring wisdom shows that the art of living lies not in finding perfect balance, but in learning how to move honestly between these tensions, each enlightening and emboldening the other. Through every stage of life, he reminds us that the goal is not to get it right, but to stay in the conversation – listening, adapting, recommitting and beginning again.

Publisher Review

Wholly revelatory . . . a tremendously rewarding read — MARIA POPOVA A stunning writer and thinker, with a giant and capacious sense of compassion — ELIZABETH GILBERT Many have turned to David Whyte for his gorgeous, life-giving poetry and his wisdom at the interplay of theology, psychology and leadership – his insistence on the power of a beautiful question and of everyday words amidst the drama of work as well as the drama of life — KRISTA TIPPETT