Good warriors do not arm,
good fighters don’t get mad,
good winners don’t contend,
good employers serve their workers.
This is called the virtue
of noncontention;
this is called mating with
the supremely natural and pristine.

– Thomas Cleary

 

In ancient times
the perfect officer wasn’t armed
the perfect warrior wasn’t angry
the perfect victor wasn’t hostile
the perfect commander acted humble
this is the virtue of nonaggression
this is using the strength of others
this is uniting with Heaven
which was the ancient end

– Red Pine

 

Warriors who excel do not parade;
Commanders who excel do not anger;
Victors who excel don’t lightly engage;
Skilled managers of men are humble:
This defines the power of no-conflict,
The way to manage men’s strength,
The union with heaven, the acme of old.

– Moss Roberts


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#211: Who Was William Cullen Bryant? Human Voices Wake Us

An episode from 1/5/2026: Tonight, I read a handful of passages from Gilbert Muller’s William Cullen Bryant: Author of America. During his lifetime, Bryant (1794-1878) was the most popular poet in America as well as one of the country’s most trusted and influential editors and journalists. Through Bryant’s own words and those of his contemporaries, I trace the story of that double-prominence, and the unease many felt over the fate of Bryant’s poetry against the pressures of politics. I also address how, since his death, Bryant has become almost entirely unknown and unread.The best way to support the podcast is by leaving a review on Apple or Spotify, sharing it with others, or sending me a note on what you think. You can also order any of my books: Time and the River: From Columbine to the Invention of Fire, due out next year, is now available for preorder. Other books include Notes from the Grid, To the House of the Sun, The Lonely Young & the Lonely Old, and Bone Antler Stone. I've also edited a handful of books in the S4N Pocket Poems series.Email me at humanvoiceswakeus1@gmail.com.
  1. #211: Who Was William Cullen Bryant?
  2. #210: Memories & Legends of William Shakespeare
  3. #209 – Being a Jew in 1900, Being a Jew Now
  4. #208: Bach & God
  5. #207 – Death, the Gods, and Endless Life in Ancient Egypt
  6. #206 – The Discovery of Indo-European Languages – 1876
  7. #205: Learning to Read, c. 2000 BCE
  8. #204: Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," 1856
  9. #203: Bruce Springsteen Talks About "Nebraska" – 1984
  10. #202 – A Death at Sea, 1834

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