Gratitudes ix Introduction to the 25th Anniversary Edition xiii I. Listening to Life 1 II. Now I Become Myself 7 III. When Way Closes 29 IV. All the Way Down 43 V. Leading from Within 57 VI. There Is a Season 73 Notes 85 The Author 89 Credits 91

With wisdom, compassion, and gentle humor, Parker J. Palmer illuminates a pathway toward vocation for all who seek the true calling of their lives. “Let Your Life Speak is one of the most important books of my entire life—I recommend it to everyone. I am thrilled it is being released anew into a world that has never needed Parker’s exquisite wisdom more urgently.” —KRISTA TIPPETT, President, Executive Producer and Host, On Being “With the 25th Anniversary Edition of Let Your Life Speak, now a modern classic, Parker J. Palmer deepens his place in our age as a kind and truthful visionary, a mentor of the modern heart. Carry this book with you and you will be in conversation with all that matters.” —MARK NEPO, author, Falling Down and Getting Up and The Book of Awakening “Let Your Life Speak changed my life when I was in my twenties. With clarity and compassion, Parker J. Palmer showed me how to trust my own wisdom, and in doing so, ignited my life’s work. Parker’s wisdom will guide generations to come.” —VALARIE KAUR, author of See No Stranger and Founder of the Revolutionary Love Project “For the past two decades, Let Your Life Speak has served as a vocational compass for me, my two teenagers and my father, who now walks with the ancestors. Someday, I will pass my well-worn copy to my grandchildren as a guide. Who would think that this thin-spined book would become an Ellison family heirloom.” —GREGORY C. ELLISON, II, author, Fearless Dialogues: A New Movement for Justice “Some books are so powerful in the way they shift lives that they emerge canonical. Let Your Life Speak is such a book, a book that made a life and death difference for me. It allowed the inner me, the true me, to be heard, felt, and appreciated. Let Your Life Speak is Parker’s gift from his broken-open heart to yours. Let it break open your heart so your life may be finally, fully heard.” —JERRY COLONNA, author, Reunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong

Praise for Let Your Life Speak, 25th Anniversary Edition"Let Your Life Speak is one of the most important books of my entire life—I recommend it to everyone. There is no more revelatory, life-giving writing about the mystery of the human soul, or the lived experience of depression. I am thrilled it is being released anew into a world that has never needed Parker's exquisite wisdom more tenderly, or more urgently." —Krista Tippett, President, Executive Producer and Host, On Being "With the 25th Anniversary edition of Let Your Life Speak, now a modern classic, Parker J. Palmer deepens his place in our age as a kind and truthful visionary, a mentor of the modern heart. Few in our era have understood so much and turned it into everyday integrity. I love this book. Carry it with you and you will be in conversation with all that matters." —Mark Nepo, author, Falling Down and Getting Up and The Book of Awakening "Let Your Life Speak changed my life. I encountered itin my twenties, searching for my vocation. In a world that wanted me to organize around hate, I longed to organize around love. With clarity and compassion, Parker J. Palmer showed me how to trust my own wisdom, and in doing so, ignited my life's work. Today his voice as an author—and now as a friend and mentor—teaches me to be brave with my life every day. Our beloved modern-day sage, Parker’s wisdom will guide generations to come." —Valarie Kaur, author of See No Stranger and Founder of the Revolutionary Love Project "Lost in the thicket of early adulthood indecision, I found a clearing in Let Your Life Speak. For the next two decades, Parker J. Palmer’s book would serve as a vocational compass for me, my two teenagers, and my father who now walks with the ancestors. The day will come when I pass my well-worn copy to my grandchildren as a guide for their quest from head to heart. Who would think that this thin-spined book would become an Ellison family heirloom?"  —Gregory C. Ellison, II, author, Fearless Dialogues: A New Movement for Justice "Some books are so singular in their impact, so powerful in the way they shift lives, that they emerge canonical. Let Your Life Speak is such a book. This book made a life and death difference for me. Following its most basic message, to simply listen to my own life, it taught me to hear myself. It allowed the inner me, the true me, to be heard, felt, and appreciated. Let Your Life Speak is Parker’s gift from his broken-open heart to yours. Let it break open your heart so your life may be finally, fully heard." —Jerry Colonna, author, Reunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong "Let Your Life Speak is for anyone longing to connect with their life’s purpose. Weaving poetic, personal stories and wisdom from great leaders, Palmer reveals the true nature of vocation and how it arises not from willfulness or as a goal but rather from inner listening and acceptance of our own unique gifts and limitations. If you’re ready to let go of who you “should” be to discover a deeper sense of wholeness, this book is for you." —Sharon Salzberg, author, Lovingkindness and Real Life "I encountered Let Your Life Speak at a crossroads in my life and was powerfully moved by the unguarded wisdom between its covers. I’ve returned again and again to this brief but beautiful work, always finding more to ponder. It speaks with the kind of authority found only in deeply lived and bravely considered experience. It explores the presence, promise, and possibility found in our personal and communal encounters with shadow and light with a kind of good humor that never diminishes the struggle but welcomes the presence of a winged grace as it lights upon our hearts." —Carrie Newcomer, Musician/Poet, The Beautiful Not Yet, A Great Wild Mercy "To open this book is to be in the presence of a profound integrity that heals us even as we encounter it. Let Your Life Speak is an honest and liberating reminder of the wisdom we carry within, so often eclipsed by the noise that surrounds us. Parker Palmer’s voice, humor, humility, and generous transparency have accompanied me for several decades. Like so many others, I am forever grateful to Parker for living his life and distilling its moments of struggle and growth into books like this one—portable blessings, emergency equipment, spiritual medicine." —Ariel Burger, author, Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom