What we are tempted to call a disaster is sometimes the first, painful stage of a blessing.

Stephen Mitchell is a renowned American translator, anthologist, and poet. He has translated the go-to editions of religious and literary works such as the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita, Gilgamesh, the Gospels, the selected works of Rainer Maria Rilke, and Beowulf. Mitchell coauthors works on mindfulness meditation for self-healing with his wife, Byron Katie.