Merton, the Trappist poet and monk whose book The Seven Story Mountain became an international best-seller, was an influential thinker and writer as well as a prophetic social critic. Though he lived as a monk, he was deeply involved with the intellectual climate of his times. Here is the perfect introduction to Merton's writings: a collection of short, pithy excerpts that illuminate the greater scope of his work, arranged to parallel Merton's own three-stage spiritual development.