To convert all our work into prayer and praise is admittedly an ideal, but the contemplatives of the world's religions might agree that it is something to strive for. I once saw a photograph of a Buddhist nun sweeping a temple floor with a smile that was as peaceful and wise as that of the Buddha. With her whole body she exemplified the grace of that connection between prayer and work that is so much a part of the Benedictine tradition.
— Kathleen Norris, The Quotidian Mysteries