Thoughts in Solitude was published by Farrar, Straus and Cudahy in 1958. The book consists of meditations written during periods when Merton was permitted to live in greater solitude within the monastery — retreat from the communal life into silence and unstructured prayer. They are among his most concentrated and personal writings: brief paragraphs and short essays that feel less like theology and more like the notations of a man thinking aloud in God’s presence.
The subjects are those that preoccupied Merton throughout his life: the nature of genuine prayer (not words or thoughts but the complete surrender of attention); the relationship between solitude and solidarity (true solitude makes you more human, not less); the difficulty of integrity in a world that rewards performance; and the particular courage required to live without the consolation of certainty.
The book contains several of Merton’s most-quoted passages, including his famous “prayer of unknowing” that begins “My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.” Its influence has been disproportionate to its length — precisely because the brevity of each meditation makes it available for daily reading, for repeated encounter, in a way that Merton’s longer works do not permit.
Collecting Thoughts in Solitude
First edition (Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, New York, 1958): Cloth with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $75–$200
- Very good: $30–$75
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation.
The Hermit’s Notebook
Thoughts in Solitude (1958) collects meditations written during Merton’s periods of solitude at Gethsemani — brief, concentrated reflections on prayer, silence, humility, and the spiritual dangers of institutional religious life. The book is among Merton’s most quoted works; his observation “My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going” has become one of the most widely shared spiritual passages in English. The writing is spare and direct — Merton at his least ornamental.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Merton a hermit? He aspired to be. For years he lobbied his abbot for permission to live in greater solitude, and in 1965 he was finally allowed to move to a small hermitage on the abbey grounds. The tension between community and solitude is one of the central themes of his writing.