“Conquer self before you desire to defeat others.”
“A mature person reaps joy in the commonplace acts of living, appreciates the serenity of just being, while balancing the responsibilities that come naturally about when deeply immersed in family and community affairs. Directing their attention outward, assisting other people in their troubled times, while denying themselves the indulgence of self-absorption frees a person’s bidding mind from a jumble of discordant thoughts, wants, and unholy bequests.”
“I came on earth for something, I must do something, and I must live and leave not just anything, but something!”
“My default button was set to self-destruct. It had been since birth.”
“To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are.”
“There is no pre-mapped intellectual topology path leading to truth. Truth is a process of conducting a searching investigatory dialogue with oneself in an attempt to examine and discern the contents of a person’s own mind. Every person must ask himself or herself what is essential in life.”
“Lies, greed, pettiness, and ugly emotions ensnare a person. We are free people whom construct our own cages that we allow to suppress our vital instinct to live a wholesome life. Truth telling demands an awareness of what sins cage a person in. Truthfulness also commands that a person fess up to the role that he or she played in scripting unpleasant scenes in a tarnished personal history.”
“Self-mastery involves a studious account of all aspects of human life and developing a comprehensive philosophy for living without fear or anxiety throughout the remaining years of a person’s life. A person must live within the limits of the human condition, which does not justify giving into all of our destructive impulses or living a pleasurable and guiltless life. Self-mastery does not require a person to live a life without passion; rather, it entails channeling vibrant personal passions into living in a virtuous manner of created beings.”
“Those who seek to listen to their own inner voice forget to listen to the judgment of others.”
“My spirit is stronger.”
“The greatest mistake is to think that we ever know why we do things...I suppose the nearest we can ever come to it is by getting what old people call experience. But by the time we ve got that we re no longer the persons who did the things we no longer understand. The trouble is, I suppose, that we change every moment; and the things we did stay.”
“Be careful not to think that just because you know what a person is going to say, you know what that person is going to do. Be careful not to think that just because you know what a person is going to do to others, you know what that person is going to do (or not do) to you.”
“Self-discovery changes everything, including your relationships with people. When you find your authentic self, those who loved your mask are disappointed. you may end up alone, but you don’t need to stay alone. While it’s painful to sever old connections, it’s not a tragedy. it’s an opportunity. Now, you can find people who understand the importance of looking for truth and being authentic. Now you can find people who want to connect deeply, like you’ve always wanted to, instead of constant small talk and head games. Now you can have real intimacy. Now, you can find your tribe.”
“try not just to become a person of success but rather a person of value.”
“Unconditional love goes beyond holding on and letting go. Real love is about truth. It s about looking at what s really going on instead of the stories we tell ourselves about it. It s about being able to love someone from afar, when we need to, because we see that closeness turns us into the worst versions of ourselves.”
“When you become self aware, you know your uniqueness, strengths, and limitations too. You become easy to work with others. You also avoid competing with others unhealthily.”
“I can t tell you how many times in my life I have been told that I have “control issues”. Historically, this statement has brought me annoyance—the kind of irritation that can only be described as a self-protective reaction to having my behaviours labelled for exactly what they were. Needless to say, these accusations would make me defensive. I d pull my armour tighter and get out my weapons—anything to protect myself from the truth. I realized, one day, that there were only a few things I could control, and a whole lot of things that I couldn t. I realized that trying to control everything around me was a recipe for failure, because it simply wasn t possible. I wish I could tell you that I let go then—that it was a lovely, beautiful spiritual moment, and now I m all better. But that isn t true. Because, for me, seeking to control things which can t be controlled isn t a random tick or flaw. It s a stage of communication in the language of my own mind. If I don t listen to the first whispers that tell me I ve repressed some emotion or neglected to process some event—then, stage two starts. Every piece of dirt on the floor, every chewing noise, every unexpected obstacle... they all become intolerable. So, I have two choices when this happens. I can allow my desire to control the outside world to turn into trying to control it. Or, I can allow myself to hear what is being said to me—to interpret this strange language that I speak to myself in and respond with compassion. Do I consistently do the wise thing first? No. I forget. And then I remember, somewhere in the middle of neurotically scrubbing a wall. But I remember faster now than I did before, and sometimes I really am able to respond quickly. It s a journey. I m not perfect. But I am doing the right thing, and I get better at it every time I have the chance to practice. That s what learning and letting go really is—a practice. It s never over. And it never is, and never will be, perfect.”