Quotes About Openness

We must never underestimate our power to be wrong when talking about God, when thinking about God, when imagining God, whether in prose or in poetry. A generous orthodoxy, in contrast to the tense, narrow, or controlling orthodoxies of so much of Christian history, doesn't take itself too seriously. It is humble. It doesn't claim too much. It admits it walks with a limp.

As a committed Christian, I have always struggled with locked doors—doors by which we on the inside lock out "the others"—Jews, Muslims, Mormons, liberals, doubters, agnostics, gay folks, whomever. The more we insiders succeed in shutting others out, the more I tend to feel locked in, caged, trapped.

If a spiritual community only points back to where it has been or if it only digs in its heels where it is now, it is a dead end or a parking lot, not a way.

The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.

Realize that life is more than meets the eye. Life goes beyond our five senses. Be receptive to new knowledge and to new experiences.

we should all listen blindly.

I know it sounds strange but it's true. I mean that you're open to life. You're open to being surprised. You're open to being changed by life. Most of us lose that quality in our twenties. I don't know how you've managed to hang on to it, but you have.

Sabes qué, Tortuguita? -le dijo antes de salir de casa hacia el colegio-. De vez en cuando hay que sacar la cabeza de la concha... Habla, sé valiente.

Be clear about your goal but be flexible about the process of achieving it.

The main problem, according to Nasser al-Sarami, Head of Media at alArabiya TV channel, lies with "traditional attitudes" and an "inability to address the demands of modern times and younger generations and to become open to new ideas instead of resorting to repression and blaming freedom of expression for atheism":

That was my mother's policy: Feel free, feel welcome. Be happy.

Only idiots refuse to change their minds.

Silly man, no one is asking you to denounce anyone. Only to open your heart. To invite them all into your house.

I just love to experience things. I would do almost anything once.

You don't get trained in cultural sensitivity—you go spend time immersed in the culture, spend time with other people.

Most people, at least much of the time, live in a state of defensiveness. Chronic defensiveness not only fatigues us, it also keeps us from being in a state of openness to healing and receiving more energy.

It takes a conscious effort to expose yourself to new ideas.

Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless--like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash Be water my friend.

Empty your mind. Be formless shapeless like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can either flow, or it can crash! Be like water, my friend.

Using no way as way

Using no way as a way, having no limitation as limitation.

Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water.

Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there.

Obey the principles without being bound by them.