Quotes About Detachment

The Ancients subjected themselves to a fierce discipline of detachment from public opinion. Although they inevitably had to try to influence political life in their favor, they never seriously thought of themselves as founders or lawgivers. The mixture of unwise power and powerless wisdom, in the ancients view, would always end up with power strengthened and wisdom compromised. He who flirts with power, Socrates said, will be compelled to lie with it.

Acting like you don't care is a whole lot easier when you don't care

Eventually, we all end up alone.

There was a time that [my mother's death] would have made me cry, but that's the good thing about being dead inside, I guess. Dead people don't feel pain.

Because the truth is, it's just a whole lot better to not let yourself get too involved with anyone, or anything. Because in the end - everything comes to an end.

How good it felt to exist without pride or ambition. To live in hibernation.

You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one.

The Tao teaches us to let go of things. Use the 80/20 rule. If you take all your clothes, you'll find out that you only wear 20 percent of them. Take what you have and don't use and circulate it. Give stuff to people who truly need it. After all, we come into this world with nothing; we leave this world with nothing.

The last suit that you wear, you don't need any pockets.

You start to forget about the world outside - it's not relevant or relatable anymore. The darkest part of solitary confinement is that you start to forget about cars and jobs and families and weather and politicians - and all the things that make up a society.

I tell people all the time that it would be good if they forget about me next week, that they don't even mention my name anymore.

I don't want to play police games. When you start playing police games, I take myself out of the equation.

I've never been involved in any kind of political movement.

I don't want to be identified with any political party.

Those who are possessed by nothing possess everything.

For 10 years, I gave away my possessions every year and moved on to a new place.

I grew with it, and I used to go to see the monks, who had no possessions, even more extreme than my mother.

I don't like possessions.

But you can't be possessed by your possessions. Those are just things.

I had no interest in cinema until I was 24 years old. My friends had posters of their favourite stars in their houses, but I was far from a film buff - very detached from films.

Holy poverty confounds cupidity and avarice and the cares of this world.

People are like, 'Do you watch movies?' I'm like, 'I don't care.' I've ceased caring. I can't watch that construct anymore.

I don't like to get involved in controversial things.

Personally, I choose to stay away from controversies.