Quotes About Mindfulness

If you wish to become proficient in the art of living with wisdom, do you think that you can eat and drink to excess?

Authentic happiness is always independent of external conditions.

Remember that you must behave in life as at a dinner party. Is anything brought around to you? Put out your hand and take your share with moderation. Does it pass by you? Don't stop it. Is it not yet come? Don't stretch your desire towards it, but wait till it reaches you.

Work, therefore to be able to say to every harsh appearance, "You are but an appearance, and not absolutely the thing you appear to be." And then examine it by those rules which you have, and first, and chiefly, by this: whether it concerns the things which are in our own control, or those which are not; and, if it concerns anything not in our control, be prepared to say that it is nothing to you.

Is there smoke in the house? If it's not suffocating, I will stay indoors; if it proves too much, I'll leave. Always remember – the door is open.

One person likes tending to his farm, another to his horse; I like to daily monitor my self-improvement.

Ask not that events should happen as you will, but let your will be that events should happen that you will have peace.

I cannot stay in harmony if I let myself become upset by things beyond my control.

When therefore we are hindered, or disturbed, or grieved, let us never attribute it to others, but to ourselves; that is, to our own principles. An uninstructed person will lay the fault of his own bad condition upon others. Someone just starting instruction will lay the fault on himself. Some who is perfectly instructed will place blame neither on others nor on himself.

You must be one man, either good or bad. You must cultivate either your own ruling faculty or externals, and apply yourself either to things within or without you; that is, be either a philosopher, or one of the vulgar.

Open your eyes: See things for what they really are, thereby sparing yourself the pain of false attachments and avoidable devastation.

So decide now that you are worthy of living as a full-grown man who is making progress, and make everything that seems best be a law that you cannot go against. And if you meet with any hardship or anything pleasant or reputable or disreputable, then remember that the contest is now and the Olympic games are now and you cannot put things off any more and that your progress is made or destroyed by a single day and a single action

Maak er van meet af aan een goede gewoonte van tegen elke pijnlijke indruk van buitenaf te zeggen: 'Jij bent niet meer dan een indruk! Jij bent heel anders dan je je voordoet!

Nadie puede herirte si tú no lo consientes. Sólo te lastimarán si crees que has sido lastimado. De esta manera no le guardarás rencor a tu prójimo, ya que tú serás quien controle cada sensación que pueda provocarse por la actitud de este.

if anyone should tell you that a particular person has spoken critically of you, don't bother with excuses or defenses. Just smile and reply, "I guess that person doesn't know about all my other faults. Otherwise, he wouldn't have mentioned only these.

If someone turned your body over to just any person who happened to meet you, you would be angry. But are you not ashamed that you turn over your own faculty of judgment to whoever happens along, so that if he abuses you it is upset and confused?

No, I cannot escape death, but at least I can escape the fear of it – or do I have to die moaning and groaning too?

The first task of the person who wishes to live wisely is to free himself or herself from the confines of self-absorption.

No exijas que los acontecimientos sucedan como deseas. Acéptalos tal como son realmente. Así te será posible ser feliz.

But until he succeeds in suppressing his lust and anxiety, how is he really free?

I have to die. If it is now, well then I die now; if later, then now I will take my lunch, since the hour for lunch has arrived – and dying I will tend to later.

practice saying to every harsh appearance,1 You are an appearance, and in no manner what you appear to be.

If you are kissing your child or wife, say that it is a human being whom you are kissing, for when the wife or child dies, you will not be disturbed.

Some things are up to us and some are not up to us. Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses, desires, aversions – in short, whatever is our own doing. Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our possessions, our reputations, or our public offices. . .