Quotes About Serenity

I watch his face as he speaks. He looks so peaceful and happy … on a planet where the sound of rain falling is like Bach…

The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything: the better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with your enemies, the better you are at your job, the better you are with yourself.

change fear into faith, hate into love, egoism into humility, anxiety and worry into serenity, complacency into action, denial into acceptance, jealousy into trust, fantasy into reality, selfishness into service, resentment into forgiveness, judgmentalism into tolerance, despair into hope, self-hate into self-respect, and loneliness into fellowship.

Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.

A perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility.

Four-fifths of all our troubles would disappear, if we would only sit down and keep still.

Those who live by the sea can hardly form a single thought of which the sea would not be part.

True relaxation, which would do me the world of good, does not exist for me.

The scenes on this field would have cured anybody of war.

Step on the moist, pillowsoft earth, walking gingerly aside a weeping steam that calls your name, for it knows how to heal a wounded heart.

Everything is better when you're floating. Every task you do is fun. You get up in the morning, get coffee, look around, and think, 'Wow, I'm floating!'

It feels like I can wrap up the day with a glass of beer.

I long for, not a writer's retreat - I can write in any situation - but a reader's retreat.

Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day - like writing a poem or saying a prayer.

I have a beautiful sofa, which is my writing corner, on which I sit every day and look outside the window.

Don't wish," said Rain, "don't start. Wishing only…

Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment.

By mindfully choosing our habits, we harness the power of mindlessness as a sweeping force for serenity, energy, and growth.

There's no right or best way to create a better life. Nevertheless, while each of us may define and achieve outer order in different ways, it's clear that for most people, outer order does indeed contribute to inner calm.

by mindfully shaping our habits, we can harness the power of mindlessness as a sweeping force for serenity, energy, and growth.

Underreact to a problem

At some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough. You don't need to photograph, paint or even remember it. It is enough. —Toni Morrison, Tar Baby

It was time to expect more of myself. Yet as I thought about happiness, I kept running up against paradoxes. I wanted to change myself but accept myself. I wanted to take myself less seriously—and also more seriously. I wanted to use my time well, but I also wanted to wander, to play, to read at whim. I wanted to think about myself so I could forget myself. I was always on the edge of agitation; I wanted to let go of envy and anxiety about the future, yet keep my energy and ambition.

Outer order contributes to inner calm." Why is this true? Perhaps it's the tangible sense of control, or the relief from visual noise, or the release from guilt. In the span of a happy life, having a messy desk or an overflowing closet is clearly trivial, and yet creating order gives a disproportionate boost of energy and cheer.