small things | Quotes

The Doors of Perception

2010-07-29T19:47:39Z

If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is: Infinite.

Making the Darkness Conscious

2010-06-17T15:15:11Z

Enlightenment is not imagining figures of light but making the darkness conscious.

Lessons of History

2010-06-16T01:27:29Z

That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.

Many Small People

2010-05-17T17:50:55Z

Many small people, who in many small places, do many small things, can alter the face of the world. Click here for the image

Insanity

2010-05-11T18:33:47Z

I realized that it’s insane to oppose it. When I argue with reality, I lose—but only 100% of the time.

Impossible Things

2010-05-11T15:59:34Z

Who must do the hard things?
Those who can.
And who must do the impossible things?
Those who care.

To Be Yourself

2010-05-05T17:23:49Z

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.

The Whole of Life

2010-04-28T17:53:42Z

You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing and dance, and write poems and suffer and understand, for all that is life.

Circle of Compassion

2010-04-19T21:32:35Z

Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.

Inconvenience or Opportunity?

2010-04-19T16:20:00Z

Spiritual practitioners thrive in unpredictable conditions, testing and refining the inner qualities of heart and mind. Every situation becomes an opportunity to abandon judgment and opinions and to simply give complete attention to what is. Situations of inconvenience are terrific areas to discover, test, or develop your equanimity. How gracefully can you compromise in a negotiation? Does your mind remain balanced when you have to drive around the block three times to find a parking space? Are you at ease waiting for a flight that is six hours delayed? These inconveniences are opportunities to develop equanimity. Rather than shift the blame onto an institution, system, or person, one can develop the capacity to opt to rest within the experience of inconvenience.

The Fullness of Life

2010-04-14T16:50:40Z

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

No Boundaries

2010-03-29T21:04:24Z

The ultimate metaphysical secret, if we dare state it so simply, is that there are no boundaries in the universe. Boundaries are illusions, products not of reality but of the way we map and edit reality. And while it is fine to map out the territory, it is fatal to confuse the two.

Take Risks

2010-03-28T16:55:29Z

Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.

For the Sake of Each Other

2010-03-28T16:53:24Z

From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that we are here for the sake of each other. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.

Bow Before Children

2010-03-28T16:48:33Z

Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children.