This is a list of favourite quotes that have influenced my thinking.
I want to learn more and more to see as beautiful what is necessary in things; then I shall be one of those who make things beautiful.
How many ‘nos’ are there? Billions. And how many ‘yeses’? Just one.
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
Where do you seek the spiritual? You seek the spiritual in every ordinary thing that you do every day. Sweeping the floor, watering the vegetables, and washing the dishes become holy and sacred if mindfulness is there. With mindfulness and concentration, everything becomes spiritual.How to Eat, p 72
I began to develop a system in which freedom was possible, and I conquered my own freedomPierre Boulez | Universal Edition
Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
We humans love to investigate things. Often we want the results of our investigations to fit a certain mold or prove a certain theory, but at times, we are open and allow things simply to reveal themselves. ... With mindfulness, investigation takes us deeply into life and into reality.
What upsets people is not things themselves but their judgments about the things. ... So when we are thwarted or upset or distressed, let us never blame someone else but rather ourselves, that is, our own judgments.Handbook (Encheiridion), 5
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.
To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time.
If one has achieved a goal to the fullest extent possible in a given context then the achievement is perfect in the rational sense of the term. Subsequent improvements based on a wider range of knowledge or higher level of ability will not invalidate that achievement or subtract from its value. It remains perfect by the standards of the earlier context.
When there is wrong view and one knows it is wrong view, it is already Right View. When there is Right View and one knows it is Right View, that is also Right View.
You're going to spend at least a third of your life working. It's important to find something that you really like to do ... The second part is, find something that not too many other people want to do so you can make pretty good money out it.Rational Reminder, Episode 200
When a wise person suffers, she asks herself, 'What can I do to be free from this suffering? Who can help me? What have I done to free myself from this suffering?'The Heart Of The Buddhas Teaching