Skip to content

Lao Tzu Quote on Simplicity, Patience, and Compassion

    “I have just three things to teach:
    Simplicity, patience, compassion.
    These three are your greatest treasures.
    Simple in actions and in thoughts,
    You return to the source of being.
    Patient with both friends and enemies,
    You accord with the way things are.
    Compassionate toward yourself,
    You reconcile all beings in the world.”

    ~ Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

    Beyond the Quote (147/365)

    Your first greatest treasure: Simplicity. Simplicity in thought is a sign of mental clarity. Complicated in thought is a sign of confusion. Simplicity in action is a result of simplicity in thought. Complicated actions are a result of confused or unclear thoughts. Albert Einstein was famous for saying, “If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.” This is true for all knowledge and insight in life. If you can’t break it down and explain it simply, you don’t fully understand it.

    Read More »Lao Tzu Quote on Simplicity, Patience, and Compassion

    John C. Maxwell Quote on Setting Yourself Up For Success

      “Set the tone for your day by treating people better than you expect to be treated by them. Be the first to smile. Express your appreciation for them. Expect the best out of them. If you act first, you will set yourself up for success.”

      John C. Maxwell, Today Matters

      Beyond the Quote (146/365)

      One thing is for sure, the opposite certainly won’t set you up for success. You can treat people worse than you expect them to treat you. You can wait to smile until they smile at you. You can withhold any appreciation you might have towards others and express gratitude only when it would be rude not to. You can expect the worst out of them. The thing is, though, if you wait to act, you will be outsourcing part of your success onto them—to people and circumstances out of your control. And is success even possible if it’s out of your control?

      Read More »John C. Maxwell Quote on Setting Yourself Up For Success

      Rupi Kaur Quote on Love and How Love Isn’t Cruel Or A Game

        “love is not cruel

        we are cruel

        love is not a game

        we have made a game

        out of love”

        Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey (Page 127)

        Beyond the Quote (145/365)

        To all those who suffer from heartbreak, don’t blame love. Love is forever flowing and ever present throughout all that is. Love isn’t one person. Love is what connects us to infinite warmth, gratitude, and grace. Love isn’t temporary. To blame love for being cruel is to blame your entire body when just one cell is at fault. Love is far bigger than any one person. Love is the understructure that provides the foundation for all that is kind, just, and joyous. Love is not cruel.

        Read More »Rupi Kaur Quote on Love and How Love Isn’t Cruel Or A Game

        Dalai Lama Quote on Remembering A Person After They Pass

          “The best way to keep a memory of a person [who has passed away], the best remembrance, is to see if you can carry on the wishes of that person.”

          Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness

          Beyond the Quote (144/365)

          I would go one step further and say that the best remembrance is, not just to carry on the wishes of the person who passed, but to embody the best of who that person was. Wishes come from a place of deep and personal desire—they are goals derived from a person’s unique characteristic makeup. Who a person is isn’t a reflection of these wishes—their thoughts—but rather is a reflection of the actions they took throughout their life. Wishes are inside a person’s mind, character is reflected in the actions of their body. We can only interpret and truthfully judge the latter.

          Read More »Dalai Lama Quote on Remembering A Person After They Pass

          Brianna Wiest Quote on The Point Of Mountains

            “One day, the mountain that is in front of you will be so far behind you, it will barely be visible in the distance. But the person you become in learning to get over it? That will stay with you forever. And that is the point of the mountain.”

            Brianna Wiest

            Beyond the Quote (142/365)

            Yesterday, two friends and I set out to do a 14 mile hike through three high peaks in the Adirondack Mountains. We knew from the get-go that it was going to be strenuous and intense at times, but that’s a part of the experience. You can’t just walk on flat ground if you want to summit a mountain. If you want the reward that comes with summiting, you have to conquer all of the challenges that come with hiking. No challenge, no reward.

            Read More »Brianna Wiest Quote on The Point Of Mountains

            Jordan Peterson Quote on The Power of Vision and Direction for Personal Development

              “Don’t underestimate the power of vision and direction.  These are irresistible forces, able to transform what might appear to be unconquerable obstacles into traversable pathways and expanding opportunities.  Strengthen the individual.  Start with yourself.  Take care with yourself.  Define who you are.  Refine your personality.  Choose your destination and articulate your Being.”

              Jordan Peterson, via 12 Rules for Life (Page 63)

              Beyond the Quote (141/365)

              Maps are incredibly useful tools. They chart the unknown territory for us. They show us the way forward. They help us get to where we want to go. And usually, that’s one of the first things we think about when we grab a map—where they can take us. Thinking up where we want to go is easy. New York City! Yellowstone National Park! Australia! We might say. Or, if we’re thinking about where we want to go in life, we might say, “The top of the corporate ladder!” “Until I get a blue checkmark on Instagram!” “To a beautiful mansion with a white picket fence!” But, where they can take us means nothing if we don’t know where we are. And this is the imperative first question to consider—where are you?

              Read More »Jordan Peterson Quote on The Power of Vision and Direction for Personal Development

              Richard Carlson Quote on How Wherever You Go, There You Are.

                “Something wonderful begins to happen with the simple realization that life, like an automobile, is driven from the inside out, not the other way around. As you focus more on becoming more peaceful with where you are, rather than focusing on where you would rather be, you begin to find peace right now, in the present. Then, as you move around, try new things, and meet new people, you carry that sense of inner peace with you. It’s absolutely true that, ‘Wherever you go, there you are.’”

                Richard Carlson, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

                Beyond the Quote (140/365)

                One of the tragedies that we experience every day is missing out on the moment because we’re somewhere else. Our consciousness is constantly twisted up in what already happened and what we’re anticipating might happen next. And I’m not talking about a few moments out of every day—I’m talking about the vast majority of our moments every day. Let’s see how the following examples sits with you.

                Read More »Richard Carlson Quote on How Wherever You Go, There You Are.

                Richard Branson Quote on Living In Every Moment—Not A Select Few Moments

                  “I don’t think of work as work and play as play.  It’s all living.”

                  Richard Branson, via Talk Like TED

                  Beyond the Quote (139/365)

                  When you are able to live life completely immersed in the present moment, Richard Branson is dead on, it’s ALL living. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, where you are, or who you’re with—it’s all a part of the whole life experience and we should be soaking it ALL in for what it is. For, what else do we ever have besides this moment? If we’re not living in this moment now, are we reserving life for a future point in time? When we lose touch with “the now” and mentally wander elsewhere, are we voluntarily letting go of chunks of our life? Let’s break it down.

                  Read More »Richard Branson Quote on Living In Every Moment—Not A Select Few Moments

                  Ryan Holiday Quote on How Being Present May Be The Hardest Thing In The World

                    “Being present demands all of us.  It’s not nothing.  It may be the hardest thing in the world.”

                    Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 25)

                    Beyond the Quote (138/365)

                    If you’ve ever tried to meditate, then you know how hard it is to be completely present for even a moment of time. Our brains are like monkeys diagnosed with ADD who just drank Red Bulls after taking a long nap—they’re out of control. We’re constantly wandering to different trains of thought, replaying past situations, simulating future situations, and thinking about seemingly random and arbitrary things like monkeys and Red Bull and squirrels.

                    Read More »Ryan Holiday Quote on How Being Present May Be The Hardest Thing In The World

                    Isaac Pitman Quote on Arranging Your Mind By Arranging Your Time

                      “Well arranged time is the surest mark of a well arranged mind.”

                      Sir Isaac Pitman

                      Beyond the Quote (137/365)

                      Have you ever laid into bed at the end of a day and wondered… what just happened? Like the whole day felt like a big blur? And even after a few minutes of reflection, you still can’t quite get it all straight? This is a common effect of living a reactive and unplanned lifestyle. If you go into the day with a blurry vision of what you need to do, then, it follows that you’ll come out on the other side with a blurry memory of what you did.

                      Read More »Isaac Pitman Quote on Arranging Your Mind By Arranging Your Time

                      Winston Churchill Quote on Being Prepared and Ready When Your Special Moment Comes

                        “To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.”

                        Winston Churchill

                        Beyond the Quote (135/365)

                        Rather than wait for the opportunity before you start to prepare—start preparing for the opportunity that is going to come. Too many people wait for their golden ticket, their lucky break, their big moment—when really, all they’re doing is waiting. Golden tickets aren’t given to people who aren’t even in the competition. Lucky breaks might happen, sure—but luck has more to do with preparation meeting opportunity. Don’t base your life plan on the lottery—it’s not an admirable way to the top anyway. Big moments come and go all of the time. The tragedy, as Sir Winston Churchill points out, is when those big moments come and you’re unprepared, unqualified, or just plain too passive to step into it.

                        Read More »Winston Churchill Quote on Being Prepared and Ready When Your Special Moment Comes

                        Penor Rinpoche Quote on Dealing With Life Now Rather Than Waiting (and Worrying) About It Later

                          “Life is more difficult if you worry.  It’s better to deal with things as they come up.”

                          Penor Rinpoche, via Turning the Mind Into An Ally (Page 101)

                          Beyond the Quote (134/365)

                          I have noticed in myself over the past few days an increased tendency to use my phone. This tendency, I suppose, could be for many reasons. It could be because of the addictive nature of phones, the increased desire for connection during a time of isolation, it could be a coping strategy to deal with the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, a lackadaisical response to the slower lifestyle (in my case at least), or a combination of all of the above. While it is important to be a little more lenient on yourself during a time of global crisis, what I have also noticed, from careful introspection, is that I have felt my anxiety levels go up in proportion to the increased phone use.

                          Read More »Penor Rinpoche Quote on Dealing With Life Now Rather Than Waiting (and Worrying) About It Later

                          Sadhguru Quote on Not Fixing Everything Else, But On Fixing Yourself To Better Deal With Everything Else.

                            “Do not try to fix whatever comes into your life. Fix yourself in such a way that whatever comes, you will be fine.”

                            Sadhguru

                            Beyond the Quote (133/365)

                            The following story was submitted by Angel via the Share Your Story page on our website. In it, she discusses how she managed to break away and move forward from limiting beliefs that were imposed on her throughout her life that were a source of much stress and anxiety. Now, as you’ll read about below, she lives a more accepting and grateful life. And it all started from a simple recommendation that came from some of her best friends. Here’s Angel to explain:

                            Read More »Sadhguru Quote on Not Fixing Everything Else, But On Fixing Yourself To Better Deal With Everything Else.

                            Lori Deschene Quote on How Worrying Is A Waste of Precious Time

                              “If you worry and nothing’s wrong, you’ve wasted precious time over nothing. If you worry and something is wrong, you’ve still wasted precious time.”

                              Lori Deschene, Tiny Buddha

                              Beyond the Quote (131/365)

                              What higher purpose does worrying serve? Let’s assume for a few moments that since we all do it so much that it serves some sort of higher purpose—otherwise, why would we continue doing it so damn much? Worrying is sort of like concerned thinking. When you break those two components down—thinking and concern—they both certainly can be argued as serving us in beneficial ways. So where’s the issue? Let’s dive a little deeper.

                              Read More »Lori Deschene Quote on How Worrying Is A Waste of Precious Time

                              Sarah Lewis Quote on How A ‘Near Win’ Could Be Better Than ‘The Win’

                                “To reach an audacious goal, we sometimes benefit from having it lie just beyond our grasp.”

                                Sarah Lewis, The Rise

                                Beyond the Quote (130/365)

                                Think about a time when you won – by a lot.  What was going through your mind?

                                • “Who’s ready to celebrate?!”
                                • “What are we having for dinner?”
                                • “All of my hard work has finally paid off.”

                                Think also about a time when you lost – by a lot.  What was going through your mind after that?

                                Read More »Sarah Lewis Quote on How A ‘Near Win’ Could Be Better Than ‘The Win’

                                Jill Churchill Quote on Focusing Less on Perfection and More on Doing Good

                                  “There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one.”

                                  Jill Churchill

                                  Beyond the Quote (128/365)

                                  There’s too much pressure on being perfect. Mostly, pressure that we put on ourselves. We want to look perfect—not only in our eyes, but in the eyes of others. We want to act perfectly—to never make a mistake or do something that we might otherwise regret. We want to feel that perfection of inner balance and inner peace—to never lose ourselves emotionally or show any kind of weakness. The problem with this kind of perfection seeking behavior is in how it hinders us more than it helps us.

                                  Read More »Jill Churchill Quote on Focusing Less on Perfection and More on Doing Good