“If I love myself I will express that love in my interactions with you, and then I am being impeccable with the word, because that action will produce a like reaction. If I love you, then you will love me. If I insult you, you will insult me. If I have gratitude for you , you will have gratitude for me. If I’m selfish with you, you will be selfish with me.” ~ don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements
“The word is the most powerful tool you have as a human; it is the tool of magic. But like a sword with two edges, your word can create the most beautiful dream, or your word can destroy everything around you. One edge is the misuse of the word, which creates a living hell. The other edge is the impeccability of the word, which will only create beauty, love and heaven on earth.” ~ don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements
“I started to assess how much of the pain was real and physical and how much of it was created by my mind and my perception of the pain. I soon realized that it was not the actual pain that was hurting me the most, no, it was the monster I was creating in my head from the pain.” ~ Mahyar Hassid, High Existence
“Those who wait for all their problems to be solved in order to be happy will be waiting past the day they die.” ~ Mahyar Hassid, High Existence
“We get upset at other people because they don’t meet our ideals of how they should act. Instead, try accepting them for who they are, and recognizing that, like you, they’re imperfect and seeking happiness and struggling with finding happiness. They’re doing their best. Accept them, smile, and enjoy your time with this person.” ~ Leo Babauta, Zen Habits
“We’re not in it for the short game, we’re in it for the long game. It can be hard to figure out which change to make right now, because that means giving up lots of other important changes. And I’ve seen people agonize over which change to make first, because they think the order matters. Sure, maybe it would be optimal to learn to meditate first, before making eating changes, but you know what’s not optimal? Making no changes. Over the long term, if you pick one small change at a time, you’ll have all the important habits formed. So honestly, just pick the one you feel like doing the most — the one that you’ll enjoy most.” ~ Leo Babauta, Zen Habits
“When you make a small change, your ‘normal’ adjusts. Imagine that you’re used to a whole set of conditions — if you deviate from those conditions very much, you will be uncomfortable. Going to live in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language, don’t know anyone, aren’t used to the food, don’t understand the customs, don’t have the same kind of home you’re used to … this can be very difficult. But if you make one tiny change, it’s not very uncomfortable. And after a month or two, you adapt to this tiny change, and it becomes part of the conditions that you’re used to. Your new normal. Changing your life in small steps like this, one small change at a time, is much easier and much more likely to succeed than making multiple huge changes all at once. Gradually change your normal.” ~ Leo Babauta, Zen Habits
“‘Let us pick up our books and our pens,‘ I said. ‘They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.’” ~ Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala
“We human beings don’t realize how great God is. He has given us an extraordinary brain and a sensitive loving heart. He has blessed us with two lips to talk and express our feelings, two eyes which see a world of colors and beauty, two feet which walk on the road of life, two hands to work for us, a nose which smells the beauty of fragrance, and two ears to hear the words of love. As I found with my ear, no one knows how much power they have in their each and every organ until they lose one.” ~ Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala
“I reassured my mother that it didn’t matter to me if my face was not symmetrical. Me, who had always cared about my appearance, how my hair looked! But when you see death, things change. ‘It doesn’t matter if I can’t smile or blink properly,” I told her. ‘I’m still me, Malala. The important thing is God has given me my life.’” ~ Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala
“As we crossed the Malakand Pass I saw a young girl selling oranges. She was scratching marks on a piece of paper with a pencil to account for the oranges she had sold, as she could not read or write. I took a photo of her and vowed I would do everything in my power to help educate girls just like her. This was the war I was going to fight.” ~ Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala
“The Taliban could take our pens and books, but they couldn’t stop our minds from thinking.” ~ Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala
“If you want to resolve a dispute or come out from conflict, the very first thing is to speak the truth. If you have a headache and tell the doctor you have a stomachache, how can the doctor help? You must speak the truth. The truth will abolish fear.” ~ Ziauddin Yousafzai, I Am Malala
“Today is what you make it and I want you know that here and now, in this future moment that I’m writing you from, love is the only thing that lasts.” ~ Share Ross, Tiny Buddha
“The place to be happy is here. The time to be happy is now.” ~ Robert G. Ingersoll, Tiny Buddha
“People underestimate the impact that bad health has on the rest of your life.” ~ Leo Babauta, Zen Habits
“When you put so much of yourself and your time into something, it’s hard to separate it from who you are.” ~ Julia Rothman, Brain Pickings