“We tend to think of gratitude as appreciation for what we have been given. Monks feel the same way. And if you ask a monk what he has been given, the answer is everything. The rich complexity of life is full of gifts and lessons that we can’t always see clearly for what they are, so why not choose to be grateful for what is, and what is possible? Embrace gratitude through daily practice, both internally—in how you look at your life and the world around you—and through action. Gratitude generates kindness, and this spirit will reverberate through our communities, bringing our highest intentions to those around us.”
Jay Shetty, Think Like A Monk (Page 221)
“There are imperfect people in our lives—ones toward whom we feel unresolved or mixed emotions and therefore have trouble summoning gratitude. And yet, gratitude is not black-and-white. We can be grateful for some, but not all, of a person’s behavior toward us. If your relationships are complicated, accept their complexity. Try to find forgiveness for their failures and gratitude for their efforts.”
Jay Shetty, Think Like A Monk (Page 220)
“Love has to be cherished, tasted very slowly, so that it suffuses your being and becomes such a possessing experience that you are no more. It is not that you are making love—you are love.”
Osho, Everyday Osho (Page 96)
“Love is not just a form of care, it also carries essential wisdom, it teaches the liberating lesson that it if you seek to be truly free you have to enhance your perspective so that more beings are encompassed by your compassion. Having love for all beings does not mean you have to be friends or agree with everyone, it simply means that you are no longer interested in directly or indirectly harming others.”
Yung Pueblo
“When monks are praised, we detach, remembering that whatever we ere able to give was never ours to begin with. To receive gratitude with humility, start by thanking the person for noticing. Appreciate their attention and their intention. Look for a good quality in the other person and return the compliment. Then take the gratitude you are given as an opportunity to be grateful to your teachers.”
Jay Shetty, Think Like A Monk (Page 216)
“With meditation there is a deep necessity for love. They are both like wings, and you cannot fly with one wing. If meditation is going well, suddenly you will see that love is missing. If love is going very well, suddenly you will see that meditation is missing. If nothing is going well, then it is okay. One settles with one’s sadness, one’s closedness. But when one wing has started moving, the other wing is needed.”
Osho, Everyday Osho (Page 95)
“Don’t judge the moment. As soon as you label something as bad, your mind starts to believe it. Instead, be grateful for setbacks. Allow the journey of life to progress at its own pace and in its own roundabout way. The universe may have other plans in store for you.”
Jay Shetty, Think Like A Monk (Page 212)
“When the monkey mind, which amplifies negativity, tries to convince us that we’re useless and worthless, the more reasonable monk mind counters by pointing out that others have given us their time, energy, and love. They have made efforts on our behalf. Gratitude for their kindness is entwined with self-esteem, because if we are worthless, then that would make their generosity toward us worthless too.”
Jay Shetty, Think Like A Monk (Page 207)
“Gratitude [is] the feeling of appreciation that comes when you recognize that something is valuable to you, which has nothing to do with its monetary worth.”
David Steindl-Rast, via Think Like A Monk (Page 205)
“Using visualization, we can revisit the past, editing the narrative we tell ourselves about our history. Imagine you hated the last thing you said to a parent who passed away. Seeing yourself in your mind’s eye telling your parent how much you loved them doesn’t change the past, but, unlike nostalgia and regret, it starts the healing. And if you envision your hopes, dreams, and fears of the future, you can process feelings before they happen, strengthening yourself to take on new challenges.”
Jay Shetty, via Think Like A Monk (Page 197)
“Believe those who search for the truth; doubt those who have found it.”
André Gide, via Think Like A Monk (Page 196)
“If vulnerability grows along with power, there is no fear that power will be abused.”
Osho, Everyday Osho (Page 94)
“The next moment is the moment when what we look forward to ends, and it is just us with ourselves. It is interesting to explore: how are we with the next moment? Do we quickly try to plan another trip or meal? Or can we just be in that moment as it is, without anything special needing to happen? How we relate to the next moment tells us a lot; it allows us to see when nothing is happening, what our resting place is … and if our resting place is constant stimuli, we miss our life.”
Soren Gordhamer
“We don’t control the vileness of the world or of other people. We do control whether we contribute to it though, whether we choose to contrast it with our own splendor and goodness. We control what we look for also–as Marcus [Aurelius] did, filling Meditations not just with somber or depressing notes but also observations about the beauty and majesty of nature and life. Will you be splendid or vile? That’s the call you get to make, always and forever.”
Ryan Holiday
“Explore life from a position of power. When you believe, ‘Even if I stay single, I’ll still have a great life‘… then you are in a much better position to enter a relationship. When you believe, ‘Even if I don’t get into this school, I’ll still have a great life‘… then you are in a much better position to apply. When you believe, ‘Even if I don’t succeed with this business, I’ll still have a great life‘… then you are in a much better position to give it a try. Sure, you may want the relationship to work or the business to be a success—and you should give it your best effort—but also realize that if it doesn’t work out, you’ll be fine. There are many ways to live a great life.”
James Clear
“[Gratitude is when] you recognize that something is valuable to you, which has nothing to do with its monetary worth.”
David Steindl-Rast, via Think Like A Monk (Page 192)