“I wish neither to possess nor to be possessed. I no longer covet paradise. More important, I no longer fear hell. If you ask me what I will do in heaven, I will say this: Why should I think about something so far away when there are so many things in this life I have not finished learning about?”
Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 76)
“One hour of honest, serious thinking is more precious than weeks spent in empty talks.”
Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom (Page 246)
“I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable. All these and other factors combined, if the circumstances are right, can teach and can lead to rebirth.”
Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead
“You should do goodness without choosing to whom. Good things, once done, will never disappear, even if you forget about them. There is only one way to be happy, and this is a sure way: to do goodness and to share this goodness with others.”
Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom (Page 244)
“People normally see you through the very thick lens of their own past. Letting our lives be defined by the valuations/judgments that others place on us, is a quick path to people pleasing and constant dissatisfaction. If you want to do your life justice, then you need to simply be kind, walk gently, have compassion, but above all, live in a way that honors your truth. It is possible to view others without judgment, to see them through a lens of acceptance, but that takes intentional practice and healing work to relieve yourself of the thickness of ego.”
Yung Pueblo
“The math is simple: many people do less than they should. They might be selfish, but it’s likely that they’re struggling with a lack of resources or a story of insufficiency. Either way, in any community or organization, many people contribute less than their peers. Whether it’s splitting a check, getting a project done or making an impact on the culture or a cause, if you want things to get better, the only way is to be prepared to do more than your fair share. Because we need to make up for the folks who don’t.”
Seth Godin, Blog
“Someone told me once that every person has an element of good and an element of bad within him, and that either the good or the bad can be manifested according to the person’s mood. We possess within us two different ways of understanding this world. One is the feeling of being divided, distanced, and alienated from each other; in this state, all things seem gloomy to us. We feel nothing except jealousy, indifference, and hatred. I would like to call the opposite way of understanding the understanding of universal unification. In this state, all people seem very close to us, and all are equal among themselves. This state, therefore, arouses compassion and love in us.”
Arthur Schopenhauer, A Calendar of Wisdom (Page 241)
“I think when a couple marry, they either go into heaven or live in hell. They may live a fairy-tale-like life, or they may suffer a lot. I am a fortunate man. I am fortunate not because my films have broken box-office records in various parts of the world, but because I have a good wife, Linda. She is unsurpassed. Why do I say this? First, I believe a couple should develop a kind of friendship. Linda and I have this kind of friendship. We understand each other, like a pair of good friends. We thus can spend our time together happily. My wife is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me—not The Big Boss.”
Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 66)
“All other arguments against meat eating, no matter how strong they are are meaningless in relation to the fact that animals have the same life spirit that exists in us. We should feel that by taking an animal life we commit something close to suicide. No other argument against meat eating is necessary for those who have this inner feeling.”
Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom (Page 240)
“Successful people say no to almost everything.”
Dru Riley, Blog
“Not wanting something is as good as having it.”
Dru Riley, Blog
“You alone plan to commit a sin, you alone plan to do evil; and you alone can escape sin and purify your thoughts. Only your inner self can damn you, and only your inner self can save you.”
Dhammapada, via A Calendar of Wisdom (Page 236)
“To be humble to superiors is duty; to equals is courtesy; to inferiors is nobleness; and to all, safety!”
Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 55)
“Oftentimes people come up to me and ask, ‘Bruce, are you really that good?’ I say, ‘Well, if I tell you I’m good, probably you will say I’m boasting; but if I tell you I’m no good, you’ll know I’m lying.’ I have the absolute confidence not to be number two, but then I have enough sense also to realize that there can be no number one.”
Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 54)
“A most dangerous temptation is the temptation to prepare to live, instead of living. The future does not belong to you. Therefore, remember to live the best way you know now. The only perfection necessary is perfection in love, which can be reached only in the present. It’s why we came into this world.”
Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom (Page 235)
“A wise man was asked what was the most important time, person, and thing in life. He answered, ‘The most important time is the present time, because at this time a person has power over himself. The most important person is the one with whom you deal at present, because there is no guarantee that you will ever be able to deal with any other person in this world. The most important thing is to love this person, because everyone is sent into this world with the sole purpose of loving other people.”
Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom (Page 235)