“Complete outer calmness is impossible. But when there are some calm periods, we should appreciate them and make them last longer. This is the time when useful thoughts appear; they become stronger and guide us in life.”
Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom (Page 307)
The Tea Master Who Was Mistaken For A Samurai — A Short Story About Calming The Mind
Excerpt: A powerful short story of a tea master who gets mistaken for a samurai and how he remains calm even in the midst of certain death.
Read More »The Tea Master Who Was Mistaken For A Samurai — A Short Story About Calming The Mind
“There is great power in honoring the reality of our current emotions—not feeding them or making them worse but simply recognizing that this is what has arisen in this present moment and that this will also change. When we create this space within ourselves—a space of calmness that is undisturbed by the storm—the storm tends to pass more quickly.”
Yung Pueblo, Inward (Page 81)
where do good decisions come from? a calm mind how can you measure your peace? by how calm you stay during a storm how do you know if you are attached to something? because it creates tension in your mind where are the greatest revolutions fought and won? in the heart do you know why you are powerful? because you can change the future ~ Yung Pueblo, Inward (Page 67)
“The people you admire, the ones who seem to be able to successfully handle and deal with adversity and difficulty, what do they have in common? Their sense of equilibrium, their orderly discipline. On the one-yard line, in the midst of criticism, after a heartbreaking tragedy, during a stressful period, they keep going. Not because they’re better than you. Not because they’re smarter than you. But because they have learned a little secret. You can take the bite out of any tough situation by bringing a calm mind to it.”
Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 386)
“To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden.”
Seneca, Hercules Oetaeus, via The Daily Stoic (Page 386)
“Clear your mind and get a hold on yourself and, as when awakened from sleep and realizing it was only a bad dream upsetting you, wake up and see that what’s there is just like those dreams.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, via The Daily Stoic (Page 55)