Quotes about Problems

“The level of the problem is never the level of the solution.”
Deepak Chopra, The Shadow Effect (Page 64)

“The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.”
Theodore Rubin, via Sunbeams (Page 106)

“Looking at the beautiful expanse of the sky is an antidote to the nagging pettiness of earthly concerns. And it is good and sobering to lose yourself in that as often as you can.”
Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 131)

Never let the future disturb you.

“The time we spend worrying is actually time we’re spending trying to control something that is out of our control. Time invested in something that is within our control is called work. That’s where our most productive focus lies.”
Seth Godin, The Practice (Page 99)

“If the problem can be solved, why worry? And if the problem can’t be solved, then worrying will do you no good.”
Shantideva, via The Practice (Page 99)

“Some things are better off ignored than attacked. Attention is the oxygen of conflict. When you fight a problem, you breathe life into it. When you starve a problem of your attention, you suffocate it. In a surprising number of cases, the way to solve a problem is to ignore it.”
James Clear, Blog (Read Matt’s Blog On This Quote)

“Problems are not problems at all, but results that are dissatisfying.”
Jerry Gillies, via Sunbeams (Page 55)

Might as well choose your hard.

Claire Wineland Quote on Challenges and How To Keep Moving Forward When You Feel Stuck

“I’m not stuck in this belief that challenges are given to us to hold us back. I am lifted up by the belief that challenges are here to help us move forwards—and that is the difference. That is the only difference between people who are living a passionate, proud life and people who feel sad—or people who get older and feel like they don’t know what they’re doing anymore.”
Claire Wineland (15), TEDxMalibu

Beyond the Quote (342/365)

When you feel stuck in your life it’s because you’ve reached a limit; you’ve hit a wall; you’ve arrived at a boundary; you’ve reached an edge in your understanding. And you can’t pass until you figure out a way to scale the wall; cross the boundary; and/or explore what’s beyond those limits. Figure out being the key phrase in that sentence. Being stuck is a problem to be solved—not a permanent state of being. It involves critical thinking, research and reflection, trial and error, conversation, and more. And while this all may sound obvious, it certainly isn’t common practice.

“I don’t fix problems, I fix my thinking. Then problems fix themselves.”
Louise Hay

Beyond the Quote (337/365)

Life isn’t easy—for any of us. I think we all can agree on that. If so, it can be assumed that life is hard—for all of us. Now, we can never know for sure how “hard” life is or isn’t for another person. We can only ever judge another person’s life from the outside looking in, which is an INCREDIBLY limited and superficial perspective. Of course, if someone is homeless or without basic necessities for survival, there are assumptions of “hard” that we can validly make. But, when it comes to judging the other people around us, how a person’s life appears to be and how their life actually is should never be assumed to be the same thing.

What's Weighing You Down? A Short Story About Letting Go of Your Stresses

Excerpt: A psychologist walks into a room of students and asks how heavy her glass of water is? The answer might surprise you…

“Life is not a problem. To look at it as a problem is to take a wrong step. It is a mystery to be lived, loved, experienced.”
Osho, Courage (Page 23)

Do not use what you do not have.

When’s the last time you asked yourself this?

3 False Solutions That Aren’t Helping You Solve Your Problems—They’re Just Making Them Worse

Excerpt: What holds us back isn’t our problems—we can overcome those. The real demon is the false solutions we use to try to solve our problems…

“Problems never stop; they merely get exchanged and/or upgraded.”
Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Beyond the Quote (274/365)

Let’s be clear: the goal shouldn’t be to live a problem-free life. There is no such thing as a problem free life. How could it be? The very act of staying alive and healthy is a forever shape-shifting landscape of compiling problems that confront us afresh every minute of every day. So, what is the goal then?

“Those who think they will find solutions to all their problems by traveling far from home, perhaps as they stare at the Colosseum or some enormous moss-covered statue of Buddha, Emerson said, are bringing ruins to ruins. Wherever they go, whatever they do, their sad self comes along. A plane ticket or a pill or some plant medicine is a treadmill, not a shortcut. What you seek will come only if you sit and do the work, if you probe yourself with real self-awareness and patience.”
Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 245)

“Look into yourself and try to figure out the big stress that is magnetically attracting all the tiny stresses to feed your volcano. When we address the big ones, the small ones can slide off our shoulders instead of building up into something they don’t need to be. If something minor is setting you off more than normal, it may be a sign that the big one is not far behind. Find a quiet place, get comfortable, and ask the uncomfortable question: “What’s really bugging me?” Whatever it is, it’s important to be the archaeologist and start digging inward to discover what’s down there. You’ll quickly realize that problems have layers, and many of them don’t have other people’s names attached to them. This practice of digging deeper and peeling away layers is important as it’ll help us find the root of many of our problems—which is usually about fear.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 252)

“Our problems aren’t always our fault, but they’re still our responsibility.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 247)