Quotes Flashcards
Attitude and Truth
The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.
Actions and Words
If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.
Time and Others
How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy.
Bad Fortune
Here is a rule to remember in future, when anything tempts you to feel bitter: not ‘This is misfortune,’ but ‘To bear this worthily is good fortune.
Pain and Distress
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
Events
You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
Incline the Mind
The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts.
Truth
If someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right, I will happily change, for I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed. It is the person who continues in his self-deception and ignorance who is harmed.
Opinions of Others
I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others.
Majority Opinion
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
Injury
Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.
Others’ Opinions
When another blames you or hates you, or people voice similar criticisms, go to their souls, penetrate inside and see what sort of people they are. You will realize that there is no need to be racked with anxiety that they should hold any particular opinion about you.
Anger
How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.
Meeting Anger
The best answer to anger is silence.
Control
The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.
Steps
The first step: Don’t be anxious. Nature controls it all.
The second step: Concentrate on what you have to do. Fix your eyes on it. Remind yourself that your task is to be a good human being; remind yourself what nature demands of people. Then do it, without hesitation, and speak the truth as you see it. But with kindness. With humility. Without hypocrisy.
Tolerance
Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.
Reason
He who follows reason in all things is both tranquil and active at the same time, and also cheerful and collected.
Externals
For God’s sake, stop honouring externals, quit turning yourself into the tool of mere matter, or of people who can supply you or deny you those material things.
Equanimity
Treat whatever happens as wholly natural; not novel or hard to deal with; but familiar and easily handled.
Faults
It’s silly to try to escape other people’s faults. They are inescapable. Just try to escape your own.
Character
As you are careful when you walk not to step on a nail or turn your ankle, so you should take care not to do any injury to your character at the same time.
Character 2
If you lost the capacity to read, or play music, you would think it was a disaster, but you think nothing of losing the capacity to be honest, decent and civilized.
Burdens
Nothing is burdensome if taken lightly, and how nothing need arouse one’s irritation so long as one doesn’t make it bigger than it is by getting irritated.
