Enlightenment is not something you achieve.
It is the absence of something.
All your life you have been going forward after something, pursuing some goal.
Enlightenment is dropping all that.
Hakuun Yasutani Roshi, 1885–1973, Zen master in the Sōtō tradition,
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.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 8, §47, i
If you find yourself rushing or becoming impatient, slowing the pace can help take the edge off your rushing
and remind you that you are here now,
and that when you get there, you will be there.
If you miss the here, you are likely also to miss the there.
Jon Kabat Zinn, Wherever you Go, There you Are
Contentment isn’t about getting what you want – it’s about being at peace with what is.
When you stop measuring life by your preferences,
the heart settles into a natural ease.
Ajahn Sucitto, Kamma and the End of Kamma
As you proceed through life, following your own path, birds will shit on you.
Don’t bother to brush it off.
Getting a comedic view of your situation gives you spiritual distance.
Having a sense of humor saves you.
Joseph Campbell
As I grow older, I discover more and more that the greatest gift I have to offer is my own joy of living, my own inner peace, my own silence and solitude, my own sense of well-being.
When I ask myself, “Who helps me the most?” I must answer, “The one who is willing to share his or her life with me.”
Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved
