Meditations

"Not to assume it is impossible because you find it hard yourself; but to recognize that if it is humanly possible, you can do it too."

"All we have is our thoughts, and the power to direct them."

"Settle yourself in solitude, and you will come to see that quiet words have power."

"The way to the abyss is inward, and only from within can you emerge whole."

"To understand the nature of the universe, understand yourself first."

"Do you have the discipline to give up distractions and mediocrity and actually commit to excellence?"

"An unimaginable darkness may be coming, but we must make of ourselves what we can."

"If you have assumed a character above your strength, you have both played an ill part in the play and lost the character which you might have maintained."

"The stone in the middle of the road shows us which way to go."

"No one has ever lived or can live without stumbling."

"Time is a river of passing events, and strong is its current."

"Everything that exists is in a manner the seed of that which will be."

"When you wake up in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."

"The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts."

"Nothing happens to the wise man against his expectation."

"Your life is shaped by the thoughts you choose."

"Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much. But all this is very unphilosophical, when thou canst, at any moment, retire into thyself."

"It is impossible for a man to be unhappy who does not oppress others."

"Take away your opinion, and then there is taken away the complaint."

"Remind yourself that to change your mind and follow him who sets you right is to be nonetheless the free agent that you were before."

"Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, egoism, lying, and cruelty."

"Fate guides the willing, and drags along the unwilling."

"A blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it."

"The greatest wealth is health."

"You may have lost today, but you have been given tomorrow to try again."

"Treat with respect the force in you that commands action, and everything follows."

"The universe is transformation; our life is what our thoughts make it."

"True success is the fruit of the seeds you sow within yourself."

"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."

"Concentrate every minute like a Roman, and a man, on doing what's in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness."