Wisdom Quotes

"In the conduct of life we must distinguish between the possible and the impossible."

"To err is human, but to persevere in error is the mark of a fool."

"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."

"Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I will encounter busybodies, ingrates, egomaniacs, liars, the angry, and cranks."

"Receive without pride, let go without attachment."

"Choose not to be harmed—and you won't be. Feel harmed and you are."

"Stop allowing your confused impressions about how things really are to be the criteria for action."

"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."

"He is a wise man who does not give the right answer to an enemy."

"The honey is sweet, but the bee stings."

"Treat with utmost respect your power of forming opinions, for this power alone guards you against making assumptions you ought not to make."

"The keys to a better life: stop blaming others, stop making excuses, and stop overthinking."

"The belly, when it cries out, cries out for simple things; luxurious dishes and fine wines are the inventions of the vain."

"The body grows weary chasing shadows; the soul grows weary pursuing fantasies."

"When reason and appetite stand at odds, it is reason that must hold the sword."

"In the space between heartbeats lies a philosophy entire."

"The man who serves pleasure becomes its slave; the man who moderates becomes its master."

"To live without philosophy is to sail without a compass through stormy seas."

"The man who has learned to want little has learned to live much."

"To understand your enemy is often to discover he is merely a version of yourself."

"In the company of the wise, even silence becomes conversation."

"When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

"The usefulness of a cup is in its emptiness."

"The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water molds itself to the pitcher."

"If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place."

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

"When nothing is done, nothing remains undone."

"In the pursuit of the Way, every day something is dropped."

"The dull emerge from the darkness; only the light of awareness pierces the veil."

"The sage knows himself without seeing himself."