The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought.

As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion.

Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts.

Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we are already.

Sticking with uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals.

The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with.

Life is glorious, but life is also wretched. It is both. Appreciating the gloriousness inspires us, encourages us, cheers us up, gives us a bigger perspective, energizes us. We feel connected. But if that's all that's happening, we get arrogant and start to look down on others, and there is a sense of making ourselves a big deal and being really serious about it, wanting it to be like that forever. The gloriousness becomes tinged by craving and addiction. On the other hand, wretchedness--life's painful aspect--softens us up considerably. Knowing pain is a very important ingredient of being there for another person.

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.

The more we witness our emotional reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain.

Hope and fear come from feeling that we lack something; they come from a sense of poverty. We can't simply relax with ourselves. We hold on to hope, and hope robs us of the present moment.

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.

Feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we're holding back.

You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

When things fall apart and we're on the verge of we know not what, the test of each of us is to stay on that brink and not concretize.

Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look.

The spiritual journey is not about heaven and finally getting to a place that's really swell.