The root of suffering is resisting the certainty that no matter what the circumstances, uncertainty is all we truly have.

The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment.

We don't set out to save the world; we set out to wonder how other people are doing and to reflect on how our actions affect other people's hearts.

The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.

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

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

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

The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment.

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.

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

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.

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

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

Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us.

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

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

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.

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

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.

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