The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment.

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

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

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

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