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

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

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.

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

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

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

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

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.

The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment.

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

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

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

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

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

We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It's just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.

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

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.