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.

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

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

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

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

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

The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

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

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

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