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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

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

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

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.

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.

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