The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel.

The mind is like a well-forged sword - it adapts to all situations.

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what's happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what's happening.

The more clearly you see the arising and passing of phenomena, the less you will be attached to them.

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.

The path is the goal. Every step of the journey is the journey.

The Buddha's teaching challenges us to master the art of living, to live in a way that leads to the extinction of suffering.

If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top.

The true person is not anyone in particular. But like the deep blue color of the limitless sky, it is everyone, everywhere in the world.

Wisdom is not about accumulating knowledge, but about seeing through all knowledge.

The Buddha's teaching is a middle way between all extremes, between eternalism and annihilationism, between self-indulgence and self-torture.

The lamp of wisdom burns constantly, illuminating the nature of mind.

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

The Dhamma is not a collection of doctrinal formulas but a path leading to direct insight into the nature of reality.

The problem is not the problem; the problem is your attitude about the problem.

Peace and negativity cannot coexist just as light and darkness cannot coexist.

The best way to solve a problem is to help someone else solve their problem.

The practice of meditation is not about achieving states of bliss but about seeing things as they really are.

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.

Panic is a gateway to wisdom. When we learn to stay present with our panic, it becomes our teacher.

Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

Genuine happiness comes from having developed basic human qualities, such as attention, emotional balance, and generosity.

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.

Understanding at the intellectual level is not enough. There must be experience at the actual level.

In the beginning, nothing comes, in the middle nothing stays, in the end nothing goes.

As surely as there is a voyage away, there is a journey home.

Life is an art, and like perfect art it should be self-forgetting.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.

The highest truth cannot be taught except through the conventional truth.

The Buddha's teachings are not a religion, but a science of mind.

What we learn about the world is colored by the way we approach it.

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

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

Real peace comes from seeing things as they really are, not as we want them to be.

The purpose of life is to be happy, to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is not to be well known, cited, or powerful.

Anxiety and excitement are the same emotion. The only difference is our attitude toward the experience.

Emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness is the space of possibility.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to bring everything onto the path. Every experience becomes an opportunity for awakening.

The practice of mindfulness leads naturally to concentration. Concentration leads naturally to wisdom.

The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

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

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

The more we understand the nature of our mind, the more we understand the nature of our world.

The path is not about moving from one place to another. It's about recognizing where we already are.

The development of wisdom requires both study and practice, both learning and direct experience.

The practice of vipassana is the study of the self. When you study physical and mental phenomena, you are studying the truth about yourself.

There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.

Mindfulness is the key to the present moment. Without it we cannot see the world clearly, and we cannot make the wisest choices in our lives.

The mind that notes and the object that is noted are both impermanent. Understanding this leads to liberation.

Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

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.

The purpose of a spiritual discipline is to give us a way to stop the war, not by our force of will, but through understanding and through letting go.

You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.

Compassion is not just about being kind to others. It's about being kind to ourselves as well.

The past is just a memory. The future is just a dream. Be here now.