“What difference does it make who is stronger, smarter, more beautiful, or richer? In the end, the only thing that matters is whether you are a happy person or not.”
“Peace comes to you in the same way it emanates from you.”
“And although my goal is to understand what love is, although I suffer because of those to whom I gave my heart, I see clearly: those who touch my soul cannot set my flesh aflame, while those who touch my flesh are powerless to comprehend my soul.” Paulo Coelho, “Eleven Minutes”
“Love is the direct opposite of this: you respect a person as such. When you love someone as they are, emotional pain does not arise; through love, you become richer. Love makes everyone rich.”
“Love grows only in love. Love needs an atmosphere of love—that is the most important thing to remember. Only in an atmosphere of love does love truly grow; it needs to be surrounded by vibrations of the same frequency.”
“When you love, you discover such richness within yourself, so much tenderness and affection—you can hardly believe that you are capable of loving in this way.”
A. A. Chekhov
“Love knows no logic; it is above reason. Love dwells on the heights, above the valleys of reason. It is an elevated state of being, the crown of existence, and it is granted to few.”
“It is a mistake to think that love grows out of a long friendship and persistent courtship. Love is the fruit of spiritual closeness, and if closeness does not arise within a second, it will not arise after years or generations.” Kahlil Gibran
“And happiness was so possible,
So close!”
Alexander Pushkin
“In separation there is a lofty meaning.
However much you love, whether for one day or a century,
Love is a dream, and a dream is but a moment…
Sooner or later, awakening comes,
And at last a person must awaken…
"We have the ability to awaken and live consciously; however, as you may have noticed, we have a strong tendency to remain asleep. We seem always to be standing at a crossroads, constantly choosing where to go. Every moment we have a choice: to take a step toward greater clarity and happiness, or toward delusion and pain." P. Chödrön, "Taking a Step Toward the Future"
"You will also be able to identify the moments when you were closer to consciousness and farther from it. But by observing yourself and noting the appearance and disappearance of consciousness, you will inevitably discover one fact that you do not currently see or acknowledge. This fact is that moments of consciousness are very brief and separated by long intervals of unconscious, mechanical work by the machine. Then you will see that you can think, feel, act, speak, and work without being conscious of it. And if you learn to see in yourself moments of consciousness and long periods of mechanical functioning, you will just as unmistakably see when other people are conscious of what they are doing and when they are not."
P. D. Ouspensky, "In Search of the Miraculous"
"Our evolution is the evolution of consciousness. And 'consciousness' cannot evolve unconsciously. It is the evolution of our will, and 'will' cannot evolve without will. It is the evolution of our 'doing.' And doing cannot be the result of something that simply happens." G. Gurdjieff, "The Fourth Way to Consciousness"
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"The first step in awareness is to become very attentive to your body. Little by little, a person becomes alert in every gesture, in every movement. As you become more aware, a miracle begins to happen: many things that you used to do simply disappear. Your body becomes more relaxed, more attuned; a profound peace settles in your body, and subtle music pulsates through your body."
"Every time you feel that you have missed it, come back—that is all. Do not feel guilty; that is a trick of the mind, and now it is playing the game again. Do not regret, 'I forgot again.' When you realize this, immediately return to what you are doing. While taking a bath, return; while eating, return; while walking, return to it. The moment you feel that you are not here and now, return—simply, innocently. Do not create a sense of guilt. If you feel guilty, you have missed the point."
Life is a strange thing. I have thought and reflected on it a lot, but with each passing day it seems increasingly incomprehensible to me. Why do we have such a thirst for life? After all, life is a game that a person never wins.
Jack London.
Marriage is a long conversation interrupted by arguments.
"Haven't you heard the anecdote about Rubens? He was the Dutch ambassador to Spain and used to spend his afternoons in the royal garden at his easel. One day, a courtier dressed to the nines was walking through the garden and said, ‘I see that our diplomat occasionally dabbles in painting.’ Rubens replied, ‘No, it’s the painter who occasionally dabbles in diplomacy!’"
The poignant biographical story of the great painter Vincent van Gogh can hardly leave anyone indifferent. Based mainly on documentary material—primarily the letters that were preserved—the book itself, as a work of art, is worthy of the creator’s brush, expressed only in words."
I. Stone, "Lust for Life"
