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81 " We all demand reparation for our early wounds to our narcissism,” thinking we are owed because we were wronged or deprived. "
― Ryan Holiday , Stillness Is the Key
82 " To become empty is to become one with the divine—this is the Way. —AWA KENZO "
83 " Just like the overactive voice in a slump, the voice in a streak is an equally deleterious racing mental loop. Both get in the way. Both make a hard thing harder. "
84 " Everyone tries to shoot naturally,” Kenzo wrote, “but nearly all practitioners have some kind of strategy, some kind of shallow, artificial, calculating technical trick that they rely on when they shoot. Technical tricks ultimately lead nowhere. "
85 " There is a time for many words and there is a time for sleep. —HOMER, THE ODYSSEY "
86 " Always think about what you’re really being asked to give. Because the answer is often a piece of your life, usually in exchange for something you don’t even want. Remember, that’s what time is. It’s your life, it’s your flesh and blood, that you can never get back. "
87 " What’s essential is invisible to the eye. "
88 " The mind tends toward stillness,” Lao Tzu said, “but is opposed by craving. "
89 " The premise of this book is that our three domains—the mind, the heart, and the body—must be in harmony. "
90 " philosophers in the West often trained in wrestling and boxing, "
91 " The best car is not the one that turns the most heads, but the one you have to worry about the least. The best clothes are the ones that are the most comfortable, that require you to spend the least amount of time shopping—regardless of what the magazines say. The best house for you is the one that feels the most like home. Don’t use your money to purchase loneliness, or headaches, or status anxiety. "
92 " There is, on the surface, a contradiction here. On the one hand, the Buddhists say we must empty our minds to be fully present. We’ll never get anything done if we are paralyzed by overthinking. On the other hand, we must look and think and study deeply if we are ever to truly know (and if we are to avoid "
93 " This is the main question, with what activity one’s leisure is filled. —ARISTOTLE "
94 " This moment we are experiencing right now is a gift (that's why we call it the present). "
95 " As a general, Napoleon made it his habit to delay responding to the mail. His secretary was instructed to wait three weeks before opening any correspondence. When he finally did hear what was in a letter, Napoleon loved to note how many supposedly “important” issues had simply resolved themselves and no longer required a reply. While Napoleon "
96 " We cannot be in harmony with anyone or anything if the need for more, more, more is gnawing at our insides like a maggot. "
97 " Being well-trained, he becomes naturally gentle. Then, unfettered, he obeys his master. "
98 " When most of us hear the word “leisure,” we think of lounging around and doing nothing. In fact, this is a perversion of a sacred notion. In Greek, “leisure” is rendered as scholé—that is, school. Leisure historically meant simply freedom from the work needed to survive, freedom for intellectual or creative pursuits. It was learning and study and the pursuit of higher things. "
99 " Confidence is the freedom to set your own standards and unshackle yourself from the need to prove yourself. "
100 " That is why those who seek stillness must come to . . . Develop a strong moral compass. Steer clear of envy and jealousy and harmful desires. Come to terms with the painful wounds of their childhood. Practice gratitude and appreciation for the world around them. Cultivate relationships and love in their lives. Place belief and control in the hands of something larger than themselves. Understand that there will never be “enough” and that the unchecked pursuit of more ends only in bankruptcy. "