50 Quotes for Mindfulness
MINDFULNESS IS HARD… FULL STOP.
I know some days I struggle to remember to breathe, pay attention to my thoughts, and learn from that what I will.
It’s also VERY rewarding.
Being aware that the present is the most important moment and constantly bringing myself back to it has created a better awareness within myself and greater emotional intelligence.
My relationships with others have become more self-aware.
“BUT… HOW DO I START?”
I didn’t get where I am today without a lot of help, guidance, and teaching.
Included in this blog post are 50 wonderful quotes for mindfulness which can guide your journey. Some are from inspirational meditation leaders like Jon Kabat-Zinn or Thich Nhat Hanh. Some are quotes from famous authors or visionaries from years past.
They all touch upon an aspect of mindfulness or bring focus to the present.
My advice? Go through the list slowly and see what speaks to you.
1. “Mindful and creative, a child who has neither a past, nor examples to follow, nor value judgments, simply lives, speaks and plays in freedom.” «—» Arnaud Desjardins
2. “We have only now, only this single eternal moment opening and unfolding before us, day and night.” «—» Jack Kornfield
3. “Envy and jealousy stem from the fundamental inability to rejoice at someone else’s happiness or success.” «—» Matthieu Ricard
4. “By breaking down our sense of self-importance, all we lose is a parasite that has long infected our minds. What we gain in return is freedom, openness of mind, spontaneity, simplicity, altruism: all qualities inherent in happiness.” «—» Matthieu Ricard
5. “Our lives are lived in intense and anxious struggle, in a swirl of speed and aggression, in competing, grasping, possessing and achieving, forever burdening ourselves with extraneous activities and preoccupations.” «—» Sogyal Rinpoche
6. “Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” «—» Jack Kornfield
7. “To diminish the suffering of pain, we need to make a crucial distinction between the pain of pain, and the pain we create by our thoughts about the pain. Fear, anger, guilt, loneliness and helplessness are all mental and emotional responses that can intensify pain.” «—» Howard Cutler
8. “Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing.” «—» Pema Chodron
9. “Why, if we are as pragmatic as we claim, don’t we begin to ask ourselves seriously: Where does our real future lie?” «—» Sogyal Rinpoche
10. “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” «—» Dalai Lama
11. “If one were truly aware of the value of human life, to waste it blithely on distractions and the pursuit of vulgar ambitions would be the height of confusion.” «—» Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
12. “Knowledge does not mean mastering a great quantity of different information, but understanding the nature of mind. This knowledge can penetrate each one of our thoughts and illuminate each one of our perceptions.” «—» Matthieu Ricard
13. “The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.” «—» Thich Nhat Hanh
14. “The basic root of happiness lies in our minds; outer circumstances are nothing more than adverse or favorable.” «—» Matthieu Ricard
15. “The mind in its natural state can be compared to the sky, covered by layers of cloud which hide its true nature.” «—» Kalu Rinpoche
16. “Observe the space between your thoughts, then observe the observer.” «—» Hamilton Boudreaux
17. “The practice of mindfulness begins in the small, remote cave of your unconscious mind and blossoms with the sunlight of your conscious life, reaching far beyond the people and places you can see.” «—» Earon Davis
18. “Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the small uncaring ways.” «—» Stephen Vincent Benet
19. “As long as we have practiced neither concentration nor mindfulness, the ego takes itself for granted and remains its usual normal size, as big as the people around one will allow.” «—» Ayya Khema
20. “Impermanence is a principle of harmony. When we don’t struggle against it, we are in harmony with reality.” «—» Pema Chodron
21. “If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” «—» Rabbi Harold Kushner
22. “There’s only one reason why you’re not experiencing bliss at this present moment, and it’s because you’re thinking or focusing on what you don’t have…. But, right now you have everything you need to be in bliss.” «—» Anthony de Mello
23. “Our own worst enemy cannot harm us as much as our unwise thoughts. No one can help us as much as our own compassionate thoughts.” «—» Buddha
24. “We are awakened to the profound realization that the true path to liberation is to let go of everything.” «—» Jack Kornfield
25. “I wish that life should not be cheap, but sacred. I wish the days to be as centuries, loaded, fragrant.” «—» Ralph Waldo Emerson
26. “The way to live in the present is to remember that ‘This too shall pass.’ When you experience joy, remembering that ‘This too shall pass’ helps you savor the here and now. When you experience pain and sorrow, remembering that ‘This too shall pass’ reminds you that grief, like joy, is only temporary.” «—» Joey Green
27. “Always hold fast to the present. Every situation, indeed every moment, is of infinite value, for it is the representative of a whole eternity.” «—» Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
28. “Do every act of your life as though it were the last act of your life.” «—» Marcus Aurelius
29. “Everything is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality.” «—» Robin S. Sharma
30. “Don’t believe everything you think. Thoughts are just that – thoughts.” «—» Allan Lokos
31. “Respond; don’t react. Listen; don’t talk. Think; don’t assume.” «—» Raji Lukkoor
32. “In this moment, there is plenty of time. In this moment, you are precisely as you should be. In this moment, there is infinite possibility.” «—» Victoria Moran
33. “Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t).” «—» James Baraz
34. “Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it.” «—» Sharon Salzberg
35. “It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth – and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up – that we will begin to live each day to the fullest as if it was the only one we had.” «—» Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
36. “Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” ~Seneca
37. “Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.” «—» Rumi
38. “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” «—» Amit Ray
39. “In the end, just three things matter: How well we have lived. How well we have loved. How well we have learned to let go” «—» Jack Kornfield
40. “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” «—» Dalai Lama
41. “Suffering usually relates to wanting things to be different than they are.” «—» Allan Lokos
42. “If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.” «—» Pema Chodron
43. “If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.” «—» William Blake
44. “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” «—» Thich Nhat Hanh
45. “Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn’t more complicated than that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.” «—» Sylvia Boorstein
46. “The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” «—» Jon Kabat-Zinn
47. “In today’s rush, we all think too much — seek too much — want too much — and forget about the joy of just being.” «—» Eckhart Tolle
48. “When you realize nothing is lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” «—» Lao Tzu
49. “Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future; live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.” «—» Thich Nhat Hanh”
50. “As soon as we wish to be happier, we are no longer happy.” «—» Walter Landor
HOW CAN I USE THIS?
Now that you’ve read the quotes take a moment to take stock of what stuck with you most.
If you’d like, focus on one quote each day and incorporate it into your work,
OR If you’re one of the people who are stuck worrying about the future or living in the past, focus on the quotes about the present and see what you can learn from them,
OR pick five quotes that speak to you and try to find moments to use them every day.
The opportunities to add a little wisdom to your day are endless.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
You’ve come to the right place. I offer plenty of classes within the Tampa Bay area for mindfulness, meditation, and yoga (including a FREE class on the first Sunday of the month on St. Pete Beach!!!)
If you’re not in the Tampa Bay area I offer online classes through a video conference application.
Corporate mindfulness meditation has been shown to boost morale in the workplace, as well as generate more creative energy, try it out for your company and see how much it can help!
