“
A fight is going on inside me," said an old man to his son. "It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is good. he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you."
The son thought about it for a minute and then asked, "Which wolf will win?"
The old man replied simply, "The one you feed.
”
”
Wendy Mass (Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life)
“
This is where we are at right now, as a whole. No one is left out of the loop. We are experiencing a reality based on a thin veneer of lies and illusions. A world where greed is our God and wisdom is sin, where division is key and unity is fantasy, where the ego-driven cleverness of the mind is praised, rather than the intelligence of the heart.
”
”
Bill Hicks
“
The ego lusts for satisfaction. It has a prideful ferocious appetite for its version of "truth". It is the most challenging aspect to conquer; the cause for most spiritual turmoil.
”
”
T.F. Hodge (From Within I Rise: Spiritual Triumph over Death and Conscious Encounters With the Divine Presence)
“
People's behaviors are messages, not a diagnosis because I can no longer discern the world's version of insanity.
”
”
Shannon L. Alder
“
Anger has great strength,
but no brains.
Greed has many hands,
but no heart.
Fear has many titles,
but no honor.
Hatred has many forms,
but no soul.
Desire has great strength,
but no brains.
Agony has many hands,
but no heart.
Shame has many titles,
but no honor.
Ego has many forms,
but no soul.
Envy has great strength,
but no brains.
Malice has many hands,
but no heart.
Lust has many titles,
but no honor.
Evil has many forms,
but no soul.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
I happen to believe that America is dying of loneliness, that we, as a people, have bought into the false dream of convenience, and turned away from a deep engagement with our internal lives—those fountains of inconvenient feeling—and toward the frantic enticements of what our friends in the Greed Business call the Free Market. We’re hurtling through time and space and information faster and faster, seeking that network connection. But at the same time we’re falling away from our families and our neighbors and ourselves. We ego-surf and update our status and brush up on which celebrities are ruining themselves, and how. But the cure won’t stick.
”
”
Cheryl Strayed (Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar)
“
Our first computers were born not out of greed or ego, but in the revolutionary spirit of helping common people rise above the most powerful institutions.
”
”
Steve Wozniak
“
Less ego, more wealth. Saving money is the gap between your ego and your income, and wealth is what you don’t see. So wealth is created by suppressing what you could buy today in order to have more stuff or more options in the future. No matter how much you earn, you will never build wealth unless you can put a lid on how much fun you can have with your money right now, today.
”
”
Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)
“
The sprouting of the seeds of creativity, intuition and wisdom takes place in a relaxed mind. Only anger, greed and ego require a disturbed mind.
”
”
Shivanshu K. Srivastava
“
Any man who neglects his conscience is a dangerous animal.
”
”
Suzy Kassem (Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem)
“
There is a fine line between:
ego and confidence,
weakness and cowardice,
piety and self-righteousness,
lust and infatuation,
patience and procrastination,
contentment and apathy,
fear and hatred,
greed and ambition,
sin and pleasure,
want and need,
and hope and delusion.
There is also a fine line between:
sleep and death,
rest and idleness,
envy and desire,
noise and music,
sight and blindness,
respect and idolatry,
poverty and crime,
corruption and equality,
tyranny and despair,
religion and exploitation,
and freewill and destiny.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson
about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between
two "wolves" inside us all.
One is Evil.
It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies,
false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good.
It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute
and then asked his grandfather:
"Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied,
"The one you feed.
”
”
Cherokee Metaphor
“
Success always calls for greater generosity—though most people, lost in the darkness of their own egos, treat it as an occasion for greater greed.
”
”
Xenophon (Cyrus the Great: The Arts of Leadership and War)
“
You can dress up greed, but you can’t stop the stench.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
An old man spoke to his grandson. "My child," he said. "Inside everyone there is a battle between two wolves. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, inferiority, lies, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth." The boy thought for a moment. Then he asked, "Which wolf wins?" A moment of silence passed before the old man replied. And then he said, "The one you feed." - Native American Folk Tale
”
”
Christine Woodward (Rogue Touch)
“
A Native American wisdom story tells of an old Cherokee who is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.
”
”
Kristin Neff (Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself)
“
A Cherokee elder was teaching his young grandson about life.
"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt and ego.
The other is good- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.
This same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too."
The boy thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,
"Which wolf will win?"
The elder simply replied,
"The one you feed.
”
”
Tsalagi Tale
“
Ali In Battle
Learn from Ali how to fight
without your ego participating.
God's Lion did nothing
that didn't originate
from his deep center.
Once in battle he got the best of a certain knight
and quickly drew his sword. The man,
helpless on the ground, spat
in Ali's face. Ali dropped his sword,
relaxed, and helped the man to his feet.
"Why have you spared me?
How has lightning contracted back
into its cloud? Speak, my prince,
so that my soul can begin to stir
in me like an embryo."
Ali was quiet and then finally answered,
"I am God's Lion, not the lion of passion.
The sun is my lord. I have no longing except for the One.
When a wind of personal reaction comes,
I do not go along with it.
There are many winds full of anger,
and lust and greed. They move the rubbish
around, but the solid mountain of true nature
stays where it's always been.
There's nothing now
except the divine qualities.
Come through the opening into me.
Your impudence was better than any reverence,
because in this moment I am you and you are me.
I give you this opened heart as God gives gifts:
the poison of your spit has become
the honey of friendship.
”
”
Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi (The Essential Rumi)
“
The inflated ego of the tyrant is a curse to himself and his world – no matter how his affairs may prosper. Self-terrorized, fear-haunted, alert at every hand to meet and battle back the anticipated aggressions of his environment, which are primarily the reflections of the uncontrollable impulses to acquisition within himself. The giant of self-achieved independence is the world’s messenger of disaster, even though, in his mind, he may entertain himself with humane intentions.
”
”
Joseph Campbell (The Hero With a Thousand Faces)
“
Me, myself and I’ leave no room for ‘us and them.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
If I can’t quite figure out what an ego is, all I have to do is look for the thing that’s killing itself in the very act of feeding itself.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
Greed is the thief of the soul.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
Sula was distinctly different. Eva’s arrogance and Hannah’s self-indulgence merged in her and, with a twist that was all her own imagination, she lived out her days exploring her own thoughts and emotions, giving them full reign, feeling no obligation to please anybody unless their pleasure pleased her. As willing to feel pain as to give pain, to feel pleasure as to give pleasure, hers was an experimental life – ever since her mother’s remarks sent her flying up those stairs, ever since her one major feeling of responsibility had been exorcised on the bank of a river with a closed place in the middle. The first experience taught her there was no other that you could count on; the second that there was no self to count on either. She had no center, no speck around which to grow. […] She was completely free of ambition, with no affection for money, property or things, no greed, no desire to command attention or compliments – no ego. For that reason she felt no compulsion to verify herself – be consistent with herself
”
”
Toni Morrison (Sula)
“
At the point that our promises have become tactics to get what we want verses commitments that we intend to keep, the only thing that we are promising is the delivery of a broken promise.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
Our disconnection, trauma, lack of resources, lack of compassion, fear, greed, and ego are the sources of our contributions to human suffering, not our bodies. We can accept humans and their bodies without understanding “why” they love, think, move, or look the way they do. Contrary to common opinion, freeing ourselves from the need to understand everything can bring about a tremendous amount of peace.
”
”
Sonya Renee Taylor (The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love)
“
Just as sex is a God-given instinct for the prolongation of the human race, so the desire for property as a prolongation of one's ego is a natural right sanctioned by natural law. A person is free on the inside because he can call his soul his own; he is free on the outside because he can call property his own. Internal freedom is based upon the fact that "I am"; external freedom is based on the fact that "I have." But just as the excesses of flesh produce lust, for lust is sex in the wrong place, so there can be a deordination of the desire for property until it becomes greed, avarice, and capitalistic aggression.
”
”
Fulton J. Sheen (Life of Christ)
“
Resentment is the emotion that goes with complaining and the mental labeling of people and adds even more energy to the ego. Resentment means to feel bitter, indignant, aggrieved, or offended. You resent other people’s greed, their dishonesty, their lack of integrity, what they are doing, what they did in the past, what they said, what they failed to do, what they should or shouldn’t have done. The ego loves it. Instead of overlooking unconsciousness in others, you make it into their identity. Who is doing that? The unconsciousness in you, the ego. Sometimes the “fault
”
”
Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose)
“
Unless you're steadily and unflaggingly cynical about the solemn twaddle that's talked by bishops and bankers and professors and politicians and all the rest of them, you're lost. Utterly lost. Doomed to personal imprisonment in your ego- doomed to be a personality in a world of personalities; and a world of personalities is this world, the world of greed and fear and hatred, of war and capitalism and dictatorship and slavery. Yes, you've got to be cynical, Pete. Specially cynical about all the actions and feelings you've been taught to suppose were good. Most of them are not good. They're merely evils which happen to be regarded as creditable. But unfortunately, creditable evil is just as bad as discreditable evil. Scribes and Pharises aren't any better, in the last analysis, than publicans and sinners. Indeed, they're often much worse.
”
”
Aldous Huxley (After Many a Summer Dies the Swan)
“
The NPP insists that we venerate the crooks, rapists, and pillagers credulous historians have repackaged as “founders,” “conquerors,” and “civilizers.” We erect statues and consecrate tombs to commemorate their difference-making. But in fact, most of these monuments memorialize the dark deeds of unhinged lunatics driven by rampant ego and raving greed.
”
”
Christopher Ryan (Civilized to Death: What Was Lost on the Way to Modernity)
“
Whenever success and fame override our senses with greed, arrogance and delusion; it is a time to pause and reflect.
”
”
Aditya Ajmera
“
the truth gets buried deep beneath ego, greed, status, and stupidity.
”
”
Anthony William (Medical Medium: Secrets Behind Chronic and Mystery Illness and How to Finally Heal)
“
If I’m my biggest fan, the only person in the stadium is probably me.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
The clearest version of vision, backed by the purest grade of greed is a ripen file of failure.
”
”
Israelmore Ayivor
“
Fear, greed, and ego are very expensive monkeys to have on your back while trading.
”
”
Steve Burns (New Trader,Rich Trader 2: Good Trades, Bad Trades)
“
A mind clouded by lust, envy, greed, ego and resentment hardly makes the right decisions. A mind centered in peace, love and gratitude hardly makes the wrong decisions.
”
”
Hrishikesh Agnihotri (Enrich The World With Your Presence : HA's Original Quotes, Volume 01)
“
If it’s about me, I can be assured that there will be a bunch of empty chairs in the auditorium of my life; save the one I’m sitting in.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
Be assured that whatever it is, there will be nothing ‘in it for me’ if I approach it from the perspective of ‘what’s in it for me.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
I and they, my chosen friends, my fellow-builders, shall write the firsts chapter in the new history of man
”
”
Ayn Rand (Anthem)
“
Having humanity and humility make me think of helping others. Having greed and an ego make me think of buying a bigger mirror.
”
”
Anthony T. Hincks
“
Those of us who are in tune with nature and animals know it is our way of life, Bram. There is a connection to all living things, a vibration of Life. Animals were not given a power of choice. A lion does not try and eat legumes, nor an elephant meat. We believe the best way to communicate with nature, God, is through a liaison: the animals..... Nature hears one voice and obeys it. That is why ten or ten thousand birds may rise from the surface of a lake at the same time and yet never touch one another. Man only hears his own voice. He constantly bumps into another. Even his voice mirrors his erratic walk, jealousy, hate, ego, pride, lying, cheating. He makes his own judgements and falls prey to his greed. Remember, the moon is reflected on one drop of water as is the entire ocean-- so it is with God. He is reflected ins each living thing-- in a grain of sand as the entire shore, one star as the whole universe. Each animal as in all creatures. -Jagrat
”
”
Ralph Helfer (Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived)
“
I pretend to give gifts that people pretend to be gifts so that I can pretend that I gave something that actually cost me something. And what pretending of this sort gives me is the gift of a pretend life.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
Well-being is the state of having arrived at the full development of reason: reason not in the sense of a merely intellectual judgment, but in that of grasping truth by “letting things be” (to use Heidegger’s term) as they are. Well-being is possible only to the degree to which one has overcome one’s narcissism; to the degree to which one is open, responsive, sensitive, awake, empty (in the Zen sense). Well-being means to be fully related to man and nature affectively, to overcome separateness and alienation, to arrive at the experience of oneness with all that exists—and yet to experience myself at the same time as the separate entity I am, as the individual. Well-being means to be fully born, to become what one potentially is; it means to have the full capacity for joy and for sadness or, to put it still differently, to awake from the half-slumber the average man lives in, and to be fully awake. If it is all that, it means also to be creative; that is, to react and to respond to myself, to others, to everything that exists—to react and to respond as the real, total man I am to the reality of everybody and everything as he or it is. In this act of true response lies the area of creativity, of seeing the world as it is and experiencing it as my world, the world created and transformed by my creative grasp of it, so that the world ceases to be a strange world “over there” and becomes my world. Well-being means, finally, to drop one’s Ego, to give up greed, to case chasing after the preservation and the aggrandizement of the Ego, to be and to experience one’s self in the act of being, not in having, preserving, coveting, using.
”
”
Erich Fromm (Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism)
“
Resentment is the emotion that goes with complaining and the mental labeling of people and adds even more energy to the ego. Resentment means to feel bitter, indignant, aggrieved, or offended. You resent other people’s greed, their dishonesty, their lack of integrity, what they are doing, what they did in the past, what they said, what they failed to do, what they should or shouldn’t have done. The ego loves it. Instead of overlooking unconsciousness in others, you make it into their identity. Who is doing that? The unconsciousness in you, the ego. Sometimes the “fault” that you perceive in another isn’t even there. It is a total misinterpretation, a projection by a mind conditioned to see enemies and to make itself right or superior. At other times, the fault may be there, but by focusing on it, sometimes to the exclusion of everything else, you amplify it. And what you react to in another, you strengthen in yourself.
”
”
Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose)
“
Rest is good, but laziness is not.
Labour is good, but slavery is not.
Wine is good, but drunkenness is not.
Food is good, but gluttony is not.
Money is good, but greed is not.
Wealth is good, but selfishness is not.
Beauty is good, but vanity is not.
Sex is good, but lust is not.
Pleasure is good, but sin is not.
Amusement is good, but decadence is not.
Fame is good, but self importance is not.
Confidence is good, but ego is not.
Eloquence is good, but flattery is not.
Charisma is good, but deception is not.
Ambition is good, but self interest is not.
Influence is good, but manipulation is not.
Authority is good, but tyranny is not.
Servitude is good, but bondage is not.
Admiration is good, but idolatry is not.
Law is good, but injustice is not.
Race pride is good, but bigotry is not.
Liberty is good, but recklessness is not.
Freedom is good, but unruliness is not.
Belief is good, but fanaticism is not.
Religion is good, but extremism is not.
Righteousness is good, but zealotry is not.
All is good, but in excess is not.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
Live by brains, not by brawn;
by principle, not by sentiment;
by facts, not by opinions;
by faith, not by fear;
by reason, not by emotions;
by purpose, not by paycheck;
by needs, not by wants;
by reason, not by ignorance;
by humility, not by ego;
by gratitude, not by bitterness;
by kindness, not by greed;
by mercy, not by wrath;
by compassion, not by hate;
by diplomacy, not by strife;
by honor, not by disrespect;
by logic, not by tradition;
by integrity, not by culture;
by peace, not by tribe;
by dignity, not by race;
by sense, not by politics;
and by love, not by religion.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
The ego doesn’t come up to us and say, “Hi, I’m your self-loathing.” It’s not stupid, because we’re not. Rather, it says things like, “Hi, I’m your adult, mature, rational self. I’ll help you look out for number one.” Then it proceeds to counsel us to look out for ourselves, at the expense of others. It teaches us selfishness, greed, judgment, and small-mindedness.
”
”
Marianne Williamson (Return to Love)
“
Greed has no mouth,
but swallows many.
Love has no hands,
but touches many.
Hope has no feet,
but carries many.
Despair has no teeth,
but devours many.
Envy has no mouth,
but swallows many.
Compassion has no hands,
but touches many.
Joy has no feet,
but carries many.
Ego has no teeth,
but devours many.
Anger has no mouth,
but swallows many.
Peace has no hands,
but touches many.
Patience has no feet,
but carries many.
Evil has no teeth,
but devours many.
Time has no mouth,
but swallows many.
Reality has no hands,
but touches many.
Life has no feet,
but carries many.
Death has no teeth,
but devours many.
The past has no mouth,
but swallows many.
The present has no hands,
but touches many.
The future has no feet,
but carries many.
Fate has no teeth,
but devours many.
Darkness has no mouth,
but swallows many.
Light has no hands,
but touches many.
The universe has no feet,
but carries many.
Destruction has no teeth,
but devours many.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
If ever a society could be said to meet all the mythological criteria of the next lost civilization – a society that ticks all the boxes – is it not obvious that it is our own? Our pollution and neglect of the majestic garden of the earth, our rape of its resources, our abuse of the oceans and the rainforests, our fear, hatred and suspicion of one another multiplied by a hundred bitter regional and sectarian conflicts, our consistent track record of standing by and doing nothing while millions suffer, our ignorant, narrow-minded racism, our exclusivist religions, our forgetfulness that we are all brothers and sisters, our bellicose chauvinism, the dreadful cruelties that we indulge in, in the name of nation, or faith, or simple greed, our obsessive, competitive, ego-driven production and consumption of material goods and the growing conviction of many, fuelled by the triumphs of materialist science, that matter is all there is – that there is no such thing as spirit, that we are just accidents of chemistry and biology – all these things, and many more, in mythological terms at least, do not look good for us.
”
”
Graham Hancock (Magicians of the Gods: Evidence for an Ancient Apocalypse)
“
If I’m calculating what I’m giving, I’m in fact stealing twice. First, I’m robbing the other person of all that I could give them. Second, I’m robbing myself of all the blessings inherent in the giving. Therefore, giving of this sort turns to losing of the worst sort.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
Man’s development requires his capacity to transcend the narrow prison of his ego, his greed, his selfishness, his separation from his fellow man, and, hence, his basic loneliness. This transcendence is the condition for being open and related to the world, vulnerable, and yet with an experience of identity and integrity; of man’s capacity to enjoy all that is alive, to pour out his faculties into the world around him, to be “interested”; in brief, to be rather than to have and to use are consequences of the step to overcome greed and egomania.
”
”
Erich Fromm (The Revolution of Hope: Toward a Humanized Technology)
“
Entitlement is the shovel that digs a grave of greed. And there are those of us who stand at the bottom of such a grave having thrown out the last shovel full of dirt, never realizing that the grave that we’ve dug is our own until the same shovel suddenly starts backfilling the hole.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.94 “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.” –CHEROKEE LEGEND
”
”
Arianna Huffington (Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Happier Life)
“
Surely the Prince of Greed and the Mother of Destruction can kick some demon-ass back to the netherworld. It might mess up your street-cred, but I’m sure an ego the size of yours can take it. Once we’ve averted disaster, you can go back to being the slippery, back-stabbing son-of-a-bitch I know so well.
”
”
Pippa DaCosta (Darkest Before Dawn (The Veil, #3))
“
One day, a young boy went up to his grandfather, who was an old Cherokee chief. ‘Edudi?’ the boy asked. ‘Why are you so sad?’ The old chief bit his lip and rubbed his belly as if his stomach pained him unmercifully. ‘There is a terrible fight inside me, Uhgeeleesee’, the chief said sternly. ‘One that will not let me sleep of give me peace’. ‘A fight Grandfather? I don’t understand. What kind of fight is inside you?’ The old chief knelt in front of the boy to explain. ‘Deep inside my heart, I have two wolves. Each strong enough to devour the other, they are locked in constant war. One is evil through and through. He is revenge, sorrow, regret, rage, greed, arrogance, stupidity, superiority, envy, guilt, lies, ego, false pride, inferiority, self-doubt, suspicion and resentment. The other wolf is everything kind. He is made of peace, blissful tranquillity, wisdom, love and joy, hope and humility, compassion, benevolence, generosity, truth, faith and empathy. They circle each other inside my heart and they fight one another at all times. Day and night. There is no letup. Not even while I slumber’. The boy’s yes widened as he sucked his breath in sharply. ‘How horrible for you’. His grandfather shook his head at these words and tapped the boy’s chest right where his own heart was located. ‘It’s not just horrible for me. This same fight is also going on inside you and every single person who walks this earth with us’. Those words terrified the little boy. ‘So tell me Grandfather, which of the wolves will win this fight?’ The old chief smiled at his grandson and he cupped his young cheek before he answered with one simple truth. ‘Always the one we feed’.
Be careful what you feed, child. For the beast will follow you home and live with you until you either make a bed for it to stay, or find the temerity to drive it out.
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Time Untime (Dark-Hunter, #21))
“
And people have emphasized the importance of compassion, not just because it sounds good, but because it works. People have found that when they have implemented the Golden Rule as Confucius said, "all day and every day," not just a question of doing your good deed for the day and then returning to a life of greed and egotism, but to do it all day and every day, you dethrone yourself from the center of your world, put another there, and you transcend yourself. And it brings you into the presence of what's been called God, Nirvana, Rama, Tao. Something that goes beyond what we know in our ego-bound existence.
”
”
Karen Armstrong
“
Everyone needs the basics. Once they’re covered there’s another level of comfortable basics, and past that there’s basics that are both comfortable, entertaining, and enlightening. But spending beyond a pretty low level of materialism is mostly a reflection of ego approaching income, a way to spend money to show people that you have (or had) money.
”
”
Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)
“
When I like a black person, they dislike me.
When I like a white person, they despise me.
When I like a mixed person, they harass me.
When I like an illiterate person, they revile me.
When I like an educated person, they attack me.
When I like a weak person, they berate me.
When I like a strong person, they condemn me.
When I like a lowly person, they denounce me.
When I like an eminent person, they renounce me.
When I like a famous person, they disparage me.
When I like a rich person, they trouble me.
When I like a poor person, they hassle me.
When I like an obscure person, they pester me.
When I like a young person, they deride me.
When I like an old person, they hate me.
When I like myself, they slander me.
Age doesn't separate us, maturity does.
Ethnicity doesn't separate us, prejudice does.
Tradition doesn't separate us, bigotry does.
Ancestry doesn't separate us, character does.
Religion doesn't separate us, ignorance does.
Tribe doesn't separate us, intolerance does.
Culture doesn't separate us, misunderstanding does.
Sex doesn't separate us, bias does.
Race doesn't separate us, injustice does.
Class doesn't separate us, poverty does.
Politics doesn't separate us, corruption does.
Gender doesn't separate us, mentality does.
Wealth doesn't separate us, greed does.
Appearance doesn't separate us, attitude does.
Power doesn't separate us, ambition does.
Fame doesn't separate us, ego does.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
It's when you walk over others to get to the top, that you really find yourself back in the basement.
”
”
Anthony T. Hincks
“
Today you may want to check your ego at the door, exit through the back, and then burn the building.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
Greed, ego, anger, lust and attachment are siblings. They come together, they leave together.
”
”
Dr. Ashok Anand
“
A word of warning.
You can't silence a billion people.
”
”
Anthony T. Hincks
“
My reflection isn't the only thing that I don't love.
”
”
Anthony T. Hincks
“
An investment in myself that ends with myself is the secret to bankruptcy.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
Our disconnection, trauma, lack of resources, lack of compassion, fear, greed, and ego are the sources of our contributions to human suffering, not our bodies.
”
”
Sonya Renee Taylor (The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love)
“
In choosing to exchange precious principles for worthless impulses, I have far too often bankrupted my soul in order to bankroll my ego.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
I am selfish by habit, but sacrificial by nature. Therefore, I’d be wise to develop the habit of following my nature.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
Lust, anger, attachment, greed, over pride be,
Jealousy, selfishness, injustice, cruelty, ego truly;
- 153 -
”
”
Munindra Misra (Devi Mahatmayam in English Rhyme)
“
In all honesty, I don’t envy you the possession of this power over memory, nor do I admire you. Because humans are usually completely unconcerned with the memories of other creatures. Human existence involves the willful destruction of the existential memories of other creatures and of your own memories as well. No life can survive without other lives, with the ecological memories of other living creatures have, memories of the environments in which the live. People don’t realize they need to rely on the memories of other organisms to survive. You think that flowers bloom in colorful profusion just to please your eyes. That a wild boar exists just to provide meat for your table. That a fish takes the bait just for you sake. That only you can mourn. That a stone falling into a gorge is of no significance. That a sambar deer, its head bent low to sip at a creek is not a revelation . . . When in fact the finest movement of any organism represents a change in an ecosystem.” The man with the compound eyes takes a deep sign and says: “But if you were any different you wouldn’t be human.
”
”
Wu Ming-Yi (The Man with the Compound Eyes)
“
author Martha Beck says of the ego, “Don’t leave home without it.” But do not let your ego totally run the show, or it will shut down the show. Your ego is a wonderful servant, but it’s a terrible master—because the only thing your ego ever wants is reward, reward, and more reward. And since there’s never enough reward to satisfy, your ego will always be disappointed. Left unmanaged, that kind of disappointment will rot you from the inside out. An unchecked ego is what the Buddhists call “a hungry ghost”—forever famished, eternally howling with need and greed. Some version of that hunger dwells within all of us. We all have that lunatic presence, living deep within our guts, that refuses to ever be satisfied with anything. I have it, you have it, we all have it. My saving grace is this, though: I know that I am not only an ego; I am also a soul. And I know that my soul doesn’t care a whit about reward or failure.
”
”
Elizabeth Gilbert (Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear)
“
Deep inside your heart there are two wolves. Each strong enough to devour the other, they are in constant war. One is evil through and through. He is revenge, rage, greed, arrogance, stupidity, superiority, envy, guilt, lies, ego, false-pride, inferiority, self-doubt, suspicion, and resentment. The other wolf is everything kind. He is made of peace, blissful tranquility, wisdom, love and joy, hope and humility, compassion, benevolence, generosity, truth, faith, and empathy. They circle each other inside your heart and they fight one another at all times. Day and night. There is no letup. Not even while you sleep. Be careful which wolf you feed. For that beast will follow you home and live with you until you either make a bed for it to stay, or find the temerity to drive it out.
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Time Untime (Dark-Hunter, #21))
“
Ignorance incarcerates you,
truth sets you free,
and knowledge lights your way around the universe.
Ego incarcerates you,
humility sets you free,
and gratitude lights your way around the universe.
Greed incarcerates you,
contentment sets you free,
and charity lights your way around the universe.
Fear incarcerates you,
hope sets you free,
and faith lights your way around the universe.
Guilt incarcerates you,
grace sets you free,
and faith lights your way around the universe.
Desire incarcerates you,
self-discipline sets you free,
and patience lights your way around the universe.
The heart incarcerates you,
the mind sets you free,
and the soul lights your way around the universe.
Death incarcerates you,
life sets you free,
and awareness lights your way around the universe.
The past incarcerates you,
the present sets you free,
and eternity lights your way around the universe.
Darkness incarcerates you,
light sets you free,
and God lights your way around the universe.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
Lone rangers, that's what we are. We see the world with our naked eyes, unabashed of the greed and ego. Our mind resides on our tongue and we stand for what's right. A little too much fun, and an exciting package. Raving for life and exploring possibilities is our goal. Travel far and wide and into the wild, we will go for it someday. Care so much that even gods would bow down. Love to the hilt and then let go, coz that's what this life is meant for. One life and we will live up to the hilt and leave no regrets. So, when we land into our graves with a satisfied smile, we big farewell to the meanness of this so-called universe.
With every journey there is a new lesson learned, every place traveled, explored; makes us in fall in love with the earth. Care less about our whereabouts; we keep the expedition going because we want to go far beyond the civilized, beyond the living, beyond the world of predictability, beyond u and I & into the wild. Feasting the eyes, rejuvenating the senses, every breath we take is a sigh of relief and we make peace.
Choosing the roads less traveled, our wandering souls makes our way towards the unknown destination not only to discover ourselves but to discover the wild, nature and the mother earth.
”
”
Pushpa Rana (Just the Way I Feel)
“
Your ego is a wonderful servant, but it’s a terrible master—because the only thing your ego ever wants is reward, reward, and more reward. And since there’s never enough reward to satisfy, your ego will always be disappointed. Left unmanaged, that kind of disappointment will rot you from the inside out. An unchecked ego is what the Buddhists call “a hungry ghost”—forever famished, eternally howling with need and greed.
”
”
Elizabeth Gilbert (Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear)
“
Ethics, morals and values keep freedom from devolving into license. For license is greed unleashed. And we would be quite wise to remember that greed unleashed is certain to turn and kill the thing that unleashed it.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
Greed is to pursue something knowing that we might acquire that which we pursue. Yet, a part of us that is greater than that which we pursue will die in the pursuit. And the insanity of greed is that it reckons that such a trade-off is worthwhile.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
There's a war between two wolves inside everybody. One is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies and ego. The other's good. It's love, peace, beauty, happiness, truth, hope, joy, humility, kindness, and empathy.
"Who wins...?"
"The one you feed".
”
”
MK Asante
“
Power and influence: things that should be obtained not for means of greed, nor pride, nor ego, but rather to ensure that in the right moment, when your wisdom and benevolence are required to keep humanity strong and united, you can deliver and orchestrate others toward the greater good.
”
”
A.J. Darkholme (Rise of the Morningstar (The Morningstar Chronicles, #1))
“
Worry soils even the purest mind.
Envy poisons even the purest heart.
Greed sullies even the purest soul.
Gratitude cleanses even the dirtiest mind.
Mercy sanitizes even the dirtiest heart.
Goodness purifies even the dirtiest soul.
Ignorance soils even the purest mind.
Hatred poisons even the purest heart.
Ego sullies even the purest soul.
Prudence cleanses even the dirtiest mind.
Kindness sanitizes even the dirtiest heart.
Humility purifies even the dirtiest soul.
Corruption soils even the purest mind.
Bigotry poisons even the purest heart.
Injustice sullies even the purest soul.
Innocence cleanses even the dirtiest mind.
Grace sanitizes even the dirtiest heart.
Humanity purifies even the dirtiest soul.
Slander soils even the purest mind.
Malice poisons even the purest heart.
Wrath sullies even the purest soul.
Goodwill cleanses even the dirtiest mind.
Selflessness sanitizes even the dirtiest heart.
Love purifies even the dirtiest soul.
Idleness soils even the purest mind.
Lust poisons even the purest heart.
Decadence sullies even the purest soul.
Wisdom cleanses even the dirtiest mind.
Understanding sanitizes even the dirtiest heart.
Enlightenment purifies even the dirtiest soul.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
The assumption is that if I expend myself for myself in the end all I’ll be left with is myself, and that alone is frightening. But what I’ve failed to consider is that I have to expend so much of myself living for myself that in the end I’m really left with very little of myself, and that is unimaginably frightening.
”
”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“
There’s an old Cherokee legend about two wolves at war. It’s good food for thought on the topic of self-control. One night a grandfather was teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.” The boy paused to think for a moment before looking up at his grandfather. “Which wolf will win?” He asked. The wise man simply replied, “The one that you feed.” Hearing that story, I’m reminded of the scripture that says, And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. – Galatians 5:24
”
”
Darlene Schacht (The Virtuous Life of a Christ-Centered Wife: 18 Powerful Lessons for Personal Growth)
“
There’s an old Cherokee proverb. It says, ‘There is a battle of two wolves inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies, inferiority, and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy & truth. The wolf that wins? The one you feed’. This man fed the evil, and became evil.
”
”
J.L. Redington (Love Me Anyway (Passions in the Park, #1))
“
You have only mastered peace when you have conquered bitterness,
mastered patience when you have conquered anger,
mastered joy when you have conquered sorrow,
mastered strength when you have conquered pain,
mastered contentment when you have conquered greed,
mastered truth when you have conquered ignorance,
mastered faith when you have conquered doubt,
mastered courage when you have conquered fear,
mastered kindness when you have conquered intolerance,
mastered humility when you have conquered ego,
mastered joy when you have conquered grief,
mastered hope when you have conquered despair,
mastered mercy when you have conquered wrath,
mastered love when you have conquered hate,
mastered life when you have conquered death,
and mastered light when you have conquered darkness.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
When you neglect your Soul, you are not living at all. You are a biological robot, a machine. You walk, talk, smile, visit parties, have lovers. Soul knows & sees everything you do. When one day your body is no more, you have to answer to your Soul. While in the body, Soul was a prisoner of your mind, ego, greed, envy, anything else, now there is no escape from the judgement of your own Soul.
”
”
Lala Agni (I JUST WANT YOU TO REMEMBER: A Story About The Eternal Love Of Twin Flames And So Much More)
“
An old Cherokee man was teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he told the boy. “It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil — he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” After a few moments to make sure he had the boy’s undivided attention, he continued. “The other wolf is good — he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside of you, boy, and inside of every other person, too.” The grandson thought about this for a few minutes before replying. “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee man simply said, “The one you feed, boy. The one you feed…
”
”
Shayne Silvers (The Nate Temple Series, Box Set 1 (The Nate Temple Series, #0.5-3))
“
The particular egoic patterns that you react to most strongly in others and misperceive as their identity tend to be the same patterns that are also in you, but that you are unable or unwilling to detect within yourself. In that sense, you have much to learn from your enemies. What is it in them that you find most upsetting, most disturbing? Their selfishness? Their greed? Their need for power and control? Their insincerity, dishonesty, propensity to violence, or whatever it may be? Anything that you resent and strongly react to in another is also in you. But it is no more than a form of ego, and as such, it is completely impersonal. It has nothing to do with who that person is, nor has it anything to do with who you are. Only if you mistake it for who you are can observing it within you be threatening to your sense of self.
”
”
Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose)
“
Not that he is unique in this regard. All of us regularly say yes unthinkingly, or out of vague attraction, or out of greed or vanity. Because we can’t say no—because we might miss out on something if we did. We think “yes” will let us accomplish more, when in reality it prevents exactly what we seek. All of us waste precious life doing things we don’t like, to prove ourselves to people we don’t respect, and to get things we don’t want.
”
”
Ryan Holiday (Ego Is the Enemy)
“
What remains of the labours of the ‘new philosophers’ who have been enlightening us – or, in other words, deadening our minds – for 30 years now? What really remains of the great ideological machinery of freedom, human rights, the West and its values? It all comes down to a simple negative statement that is as bald as it is flat and as naked as the day it was born: socialisms, which were the communist Idea’s only concrete forms, failed completely in the twentieth century. Even they have had to revert to capitalism and non-egalitarian dogma. That failure of the Idea leaves us with no choice, given the complex of the capitalist organization of production and the state parliamentary system. Like it or not, we have to consent to it for lack of choice. And that is why we now have to save the banks rather than confiscate them, hand out billions to the rich and give nothing to the poor, set nationals against workers of foreign origin whenever possible, and, in a word, keep tight controls on all forms of poverty in order to ensure the survival of the powerful. No choice, I tell you! As our ideologues admit, it is not as though relying on the greed of a few crooks and unbridled private property to run the state and the economy was the absolute Good. But it is the only possible way forward. In his anarchist vision, Stirner described man, or the personal agent of History, as ‘the Ego and his own’. Nowadays, it is ‘Property as ego’. Which
”
”
Alain Badiou (The Communist Hypothesis)
“
When you maximize your intelligence
you minimize your sweat.
When you maximize your talents
you minimize your competition.
When you maximize your education
you minimize your ignorance.
When you maximize your strengths
you minimize your weaknesses.
When you maximize your opportunities
you minimize your regrets.
When you maximize your assets
you minimize your debts.
When you maximize your money
you minimize your lack.
When you maximize your wisdom
you minimize your mistakes.
When you maximize your integrity
you minimize your disgrace.
When you maximize your patience
you minimize your anger.
When you maximize your joys
you minimize your bitterness.
When you maximize your pleasures
you minimize your sorrows.
When you maximize your charity
you minimize your greed.
When you maximize your modesty
you minimize your ego.
When you maximize your love
you minimize your fear.
When you maximize your virtues
you minimize your vices.
When you maximize your needs
you minimize your wants.
When you maximize your diplomacy
you minimize your opposition.
When you maximize your compassion
you minimize your conflicts.
When you maximize your gratitude
you minimize your unhappiness.
When you maximize your kindness
you minimize your enemies.
When you maximize your friendships
you minimize your troubles.
When you maximize your relationships
you minimize your hardships.
When you maximize your marriage
you minimize your struggles.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
Ordinary love is demand and expectations, real love is sharing. Real love knows nothing of demands and expectations; real love is the joy of sharing. Love knows only giving and never asks for anything in return.
Ordinary love is greed hoarding. Greed only wants and never gives. Ordinary love pretends, real love is real and authentic. Real love is nourishment, it strengthens your
soul. Ordinary love strengthens your ego. Ordinary love is conditional love, real love is unconditional love.
”
”
Swami Dhyan Giten (The Call of the Heart)
“
Innuendo
One two three four
Ooh ooh
While the sun hangs in the sky and the desert has sand
While the waves crash in the sea and meet the land
While there's a wind and the stars and the rainbow
Till the mountains crumble into the plain
Oh yes, we'll keep on trying
Tread that fine line
Oh, we'll keep on trying
Yeah
Just passing our time
Oh oh
While we live according to race, colour or creed
While we rule by blind madness and pure greed
Our lives dictated by tradition, superstition, false religion
Through the eons and on and on
Oh, yes, we'll keep on trying, yeah
We'll tread that fine line
Oh oh we'll keep on trying
Till the end of time
Till the end of time
Through the sorrow all through our splendor
Don't take offence at my innuendo
Duh duh duh duh duh duh duh
Duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh
You can be anything you want to be
Just turn yourself into anything you think that you could ever be
Be free with your tempo, be free, be free
Surrender your ego be free, be free to yourself
Oh oh, yeah
If there's a God or any kind of justice under the sky
If there's a point, if there's a reason to live or die
Ha, if there's an answer to the questions we feel bound to ask
Show yourself destroy our fears release your mask
Oh yes, we'll keep on trying
Hey, tread that fine line
(Yeah) yeah
We'll keep on smiling, yeah
(Yeah) (yeah) (yeah)
And whatever will be will be
We'll just keep on trying
We'll just keep on trying
Till the end of time
Till the end of time
Till the end of time
”
”
Freddie Mercury
“
Inside of me there are two dogs. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too. When asked which one wins I answer, the one I feed the most.” —CHEROKEE STORY OF “TWO WOLVES
”
”
Katrin Davidsdottir (Dottir: My Journey to Becoming a Two-Time CrossFit Games Champion)
“
Every choice in life is a battle between two wolves inside us. One represents anger, envy, greed, fear, lies, insecurity, and ego. The other represents peace, love, compassion, kindness, humility, and positivity. They are competing for supremacy.’ “ ‘Which wolf wins?’ the grandson asks. ‘The one you feed,’ the elder replies.” “But how do we feed them?” I asked my teacher. The monk said, “By what we read and hear. By who we spend time with. By what we do with our time. By where we focus our energy and attention.
”
”
Jay Shetty (Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Everyday)
“
Life wisdom
“When anger is not in control, there appears ‘I’;
When desire is fulfilled, there enters ‘I’;
When greed overtakes the need, there develops ‘I’;
When desire is secured, emotional attachment takes over desire, there gains 'I',
When pride is erected due to money, beauty, power, people, youthfulness, there is always 'I',
When jealousy crawls over contentment, it gets into the grip of 'I',
When good things enter life, ego dominates, and there maintains 'I'.
When ‘I or Ego’ comes everything goes, when
‘Ego’ goes everything comes. Overcoming Ego brings peace and happiness
”
”
Venu CV
“
I Write to Destroy You (The Sonnet)
I don’t write to pamper your ego,
I don't write to give you comfort.
I don't write to teach you self-love,
I write to destroy all selfish thought.
I don't write to inspire your pride,
I don't write to cater to your insecurity.
I don't write to entertain shallowness,
I only write to abolish self-centricity.
I don't write to tickle the instaslaves,
I don't write to peddle false perfection.
I don't write to lick the privileged boots,
I write to make soldiers of self-annihilation.
My science and my art were born on the street.
That's where I learnt, all suffering is born of greed.
”
”
Abhijit Naskar (Giants in Jeans: 100 Sonnets of United Earth)
“
The best and most convincing disguise for fear is virtue itself, or godliness. Then it never looks like fear. For fear to survive, it must look like reason, prudence, common-sense, intelligence, the need for social order, morality, religion, obedience, justice or even spirituality. It always works. What better way to veil vengeance than to call it justice? What better way to cover greed than to call it responsible stewardship? Only people who have moved beyond ego and controlling of all outcomes, only those practiced at letting go, see fear for the impostor that it is. To be trapped inside of your small ego is always to be afraid.
”
”
John Feister (Hope Against Darkness: The Transforming Vision of Saint Francis in an Age of Anxiety)
“
Within a few centuries, the new capitalist spirit challenged the basic Christian ethic: the boundless ego of Sir Gales Overreach and his fellows in the marketplace had no room for charity or love in any of their ancient senses. The capitalist scheme of values in fact transformed five of the seven deadly sins of Christianity-pride, envy, greed, avarice, and lust-into positive social virtues, treating them as necessary incentives to all economic enterprise; while the cardinal virtues, beginning with love and humility, were rejected as 'bad for business,' except in the degree that they made the working class more docile and more amenable to cold-blooded exploitation.
”
”
Lewis Mumford (Technics and Human Development (The Myth of the Machine, Vol 1))
“
Ignorance lowers you, curiosity elevates you;
knowledge puts you on a higher pedestal than information.
Confusion lowers you, understanding elevates you;
discernment puts you on a higher pedestal than intellect.
Imprudence lowers you, insight elevates you;
wisdom puts you on a higher pedestal than perception.
Greed lowers you, contentment elevates you;
peace puts you on a higher pedestal than indifference.
Bitterness lowers you, happiness elevates you;
joy puts you on a higher pedestal than pleasure.
Anger lowers you, patience elevates you;
longstanding puts you on a higher pedestal than tolerance.
Cruelty lowers you, compassion elevates you;
kindness puts you on a higher pedestal than apathy.
Despair lowers you, hope elevates you;
perseverance puts you on a higher pedestal than dispassion.
Fear lowers you, courage elevates you;
faith puts you on a higher pedestal than confidence.
Hatred lowers you, mercy elevates you;
love puts you on a higher pedestal than sympathy.
Illiteracy lowers you, education elevates you;
enlightenment puts you on a higher pedestal than talent.
Imitating lowers you, creativity elevates you;
originality puts you on a higher pedestal than innovation.
Incompetence lowers you, skill elevates you;
excellence puts you on a higher pedestal than enthusiasm.
Laziness lowers you, hard work elevates you;
diligence puts you on a higher pedestal competence.
Failure lowers you, perseverance elevates you;
success puts you on a higher pedestal than ambition.
Mediocrity lowers you, talent elevates you;
genius puts you on a higher pedestal than aptitude.
Obscurity lowers you, fame elevates you;
influence puts you on a higher pedestal than popularity.
Ego lowers you, honor elevates you;
humility puts you on a higher pedestal than applause.
Poverty lowers you, success elevates you;
wealth puts you on a higher pedestal than prominence.
Dishonor lowers you, esteem elevates you;
character puts you on a higher pedestal than reputation.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
Being is that which disturbs our insistence on remaining in the life-numbing realm of our secret desperation. It is the itch that cannot be scratched, the whisper that will not be denied. To be, to truly be, is not a given. Most of us live in a state where our being has long ago been exiled to the shadow realm of our silent anguish. At times being will break through the fabric of our unconsciousness to remind us that we are not living the life we could be living, the life that truly matters. At other times being will recede into the background silently waiting for our devoted attention. But make no mistake: being—your being—is the central issue of life. To remain unconscious of being is to be trapped within an ego-driven wasteland of conflict, strife, and fear that only seems customary because we have been brainwashed into a state of suspended disbelief where a shocking amount of hate, dishonesty, ignorance, and greed are viewed as normal and sane. But they are not sane, not even close to being sane. In fact, nothing could be less sane and unreal than what we human beings call reality.
”
”
Adyashanti (The Way of Liberation: A Practical Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment)
“
All religions were one, maintained the Sufi saints, merely different manifestations of the same divine reality. What was important was not the empty ritual of the mosque or temple, but to understand that divinity can best be reached through the gateway of the human heart - that we all have Paradise within us, if we know where to look.
Deal only with things that are good. If you trade coal, you will be covered in black soot. But if you trade musk, you will smell of perfume. Good deeds have good effects. Bad deeds have bad effects.
The mullahs are always trying to fight a jihad with their swords, without realizing that the real jihad is within, fighting yourself, achieving victory over your desires and the hell that evil can create within the human heart. Fighting with swords is a low kind of jihad. Fighting yourself is the greater jihad. As Latif said: "Don't kill infidels, kill your own ego".
There is no fire in hell. Everyone who goes there brings their own fire and their own pain, from this world.
The main struggle, especially when you are young, is to avoid four things: desire, greed, pride and attachment. Of course you can't do this completely - no human being can - but there are techniques for diverting the mind.
There are few places in the world where landscape and divinity are more closely linked than in southern India.
”
”
William Dalrymple (Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India)
“
REPENT:FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD
IS AT HAND
The whole message of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ are: Repent: For the Kingdom of God is at hand.
But this message has been terrible misunderstood by the priests and the Christians.
It is almost the same kind of people that crucified Jesus, which founded Christianity.
The symbol for Christianity has also become the cross on which Jesus was crucified, which is a bit morbid.
When you do not repent, your eyes will be filled with this world: the world of possession, the world of greed, the world of anger and hate, the world of ego and the world of hatred.
Your eyes has to be completely cleansed before you can see the Kingdom of God.
Repentance will open the door to God, to the divine.
What does it mean to repent? Repentance does not mean to ask to be forgiven for making a mistake. This will not change you, it will not transform
you.
What John the Baptist and Jesus Christ mean by repentance is something totally different. They mean to look to the very roots of your being, of your existence. It is not about asking to repent for a specific act, it is about changing the whole quality of your being.
It is about returning to your original being. Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is within you. The Kingdom of God is to return to your deepest core of being, which transforms you.
It is to stand naked before God.
”
”
Swami Dhyan Giten