Pico Iyer Quotes

In the end, we need two things to lead a balanced life - a sense of the world and a sense of ourselves; it's like breathing in and breathing out. And if you can only get to know the world by stepping out, and losing yourself in experience, you can only get to know the self by stepping back, and finding yourself in contemplation. One without the other leads to a kind of madness.

What I dislike least in my former self are the moments of prayer.

When you stop searching and you calm down and you put your books away, and you confront yourself and see what you are all about, that will bring about bliss faster than anything you can ever imagine or ever do.

I do think it’s only by stopping movement that you can see where to go. And it’s only by stepping out of your life and the world that you can see what you most deeply care about… and find a home.

We've known about the transcendent power of solitude for centuries; it's only recently that we've forgotten it.

Its never too late to take a moment to look.

Men do not mirror themselves in running water; they mirror themselves in still water.

To read your own mind is to look at your self and read your soul. Hatred becomes love and that is the path I am working on

When I use the words 'inner journey', I simply mean that you have looked at one aspect of the journey in your life called 'outer', now try to look at another aspect of the journey called 'inner'. You have been running after money, now run after meditation. You have been running after power, now run after God. Both are running. Once you start running after meditation then one day I will tell you, 'Now drop meditation too. Now stop running.' And when you stop running then real meditation happens.

This was not my moment to be seeking romance and (as day follows night) to further complicate my already knotty life. This was my moment to look for the kind of healing and peace that can only come from solitude.

When I feel a little confused, the only thing to do is to turn back to the study of nature before launching once again into the subjects closest to heart.

My goal is to get quieter as I get older.

Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.

Never be afraid to sit a while and think.

I'm always soul searching on a spiritual level.

The roles I think about and can't stop thinking about - on the subway, when I'm riding my bike, when I'm running - are the things I connect to.

We have what we seek, it is there all the time, and if we give it time, it will make itself known to us.

I've always felt that the truth is in the silence.

My therapy has come from paying attention to my life.

I've kept a diary since I was 11. It's a way of taking stock, almost meditative, trying to make sense of stuff because life is chaotic.

Some instinct has told me I need to live in a world that isn't consumed with reading about myself or anyone else or someone's opinion about something. I need to be clear of that. It's just healthier for me. I feel happier.

It's very important for people to know what gives them meaning. But it's hard for people to figure out if you're not connecting with yourself and taking the time to just be introspective and daydream.

Quiet time and solitude are vital to helping me keep perspective. I consider myself fortunate to have so much quiet built into my profession. I spend long hours by myself at my easel. And while I work, I think-of the future, of my loved ones, of God's goodness and the many exciting opportunities that surround me. I ponder the challenges I face, the needs of others, the direction my life is going.

Only when the clamor of the outside world is silenced will you be able to hear the deeper vibration. Listen carefully.

It's important to know when we need to stop, reflect, and receive. In our competitive world, that might be called a waste of time.