Lin Yutang Quotes

Neckties strangle clear thinking.

I like to go out on my bike. That's when I do my thinking. Two or three hours on the roads - that's when you get time, and you can think without problems.

You want all players to be free of overthinking. That's when they're in a good place and a good flow.

I feel like I have time to think when I'm in L.A. There's something about the spaciousness of it.

I love to ride my bike, which is great aerobics, but also just a great time for me to think, so it's like this terrific double bill.

I got a sense of the amazingness of ordinary life, and I became aware of the marvel that we're around to begin with. I visited a lot of extreme communities, like the Amish, Hasidic Jews, and serpent-handlers. And I was proud, because I think I'm the first person to ever out-Bible-talk a Jehovah's Witness. After four hours, he said, "Okay, I have to go."

I don't really think about anything too much. I live in the present. I move on. I don't think about what happened yesterday. If I think too much, it kind of freaks me out.

Clear thought makes clear speech.

When you recognize that there is a voice in your head that pretends to be you and never stops speaking, you are awakening out of your unconscious identification with the stream of thinking. When you notice that voice, you realize that who you are is not the voice - the thinker - but the one who is aware of it.

I think living in a new country gives you a certain bravery that you don't have when you live in your own country - because of the freedom it gives you.

People think meditation is a huge undertaking.

If we get away from the lazy and fuzzy thinking that is like a poison in our society - if we get away from all the bad television that we tend to watch - and begin to take up serious meditation and other sacred exercises, we will have a real revolution of consciousness. If that happens, the world will change by itself.

In fact, one of the things that I really love about literary fiction is that it's one of the few kinds of writing that doesn't tell us what to think or what to buy or what to wear. We're surrounded by advertising.

Don't think you have to be solemn to meditate. To meditate, well, you have to smile a lot.

There's no shame in enjoying the quiet life.

I listen to music a lot, if I need to get into a particular space. I do stretching and breathing, and take time to mostly be quiet and find the stillness. I think that's important.

I think the enemy of creativity in the world today is that so much thinking is done for you.

The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning.

I just try to be myself and not conform to something I'm not and just continue doing what I do. I just try not to think about the fact that I'm an inspiration for people.

Meditation is a great way to stay centered and I think inversions are great for aging. Specifically, I think the Kundalini yoga is really a life changer.

You grow your best thoughts in silence, solitude, and meditation. When you relax and think deeply, you are giving your inmost powers their best opportunity to disclose themselves.

Language learning deserves special mention. It is, bar none, the best thing you can do to hone clear thinking.

When I'm riding in a car, I don't really listen to music. I turn the radio off and just be thinking, brainstorming. I'm one of these people that just like to brainstorm.

I think girls are especially worried about being judged, and when you're in high school, everything seems like a bigger deal than it is. As soon as you're out, it feels like forever ago-zip-a-dee-doo-dah! So do what you want, and if people are going to judge you for it, who cares? You might not fit in, but that's okay.

When I get up in the morning, I stay nude for three or four hours. If I really feel like getting formal, I'll put on board shorts.