Thomas Merton Quotes

Desire nothing, give up all desires and be happy.

Great tranquility of heart is his who cares for neither praise nor blame.

Love without attachment is light.

Being deeply contented with God in my everyday life is a focused attitude. It is always available. It means practicing letting go of my obsession with how I'm doing. It means training myself to learn to actually be present with people, and seeking to love them.

One has to go beyond the mind to experience the spiritual bliss of desirelessness.

The Dalai Lama was once asked for his favorite chant, and he said it was better not to have a favorite anything, which I think is a great thought.

My dream is to live a good life and be loving, be close to God and be a good human being and bring peace to people.

Peace does exist. It exists in your heart and soul.

I think I am a very kind person. I think I'm joyful, but I could be kinder and I could be more joyful. I do believe peace is a state of grace, and not the absence of violence.

Through love one acquires renunciation and discrimination naturally.

When you stop thinking about yourself all the time, a certain sense of repose overtakes you.

Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it.

The longer I live, the more I feel that true repose consists in 'renouncing' one's own self, by which I mean making up one's mind to admit that there is no importance whatever in being 'happy' or 'unhappy' in the usual meaning of the words.

Quit Babylon for love of the Babylonians.And do not seek ease or security you can obtain by using Babylon. What will it avail you to cease living in Babylon if you do not also cease living on Babylon?

Spirituality, for me, is acquiring and giving happiness without hurting anyone.

I'm ready to live in the present - not the past and not in the future - because in the present is where there's peace.

If you think peaceful thoughts, you'll feel peaceful emotions, and that's what you'll bring to every life situation. If you're attached to being right or absolutely need something in order to be at peace or successful, you'll live a life of striving yet never arriving.

When one, abandoning greed, feels no greed for what would merit greed, greed gets shed from him - like a drop of water from a lotus leaf.

Take someone who doesn't keep score, who's not looking to be richer, or afraid of losing, who has not the slightest interest even in his own personality: he's free.

Egolessness is contentment.

If you have to have it, it's ego. If you have to not have it, it's ego. Hold life lightly and it will deliver what you need and release what you don't.

The sage desires no desire, does not value rare treasures, learns without learning, recovers what people have left behind.

If I had a prayer, it would be this: "God, spare me from the desire for love, approval, or appreciation. Amen."

Therefore, the truly great man, although he does not injure others, does not credit himself with charity and mercy (these are natural to him). He does not seek gain, but does not despise his followers who do. He struggles not for wealth, but does not take credit for leaving it alone... The ranks and emoluments of the world are to him no cause for joy, it's punishments and shame no cause for disgrace.

There is a simple way to become buddha: When you refrain from unwholesome actions, are not attached to birth and death, and are compassionate toward all sentient beings, respectful to seniors and kind to juniors, not excluding or desiring anything, with no designing thoughts or worries, you will be called a buddha. Do not seek anything else.