Philip Zimbardo Quotes

I'm insatiably curious about human nature.

Happiness and suffering are feelings - parts of our mind - and so their main causes are not to be found outside the mind. If we really want to be truly happy and free from suffering, we must improve our understanding of the mind.

Our thoughts are certainly part of us; they come from us, but we are not our thoughts. Have you ever woken up in the morning and said to yourself, 'I am not going to think today; I am too tired'? No, of course not. Just as breathing happens and is constant, thoughts happen, and they are also constant.

Your mind is the channel of it all. It feeds your soul, your heart, everything. It comes from your thoughts. The kind of person you are comes from the way you think. And it bleeds into the way you feel. And such forth. If the mind is not free, then we won't be free.

My mom is a therapist, and my dad has a doctorate in psychology, and growing up, I felt 'very understood.'

The mind is the root from which all things grow if you can understand the mind, everything else is included.

Mindfulness is so powerful that the fact that it comes out of Buddhism is irrelevant.

The mind that has not been developed or trained is very scattered. That's the normal state of affairs, but it leaves us out of touch with a great deal in life, including our bodies.

I really want to understand the mind so I can be more comfortable with the way people are. Being comfortable with people is incredibly important.

Your heart is very much connected to your mind.

A man is hindered and distracted in proportion as he draws outward things to himself.

Generally speaking, I think it's a good idea to stay conscious of any kind of energy or emotion that you're generating, whether it's at the end of a work day or just in your everyday life.

I have a picture of an ideal consciousness.

What I'm very concerned about is how do we bolster our self-awareness as humans, as biological organisms?

I did struggle with what I want to say socially, but it's important to reflect where I'm at mentally.

Meditation is to be aware of what is going on in your body, in your feelings, in your mind, and in the world.

Be mindful even if your mind is full

If you shift from compulsiveness to consciousness, being joyful will not be an effort.

The more neurosis the more wisdom.

Come, live with the doors of the senses guarded, diligent and mindful, vigilant and mindful, with the ways of the mind well watched, possessed of a mind that is awake and observing.

You live your life between your ears.

Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness, we know what to do and what not to do to help.

In meditation and in our daily lives there are three qualities that we can nurture, cultivate, and bring out. We already possess these, but they can be ripened: precision, gentleness, and the ability to let go.

Most people don't live aware lives. They live mechanical lives, mechanical thoughts - generally somebody else's - mechanical emotions, mechanical actions, mechanical reactions.

Mindfulness, also called wise attention, helps us see what we’re adding to our experiences, not only during meditation sessions but also elsewhere.