Irvin D. Yalom Quotes

To meditate is to observe yourself, for you are totally responsible for your body, mind, thought.

Be conscious first of thyself within, then think and act.

I find myself fascinating.

Self-awareness is the ability to take an honest look at your life without any attachment to it being right or wrong, good or bad.

We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly - spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order.

There are moments when the inner life actually 'pays,' when years of self-scrutiny, conducted for no ulterior motive, are suddenly of practical use.

Emerson, I am trying to live, as you said we must, the examined life. But there are days I wish there was less in my head to examine, not to speak of the busy heart.

We have so committed ourselves in different ways that we have hardly any time for self-reflection, to observe, to study.

The art of listening needs its highest development in listening to oneself; our most important task is to develop an ear that can really hear what we're saying.

Learn to know yourself... to search realistically and regularly the processes of your own mind and feelings.

I want to clear my mind a little bit and give my mind a little bit of time to breathe so I can pinpoint or at least nail down feelings I'm having and that I've had for the last however long. I need to nail them down long enough to actually write about and elaborate on them.

I've been living with myself all of my life, so I know all of me. So when I watch me, all I see is me. It's boring.

The object of studying philosophy is to know one's own mind, not other people's.

I noticed every time I spent a lot of time in the bathtub, I would just get fantastic realizations about myself, and they were so valuable and liberating.

I've always been a very self-aware person.

Any time I sit down and write music, the first part of that is always centering myself and thinking about who I currently am.

Contemplation and wisdom are highest achievements and man is not totally at home with them.

Mindfulness has helped me succeed in almost every dimension of my life. By stopping regularly to look inward and become aware of my mental state, I stay connected to the source of my actions and thoughts and can guide them with considerably more intention.

I don't interest myself that much.

I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself.

Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.

When you have something that is bothering you, and then you articulate, take the time to really express it and see it clearly, to recognize. To acknowledge that is already a liberating energy.

Being alone & actually sitting with our own thoughts can lead to such growth and realizations that are rare in our everyday busy lives.

You'll never find peace of mind until you listen to your heart.

There are certain things that make me relax, like writing my journal. That's the only time that I'm relaxing. It's the only time I really get to examine myself.