William Faulkner Quotes

I used to have to force myself to go, okay, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing and then all of a sudden a thought of some where could come in. Now I can just focus and not think about anything. So, yeah, I guess I do that a lot.

The way to chastity is not to struggle directly with incontinent thoughts but to avert the thoughts by some imployment, or by reading, or meditating on other things.

Everyone's mind wanders, without doubt, and we always have to start over. Everyone resists or dislikes the thought of or is too tired to meditate at times, and we have to be able to begin again.

The problem is to keep the monkey mind from running off into all kinds of thoughts.

I haven't mastered the art of sitting and smiling.

You have to listen to the anthems, allow the emotion to come, but then need to snap back into the match and your specific task.

Meditation can be like a battle with yourself, your thoughts, your body.

My toughest opponent is me. My mind has a tendency to wander during bouts. I tend to focus on things other than the bout. I have to work at staying motivated, getting my head right.

Where a man has a passion for meditating without the capacity of thinking, a particular idea fixes itself fast, and soon creates a mental disease.

The mind is running on all sides to think about many things, - what we call thoughts coming from outside. We must withdraw the mind from these distractions and make it abide in the self. Thus guarding the peace within we shall have to do the work without.

In the same way that rain breaks into a house with a bad roof, desire breaks into the mind that has not been practising meditation.

There's a fine line between thinking about somebody and thinking about not thinking about somebody, but I have the patience and the self-control to walk that line for hours - days, if I have to.

We cannot expect to be in control of the circumstances in our lives when we cannot control our minds for five minutes. Meditation is the daily minimum requirement that will prevent us from breaking down and falling apart at the most inopportune moments. It is the art of listening. It is a practice which enables us to tune in and fine-tune the key areas of our lives: the mind and the spirit.

If you want to get over a problem, stop talking about it. Your mind affects your mouth and your mouth affects your mind. It's difficult to stop talking about a situation until you stop thinking about it.

The more meditation goes deep, the more you will become master of your own thoughts. You will say, "Stop!" and the mind stops. You will say, "Move!" and the mind begins to move. Once this capacity comes to you, you will not fall down again. Unless this is achieved, if you discontinue meditation, soon every result will be washed away.

Often we combat our evil thoughts most effectively if we absolutely refuse to allow them to be expressed in words.

It's a horrible and wonderful battle with yourself, to stay calm, stay in the moment. My coach said, "Stay here, not at the target. Don't be down there." It's why they call it the Zen art.

Meditation will work on anyone who has a functioning human nervous system. All you need is the intelligence to follow simple instructions. Even children as young as 4 and 5 have been taught to meditate successfully.

The domination of one's spirit and mind is not a pretty thing, but I think it happens.

Chanting doesn't stop you from being creative or productive. It actually helps you concentrate. I think this would make a great sketch for television: imagine all the workers on the Ford assembly line in Detroit, all of them chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna while bolting on the wheels. Now that would be wonderful. It might help out the auto industry, and probably there would be more decent cars too.

As the fletcher whittles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts.

When we practice paying attention, whether in meditation, yoga (moving mediation), or simply walking down the street, we can choose to be at ease, or choose to be tense. It's a choice, and that choice is up to no one but us to decide.

Concentration is that ability to not think about anything.

The main factor in meditation is to keep the mind active in its own pursuit without taking in external impressions or thinking of other matters.

Control your thoughts. Decide about that which you will think and concentrate upon. You are in charge of your life to the degree you take charge of your thoughts.