Pema Chodron Quotes

The painful thing is that when we buy into disapproval, we are practicing disapproval. When we buy into harshness, we are practicing harshness. The more we do it, the stronger these qualities become. How sad it is that we become so expert at causing harm to ourselves and others. The trick then is to practice gentleness and letting go. We can learn to meet whatever arises with curiosity and not make it such a big deal.

It is easy to look down on others; to look down on ourselves is the difficulty.

I think our society is all about judgment, which is so rude and disrespectful.

Maybe I was a bit harsh on some people. But I was harshest on myself, really.

When we judge or criticize another person, it says nothing about that person; it merely says something about our own need to be critical.

Thank God I am deemed worthy to be hated by the world.

We live in an epidemic of self-hatred. I see it daily with people coming at me, and they do it to everybody, it's not just me. The hatred is really stemming from them not liking themselves. When you look at it that way, I feel so much empathy and understanding for those people.

I no longer criticize anyone--not even myself. I only give out positive vibes.

I fail enough and I beat myself up enough. I don't need anybody else to do it for me.

The labor of self-love is a heavy one indeed. Think whether much of your sorrow has not arisen from someone speaking slightingly of you. As long as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal, how can you hope to find inward peace?

You'll be perfect when you're dead

If you talked to others the way you talk to yourself, would you have any friends?

When you understand yourself, that very day you have understood the whole of humanity. Then nobody can make you miserable.

No one can occupy your generosity except you. Who can occupy your patience when impatience roars through you? Who except you can choose not to act with judgment when all of your thoughts are judgmental? Your life is yours to live, no matter how you choose to live it. When you do not think about how you intend to live it, it lives you.

You can't expect everyone to love you. I'm not someone who just wants to throw out hate, just because.

I understand those who don't like me.

Self-awareness is value-free. It isn't scary. It doesn't imply that you will subject yourself to needless pain.

There are all of these people that say, my mommy doesn't love me enough, my daddy doesn't hug me enough. There are some people that would want to coddle them somewhere. I want them to shut up and stop whining.

I think that I am better than the people who are trying to reform me.

All I can do is be my best - there will always be people who will never like me.

Guilt is just as powerful, but its influence is positive, while shame's is destructive. Shame erodes our courage and fuels disengagement.

I seldom look at myself to avoid any self-criticism.

When I look back, I don't have regrets. In the moment I am really, really hard on myself, I'm definitely my own worst critic and can be my own worst enemy, and I'm trying very hard not to be that.

I have found the best way to avoid ending your life as a bitter wreck is to start out as one.

Sometimes I gotta look in the mirror and say, 'Hey, they're still saying you're too fat, but you're here! They gotta take it or leave it.' And in most cases, if they leave it, it's all good because they don't need to be in my space anyway.