Thomas Merton Quotes

Within ourselves is not very far and yet it is so far that one's whole life is not always long enough to get there.

The only journey is the one within.

It's something that I had been pushing down my whole life. The search for meaning, I guess, the whispering of the soul.

I want to learn from myself, want to be my student, want to get to know myself, the secret of Siddhartha.

Man has gone out to explore other worlds and other civilizations without having explored his own labyrinth of dark passages and secret chambers, and without finding what lies behind doorways that he himself has sealed.

We all have to go through our own spiritual process. It is very difficult. Some people are struggling and they are in their teens. Some people are in their 50s and they're struggling. Some people go through life and die not being able to accept themselves. Tragic. But it's very individual. And it's about self-esteem.

It is a true miracle when a man finally sees himself as his only opposition.

I have always written only for myself - to clarify things, to clarify things with myself, to understand in an inner way what is actually happening.

A lot of people are simply interested in exploring their own spirituality, their own values, who they are, whether they're happy where they are.

Happiness comes from the full understanding of your own being.

I would say that playing this character has caused me to think about a lot of things. He's always questioning himself and trying to get back to something he lost touch with and trying to find forgiveness. Everybody struggles with these things to some extent in their life.

Man shall find his anchorage in self-recognition.

The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.

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

Prayer gives a man the opportunity of getting to know a gentleman he hardly ever meets. I do not mean his maker, but himself.

Man is lost and is wandering in a jungle where real values have no meaning. Real values can have meaning to man only when he steps on to the spiritual path, a path where negative emotions have no use.

A celebrity life can be very fast-paced, and it can be hard to find meaning in it. I believe that everyone is looking for the answers, but the answers are within ourselves.

Once you get in a position where your rent is taken care of and you do have a job, you really get to deal with yourself and really become one with yourself. And you wake to your mind every day. That's your best friend and your worst enemy - your own brain.

It is only in solitude that I ever find my own core.

It's not about finding a home so much as finding yourself.

Self-Realization Fellowship seemed like training. It was the training ground for finding a sense of peace in myself. Because that's my job. It's no one else's.

The delights of self-discovery are always available.

I write in order to find out what I truly know and how I really feel about certain things. Writing requires me to go much deeper into my thoughts and memories than conversation does. Writing provides the solitude necessary to reflect on being in this world.

You're just left with yourself all the time, whatever you do anyway. You've got to get down to your own God in your own temple. It's all down to you, mate.