Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes

Patience doesn't mean making a pact with the devil of denial, ignoring our emotions and aspirations. It means being wholeheartedly engaged in the process that's unfolding, rather than ripping open a budding flower or demanding a caterpillar hurry up and get that chrysalis stage over with.

What can a man do to move along in some kind of grace through his days and years?

I would say I was always very ambitious and goal-oriented, but rather than being just a go-getter hustler, now I surrender a lot more and I trust my path a lot more.

That's the way I try to live. I think it's the only way for human beings at this point in our evolution as souls, where everyone in their lifetime is going through stuff.

My life is every moment of my life. It is not a culmination of the past.

Not only will this make you treat each moment more preciously, but you will be more patient with yourself and with others, recognizing that there are millions of moments on the path to any worthwhile achievement.

I've learned that the perfect picture that I hold in my mind of what my life looks like is constantly changing, growing, evolving. I remind myself that I am exactly where I need to be in my life; otherwise, I would surely be somewhere else.

For a few years, I went down a path where I forgot to be in the moment and enjoy the moment.

I'm incredibly impatient; I'd like to be less so, and more content with the now.

Where I once constantly lost my temper, I found myself arriving at a crisis and experiencing peace.

Your daily life is your temple and your religion. When you enter into it take with you your all.

Have patience with all things, But, first of all with yourself.

The path to the inwardly enriched life is not hidden from the man or woman who longs to walk upon it.

You are not waiting for your life to start. It's going on right now.

I just hope that as I get older, I calm down and enjoy the moment, enjoy the great gifts that God has given me.

The person who is developing freely and naturally arrives at a spiritual equilibrium in which he is master of his actions, just as one who has acquired physical poise can move freely.

With time, you learn to be calmer.

I don't know if I'm ready to know what triggers my anger. I just feel like I figured out on my own how to stay calm, how to enjoy life, how to be happy.

We all strive for balance, often moving to extremes to find ourselves somewhere in the middle where we can sustainably exist in optimal inspiration. Working toward balance takes a lot of ingredients. We need courage, reflection, attention, action, and a push-and-pull relationship between effort and relaxation.

My journey is not to be a star but to become as aware a person as possible.

I am certainly not drama-free in my life, and I used to be a lot more feisty, but I have arrived at a place where I really try to not sweat the small stuff anymore.

It took me a while to learn the true meaning of patience and surrender, but I have finally accepted that healing doesn't happen on our schedule. It doesn't have a clock or a calendar.

You don't need to figure out exactly who you are right now. Just live your life.

Learning to love yourself is not going to happen overnight - the first step is trying to be kinder and more patient with yourself, and I understand that it takes time.

There isn't anything except your own life that can be used as ground for your spiritual practice. Spiritual practice is your life, twenty-four hours a day.