Anthony de Mello Quotes

Attachment is the root cause of all misery - and our mind is such that it starts clinging to each and everything. It starts becoming identified, attached, it does not know how to keep a distance; hence the misery.

Misery is nothing but the shadow of attachment. And hence all stagnancy. The attached person becomes a stagnant pool - sooner or later he will stink. He flows no more.

Don't get attached to anything.

Life is a flux, nothing abides. Still we are such fools, we go on clinging. If change is the nature of life, then clinging is stupidity, because your clinging is not going to change the law of life. Your clinging is only going to make you miserable. Things are bound to change; whether you cling or not does not matter. If you cling you become miserable: you cling and they change, you feel frustrated. If you don't cling they still change, but then there is no frustration because you were perfectly aware that they are bound to change. This is how things are, this is the suchness of life.

No matter how many times I tell you this, you're still thinking, thinking, judging, judging, coming to conclusions, trying to work out your life. You have to let go. Totally, absolutely, completely. You have to let go so completely that you will feel no body, no mind, no pain, nothing.

Don't cling to anything. Clinging is the cause of our being unconscious.

Until you can let go of everything, you will find it hard to hold onto anything.

The more you cling to things, The more you love them, The more the pain you suffer, When they're taken from you.

I saw that nothing was permanent. You don't want to possess anything that is dear to you because you might lose it.

If I learned anything in this life, I've learned that you can't cling on.

Misery comes the moment you become clinging, attached. The moment you put conditions on life.

The skill of letting go can be learned, and once learned you will enjoy living much more spontaneously.

Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose

He who is attached to things will suffer much.

If it means something, take it to heart. If it means nothing, it's nothing. Let it go.

Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled.

All conflict comes from attachment.

The easiest way to lose something is to want it too badly.

Remember: no attachment should grow, no clinging should grow. They are all against your independence, your freedom, your individuality.

Life and love would go on. Even though it would happen without me, the idea brought me joy.

Life is not suffering; it's just that you will suffer it, rather than enjoy it, until you let go of your mind's attachments and just go for the ride freely, no matter what happens.

Do not cling to anything, to any idea; because clinging is the bondage, even to the idea of enlightenment.

Don't get too attached to anything.

I'm bad at letting go of things.

No man can lose what he never had.