Echoes

Remember that man lives only in the present, in this fleeting instant; all the rest of his life is either past and gone, or not yet revealed. Short, therefore, is man's life, and narrow is the corner of the earth wherein he dwells.

What doth care about future events bring thee, save sorrow upon sorrow? Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. It is vain and useless to be disturbed or lifted up about future things which perhaps will never come.

The present moment contains past and future. The secret of transformation, is in the way we handle this very moment.

There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man's whole life is a succession of moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, there will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the moment. Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it were somewhere else.

Even as we speak, envious time is running away from us. Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in tomorrow.

Life is too short to waste The critic bite or cynic bark, Quarrel, or reprimand; ’Twill soon be dark; Up! mind thine own aim, and God speed the mark!

Do not, my soul, seek immortal life, but exhaust the limits of the possible.

Thou oughtest in every deed and thought so to order thyself, as if thou wert to die this day.

...why did we wait for any thing? — why not seize the pleasure at once? — How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation!

The Perfect Man uses his mind like a mirror — going after nothing, welcoming nothing, responding but not storing.

True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.

Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.

It is indeed foolish to be unhappy now because you may be unhappy at some future time.

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.

Do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over thee. While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good.

In the words of the ancients, one should make his decisions within the space of seven breaths. It is a matter of being determined and having the spirit to break right through to the other side.

In my walks I would fain return to my senses. What business have I in the woods, if I am thinking of something out of the woods?

How easy it is to repel and to wipe away every impression which is troublesome or unsuitable, and immediately to be in all tranquility.

Not to live as if you had endless years ahead of you. Death overshadows you. While you're alive and able—be good.

The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.

To-morrow's action! Can that hoary wisdom, Borne down with years, still doat upon tomorrow! That fatal mistress of the young, the lazy, The coward, and the fool, condemn'd to lose A useless life in waiting for to-morrow, To gaze with longing eyes upon to-morrow, Till interposing death destroys the prospect Strange! that this general fraud from day to day Should fill the world with wretches undetected. The soldier, labouring through a winter's march, Still sees to-morrow drest in robes of triumph; Still to the lover's long-expecting arms To-morrow brings the visionary bride. But thou, too old to hear another cheat, Learn, that the present hour alone is man's.

The primary indication, to my thinking, of a well-ordered mind is a man's ability to remain in one place and linger in his own company.

Do the duty which lies nearest thee, which thou knowest to be a duty! Thy second duty will already have become clearer.

You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.