Echoes

To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.

First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others.

I go among trees and sit still. All my stirring becomes quiet around me like circles on water.

Mind is the king of the senses; breath is the king of the mind.

To the quiet mind all things are possible.

When breath is unsteady, the mind is unsteady. When breath is steady, the mind is steady. The yogi should therefore restrain the breath.

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.

Nowhere you can go is more peaceful — more free of interruptions — than your own soul.

Attention, taken to its highest degree, is the same thing as prayer.

Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.

Let us be silent, that we may hear the whisper of the gods.

With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things.

In silence and in stillness a devout soul maketh progress, and learneth the mysteries of Holy Scripture.

God rests in Himself, and makes all things rest in Him.

If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.

Silence is a source of great strength.

I loafe and invite my soul, I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.

Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains. But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself. For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul.

Fixity of attention depends on slow breathing; quick or uneven breaths are an inevitable accompaniment of harmful emotional states — fear, lust, anger.

Therefore, this terror of the mind and the darkness must be dispelled not by the rays of the sun or the bright light of day, but by the appearance and reasoning of nature.

Everything in excess is opposed to nature.

I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least — and it is commonly more than that — sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements.

The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers.

Abstinence is the nurse of the soul.

Silence is a fence around wisdom.