When we are free it means we are free from being seduced by the immediacy of the situation.


Sorry, but the laws of life dictate that you can’t have it all, and those who try end up losing everything important to them.


When you determine a choice for one thing you exclude another. What you exclude determines what you gain.


Freedom means you are a disciple of reality. And being a disciple of reality means you are limited.


If you don’t discipline yourself, circumstances will do it for you.


When we lose something dear to us, it is not the loss per se that counts so much, but our determination to regain it.


Do you have body experiences, ego experiences, or self experiences? Be careful how you answer for while the body and ego collaborate, the self is independent.


Many concentrate on building the body and/or ego, but few there be that concentrates on building the self. It is possible to build both the body and the self, and the body and the ego, but one cannot build all three at the same time or in the same degree.


Perhaps the person you have judged inferior is in fact superior. But you won’t detect that until the cataracts of your soul is removed and his sins are viewed in proper perspective.


Empathy is one of the most neglected of virtues. You simply cannot understand or sympathize with the sufferings of another until you have walked the path he has walked.

When you take off the mask to yourself you reveal yourself to yourself, and offer the most intimate part of your being to another.


If you go around hiding yourself to another you are engaging in deceit. Are you doing that?


When you truly desire to promote the happiness and welfare of another you have proven your love of yourself, of God, and of the other.


Does your giving reflect a pure heart, or does it represent a means to another end?


Once we have been hurt by the one we love, we have a natural tendency to want guarantees that we will not be hurt again. If one is unwilling to give such a guarantee he does not know himself well, and has made no commitment to the relationship.


A true lover must be willing to suffer for the other’s sake.


A mature person must opt for a particular orientation in life. That is, he must decide to either be open or closed to particular experiences. But, he must make the decision before the experience occurs. If he waits until it is presented it is usually too late.


These sayings to the mature person will be agreeable, even redundant. But to the immature they will either provoke deeper pondering or they will elicit offense and disagreement. Most, however, will not even be aware they exist.


Isn’t it amazing how many people prefer to be ignorant?


There are two kinds of obedience. There is blind obedience in which one obeys for the sake of obedience. The other kind listens to the self, and determines what kind of self one is, and if it is determined to be lacking, embarks on a goal to obtain that which is lacking. True obedience is liberating – it makes one more sensitive in differentiating between truth and error.


When you listen do you hear only what you want to hear and ignore the other? Learn to discriminate, not opinionate!


When you surrender yourself make sure you know what you’re surrendering. It’s better to find out before than after!


Does your main motivation come from within or from extraneous forces?


What impinges upon you, what attracts you, what provokes you, in and of itself is not what is important! What is important is how you respond.


Have you learned the difference between being dependent and interdependent?


We all have freedom of choice, but most people do not understand either that they have it or what it means. What it means is that you have the freedom to choose who you will be. Making the choice however, does not mean making the effort. But it is the first step. Now you have to make a choice to take the second step.


There is another inexorable law of life that we all are required to face. It is the law that says there is an opposition in all things. Are you prepared to recognize the opposition when it comes, or do you just wait until after it comes and has left its damage?


You have all heard the aphorism, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It means that it is better to prevent hurt rather than deal with it after it occurs.


If you want to get through life without stepping on egg shells and examining every possibility and analyzing every motivation, make it easy on yourself by going through the difficulty of changing yourself.

Integration is an achievement; it is not usually an endowment.


Having an apocalyptic experience is not the same as having a mystical one.


Learning to have faith is one thing. Learning to not lose it is another. Better still is learning to get it back once it is lost.
It is not a sudden burst of enthusiastic effort that accomplishes the task, but sustained effort.


Motivation is not accomplished by instant fervor, but by repetition at frequent intervals.


When you see a person mourning you witness mending taking place. He who does not mourn is untouched by tragedy and learns neither wisdom nor true power.


There is a difference between mourning and lamentation. Mourning occurs because one is sensitive enough to recognize the heartache brought about by tragedy. Lamentation occurs primarily because of one’s complaints. Mourning occurs when one is concerned about others. Lamentation occurs when one is concerned about self.


There is a direct connection between a thoughtful person and his capacity to mourn.


Those who are wont to rush aid to those who are starving for food whilst ignoring their starving for spiritual mana are very inept indeed because while their bellies may be filled, their soul remains empty.


Those who think it is manly to withhold tears do not know what it means to be a man.


Those who think they are demonstrating their manhood by having sex do not know what it means to be a man or a woman. Nor do they know the meaning of sex.


For some foolish reason a man is taught when he is a boy to repress his true feelings. Thus a man who thinks he is very strong may in fact be very weak.


When one is lacking needful things of life such as food, water, clothing and shelter, it is hard for them, if not impossible, to concentrate on their spiritual needs. But if one has sufficient food, water, clothing and shelter, and neglects his spiritual needs, he is lacking more than he thinks. Though he is surviving, he is not thriving.


The availability of wisdom is endless. The appropriation of it, however, is rare.


Is there ever a time when you feel significantly insignificant, and yet at the same time supremely important?


If we experience our limits as challenges to overcome them we are on the road to maturity. But they must not be expected to be overcome in a day. Persistence is the key.


You only respect yourself when you have respectful reverence for another person.


If you respect another person you are not seduced by another’s sensuality or attractiveness.

Even when one violates a law in total ignorance, even if he does it with good intentions, he will, nevertheless suffer, or cause another to suffer. That is the inevitable result of the violations of laws whether we know them or not. Therefore, don’t you think it behooves us to know them?


There is so much needless suffering in the world. And most of it is imposed on innocent people. All of it could be easily and instantly prevented if people would just learn the laws of their own natures and the unique laws of their relationships.


Yes, we all are born with appetites. But why let them control us? Just who or what is in control anyway; the appetites or us? Oh, you say, but I must be satisfied. But what are you going to do when circumstances won’ let them be satisfied? Are you then going to obsess and make yourself miserable because you cannot be satisfied and never will be?


People with high ideals are often decried by those who say they are unrealistic. However, though people with higher standards admit they have appetites, they deal with them with courage, meekness, and finesse, unlike those who don’t deal with them at all.


Those who think they are facing all the facts are not facing the facts of their personalities.


A person with high ideals who works his whole life long to change people will most likely fail. Some who hear the word will reject it. More will hear it, try it for a while, become discouraged and give up. Most will not even hear it at all because they are simply not interested and are too busy “having fun.” It is not that he has failed in converting others that count so much as that he converted himself and tried with courage and humility to live his ideals, even though he has to do it alone.
Those who are not ready will have to experience suffering until they are ready.


It is a wise person who knows his weaknesses and stays away from situations which brings out his weaknesses.


Not doing the wrong thing may be good, but the question is; did you refrain from doing it with a pure heart?


You may achieve a certain degree of content if you respond to the vicissitudes of life with gritty resignation, but if you do so you will never experience the glory and enthusiasm of maintaining high ideals.


What one sees in the world depends on his spiritual occularity; not on whether or not he needs glasses for his eyes.


How one responds depends on the nature of his being rather than on the nature of the stimuli.


The idealist does not assume that the telescope through which others see the universe is less strong than his, but that he is looking at a different galaxy.

What is attractive and appealing may in the long run become unattractive and unappealing.


The idealist does not believe that he is out of touch with reality, as he is often accused; he believes that others are.


If you put off until tomorrow what could have been done today you forfeit the blessings of today for a tomorrow that never comes.

There are many who believe that knowledge of the Bible, and of moral principles, will automatically result in religious and moral behavior. This is decidedly not true, as any acute observer and psychological counselor well knows. You simply cannot shame people into being good, nor can you educate them into being good, they have to change from within. They then do good, not because of their knowledge of principles, but because they are good. Religion should, therefore, teach people to change, not just teach them morals and principles.


Religious faith is often thought of as just one thing. But it is more complex than that. There are at least three types of religious faith. The first kind may be called intellectual faith. This kind of faith is derived from such reasoning as the ontological argument, the cosmological argument and the teleological argument. The second kind of faith is called credulity faith. In this kind of faith the believer believes anything he is told by authorities or tradition. The person who possesses this kind of faith believes all the doctrines of their particular church or religion without question. Another name for this kind of faith is blind faith. The third kind of faith is revelatory faith. It is a faith given to one by some invisible power. In this kind of faith the person “knows” but cannot explain how he knows.


Just because a person cannot explain why he believes and cannot trot out all the empirical evidence to prove his point, is no reason to invalidate his beliefs. He just may know something you don’t.


The reason some people do things of which they know better, is because they have not made a commitment to their being, to their unique relationships, and to life. If you haven’t, don’t you think it’s about time you did?


You can be aware and careful without being foolish and stupid.


Merely doing something because it is your duty may be good, but it is not holistic. Do something because you hunger and thirst after it, not because it is just your duty to do so.


If you do something that hurts another, you are faced with three major choices: You can sincerely, with broken heart and contrite spirit, truly repent and ask the hurt one for forgiveness, and work with him or her to overcome his or her hurt. Or you can decide to leave the relationship and enter another one which has different laws. Then you have to decide which choice is best.


One of the great secrets of life is to make choices which limit other choices.


Life hands us all choices which are inescapable. But to make other choices which burden us with additional choices is foolish.


Life seems to have so many choices which lead us either to confusion or despair. But handling them all is really simple. All you have to do is make a solemn commitment to do what is right rather than do what is convenient.


Once upon a time an orator declared, “I accept the universe.” One of the moderators commented, “She’d better.” The point is, while we do not have control over the universe, we do have control over ourselves. Moreover, whoever tries to live by the laws of the universe instead of trying to fight them, will be a much better adjusted person.


For people to not expect to suffer for their violations of universal laws is the most ludicrous of expectations.


It seems to be a common characteristic of man to want to set aside the laws of their own being, the laws of their relationships, and the laws of life in general when they are faced with the natural and inevitable consequences of their acts.

Don’t you find it fascinating that many people are so impressed with the unimpressionable? Now, before you trot out your arsenal of self-defenses and enter that safe haven known as denial, be it known to you that there are some people more enlightened than me who are of the same opinion. Of course I realize that, having said that, that people who should read this will not even be aware of it. Ignorance, it is said, is bliss. That may be so but it is a false bliss.


Love may be a many-splendored thing for a time, but if it is applied inappropriately it turns into a many- unsplendored thing.


Why is it that acts deleterious to both the individual and society as a whole are accepted with such cool detachment and tolerant insipidity?


The shrewd and the clever are not as smart as they think they are because their shrewdness and cleverness often lead them to out-smart themselves.


Raucous music and swivel-dancing is neither music or dancing! It is just loud dissonance and pelvic gyrations.


Auditions for T.V. shows like “The Great American Idol” bring out the least talented who are convinced they are the most talented.


Common sense and logical theories cannot themselves alone solve the problems of the spirit. Only a spiritual application can have a spiritual effect.


The keenest minds we know are sometimes the dullest minds there are.


Do you get the impression that I speak in sweeping generalities and that something remains unsaid? If so, you are right. However, I do so deliberately because I am trying to encourage you to think for yourself. Thus, I speak the generality and leave it to you to discover, or work out the specific.


If the truth about everything were to be suddenly revealed we would be astonished at how often we have been lied to, and how wrong we have been.


A lie is sometimes not blatant, but subtle, and is often cleverly presented as the truth.


The interesting thing about habitual liars is that they believe their lies to be the truth.


It is not lies alone which do us damage, but withholding the truth.


Lies cleverly arranged eventually become unconscious lies. But they are
lies, nevertheless.


Some people are immediately turned off to religion by a “Thou shalt not” attitude. It is readily admitted that this attitude can be carried too far. But it is also true that it is often not deeply pondered, seriously considered, and not carried far enough. People often reject religion because they feel guilty for doing, or having done, what “Thou shalt not.”


If the outer decree does not conform to the inner attitude it does not mean the outer decree is false. Maybe the inner attitude is.

What may not be universally applicable may be individually applicable. And what may apply to me may not apply to you. Oh, says the philosopher, then there are no eternal verities. You miss the point! There are both! But it takes a discerning and careful mind to determine which is which.


Thoughtless people answer one absurdity with another one.


The atheist would have only glory. No opposition, no struggle, no pain, only goodness. Oh, so you would have Him deny you the right to disbelieve and deny others the right to believe? So what would we have then? A world of coercion, rebellion and chaos!


Aren’t we reading something into reality when we interpret it from the lowest we know rather than from the highest we know? Isn’t mind and will, love and compassion, meaning and purpose, and other intangible attributes of man just as much a part of reality as atoms and molecules?


Man has a penchant for reducing complexity to simplicity, the unexplainable to what he thinks is explained, the transcendent to the ordinary, and thus gets himself further and further from the truth.


If one declares that the effect of religion in his life has been negligible perhaps it is really because he has been negligible.


If one complains that religion is ineffective perhaps it is because it hasn’t been tried. Or tried long enough! Or sincerely enough!


If one wants to have a rich life he has to spend some of himself.


Just as a strong body may be a cover-up for a weak mind, so a weak body may be a cover-up for a strong mind.


The next time you are tempted to deny the efficacy of religion, ask yourself this question: If I sincerely lived the noblest teachings of religion would I be mentally healthy or unhealthy?


Not everyone who declares he is a prophet; not everyone who writes a book; not everyone who creates a product or a program; not everyone who vows he knows the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; not everyone who has a high I.Q and a string of degrees from prestigious universities, is necessarily honest. Generally his greed for money or fame eclipses the truth.


Politicians are very adept at convincing people that their lies are the truth, and the people who elect them to office are often ignorant, uninformed or ill-informed people who are easily duped into believing