We can all benefit from being a little more present in our day to day lives.
It’s easy to let our mental chatter overwhelm us. Our brain is always thinking about something – whether it’s the unfinished tasks on our to-do list or the never ending speculation about how our future will play out.
Re-directing our attention and keeping it focused in the present is an essential skill that’s hard to develop in today’s world. Not only do we have to battle with our own brain, we also have to contend with endless distractions that compete for our attention.
Despite these obstacles, mindfulness is a skill that can be developed through practice. In this article, we’ll talk a little bit about those practices and then cover an extensive list of mindfulness quotes that will highlight what it means to be mindful.
Hopefully these mindfulness quotes resonate with you and convey the profound impact that mindfulness can have on your life.
Quotes On Mindfulness & Meditation
Meditation is one of the best daily habits that you can develop so let’s kick off this list of quotes about mindfulness by illustrating the importance of finding peace through meditation.
- “Meditation will not carry you to another world, but it will reveal the most profound and awesome dimensions of the world in which you already live. Calmly contemplating these dimensions and bringing them into the service of compassion and kindness is the right way to make rapid gains in meditation as well as in life.” ~ Zen Master Hsing Yun
- “Meditation is like a gym in which you develop the powerful mental muscles of calm and insight.” ~ Ajahn Bram
- “With every breath, the old moment is lost; a new moment arrives. We exhale and we let go of the old moment. It is lost to us. In doing so, we let go of the person we used to be. We inhale and breathe in the moment that is becoming. In doing so, we welcome the person we are becoming. We repeat the process. This is meditation. This is renewal. This is life.” ~ Lama Surya Das
- “We must experience the Truth in a direct, practical and real way. This is only possible in the stillness and silence of the mind; and this is achieved by means of meditation.” ~ Samael Aun Weor
- “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless – like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” ~ Bruce Lee
- “Meditation and concentration are the way to a life of serenity.” ~ Baba Ram Dass
- “If the mind falls asleep, awaken it. Then if it starts wandering, make it quiet. If you reach the state where there is neither sleep nor movement of mind, stay still in that, the natural (real) state.” ~ Ramana Maharshi
- “The more regularly and the more deeply you meditate, the sooner you will find yourself acting always from a center of peace.” ~ J. Donald Walters
- “Mindfulness practice means that we commit fully in each moment to be present; inviting ourselves to interface with this moment in full awareness, with the intention to embody as best we can an orientation of calmness, mindfulness, and equanimity right here and right now.” ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn
- “Don’t hate the arising of thoughts or stop the thoughts that do arise. Simply realize that our original mind, right from the start, is beyond thought, so that no matter what, you never get involved with thoughts. Illuminate original mind, and no other understanding is necessary.” ~ Zen Master Bankei Yotaku
- “The goal of meditation isn’t to control your thoughts, it’s to stop letting them control you.” ~ Anonymous
- “The quieter you become the more you can hear.” ~ Anonymous
- “Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It’s a way of entering into the quiet that’s already there.” ~ Deepak Chopra
- “Meditation is like giving a hug to ourselves, getting in touch with that awesome reality in us. while meditating we feel a deep sense of intimacy with God, a love that is inexplicable.” ~ Paramhamsa Yogananda
- “Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in external awareness or pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.” ~ Voltaire
- “Meditation is all about the pursuit of nothingness. It’s like the ultimate rest. It’s better than the best sleep you’ve ever had. It’s a quieting of the mind.” ~ Hugh Jackman
Buddha Mindfulness Quotes
Until he died at the age of 80, Buddha’s primary goal in life was leading people towards enlightenment.
Mindfulness was at the center of his philosophy, which ultimately transformed into what we know as Buddhism.
The following mindfulness quotes from the Buddha will embody the spiritual leader’s emphasis on being present and finding inner peace.
- “If you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the universe. You will feel its rhythm. Go with this flow. Happiness lies ahead. Meditation is key.”
- “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”
- “An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”
- “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
- “When it hurts, observe. Life is trying to teach you something.”
- “Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.”
- “The root of all suffering is attachment.”
- “Your mind is a powerful thing. When you start to filter it with positive thoughts your life will start to change.”
- “For soon the body is discarded. Then what does it feel? A useless log of wood, it lies on the ground. Then what does it know? Your worst enemy cannot harm you. As much as your own thoughts, unguarded. But once mastered, no one can help you as much, not even your mother or father.”
- “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
- “Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.”
- “Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.”
- “Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely will find peace.”
Mindfulness Quotes For Anxiety
- “Where there is peace and meditation, there is neither anxiety nor doubt.” ~ Sr. Francis de Sales
- “The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness.” ~ Sakyong Mipham
- “Stop, breathe, look around and embrace the miracle of each day, the miracle of life.” ~ Jeffrey A. White
- “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
- “Few of us ever live in the present. We are forever anticipating what is to come or remembering what has gone.” ~ Louis L’Amour
- “Breathe out unwanted thoughts with your exhale and re-focus your attention directly on what is important right now, at this moment.” ~ Amit Ray
- “Mindset is your beliefs about your potential, skills, strength, intelligence and choices. Through mindfulness you can change your mindset.” ~ Amit Ray
- “Worrying doesn’t take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.” ~ Randy Armstrong
- “Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.” ~ Ramana Maharshi
- “To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.” ~ Thích Nhất Hạnh
- “When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.” ~ Jack Kornfield
- “You wouldn’t worry so much about what other people think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” ~ Olin Miller
- “Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.” ~ Robert Elliot
- “Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But you can train yourself not to worry. Worry never fixes everything.” ~ Mary Hemingway
- “Slow breathing is like an anchor in the midst of an emotional storm: The anchor won’t make the storm go away, but it will hold you steady until it passes.” ~ Russ Harris
- “You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.” ~ Steve Maraboli
- “Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and commitment.” ~ Grenville Kleiser
Mindfulness Quotes On Change
- “Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t).” ~ James Baraz
- “Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.” ~ Pema Chödrön
- “The place to be happy is here. The time to be happy is now.” ~ Robert G. Ingersoll
- “We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.” ~ Bill Watterson
- “He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.” ~ Shannon L. Adler
- “You have dug your soul out of the dark, you have fought to be here; do not go back to what buried you.” ~ Bianca Sparacino
- “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” ~ Wayne Dyer
- “Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.” ~ William S. Burroughs
- “Whatever happens to you belongs to you. Make it yours. Feed it to yourself even if it feels impossible to swallow. Let it nurture you because it will.” ~ Cheryl Strayed
- “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
- “Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
Final Thoughts
That wraps up this list of mindfulness quotes! I hope you enjoyed these quotes as well as the insights that came along with them.
Although words are great, action is the next step to making mindfulness ad part of your life. If you’re interested in developing the skill of centering yourself in the present, implement some of the practices that were outlined above – meditation, mindful eating, and mindfulness walks.
If you’re interested in learning more about the subject as a whole, then feel free to check out some of the best books on mindfulness.
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