Sayings · TEMPLE OF LIGHT

quote of the day

Your thoughts are creative, and you become what you think about throughout the day.
Human quarrels would not last so long if all the fault were on only one side.
If you are going to love someone, first learn to forgive.
If you do not want to take medicine as food later, use food as medicine now.
There is no path to peace — Peace is the Path. There is no path to happiness — Happiness is the Path. There is no path to love — Love is the Path.
The essence of enlightenment lies not only in contemplating radiant forms and visions, but also in making the darkness visible. The latter is more difficult and therefore less popular.
Precision without an understanding of its inherent limitations is useless.
Your interpretation of what you see and hear is no more than your interpretation.
Assumptions are a transparent coordinate grid through which we observe the Universe, sometimes mistakenly taking the grid itself for the Universe.
The mind imposes an arbitrary frame called reality upon the Universe, yet this reality is entirely independent of what our senses tell us.
Just because your eyes are open does not mean you are awake.
In combat, the state of your spirit should be no different from everyday life. Both in combat and in daily life, you should be purposeful yet calm.
No excuses for passivity and laziness are acceptable.
The purpose of training is not to memorize a few effective techniques, but to reveal the qualities of spirit and body.
Freedom is a heavy burden, a great and mysterious weight upon the soul. It is not easy to carry. It is not a gift, but a choice you make; and that choice may have the most unexpected consequences. The path of freedom leads upward, toward the light, but if its burden is too heavy, you may never reach the end of the path.
Neither a weapon nor a woman makes a man a man; neither magic nor any other power does — only he himself!
The purpose of a fishing lure is to catch a fish, and once the fish is caught, the lure is forgotten. The purpose of words is to communicate ideas. Once the ideas are understood, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a person who has forgotten words? That is the person with whom I would like to speak.
Misfortune is a feeling; I experience it. But it is not a sensation, not something that can simply happen to me. Sensations require events in life, but for feelings I need only myself. Tragedies unfold within me, victories are celebrated within me — I enact them, and therefore I alone create my own unhappiness. Pain is not the same as suffering, and affection is not the same as happiness. Here I decide which sensation will become which experience. Therefore, if I want to suffer, I will always find a reason and be unhappy. And if I want to be happy, I will be — without doubt!
Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it escapes you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and quietly sit on your shoulder.
Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.
All animals except humans know that the main thing in life is to enjoy it.
If you ever want to find someone who can overcome any hardship, even the greatest one, and make you happy when no one else can, simply look in the mirror and say: Hello!
I am not frightened by the darkness outside houses; the darkness inside them is far more terrifying.
People are often lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.
If you judge someone, you have no time left to love them.
Any relationship is like sand held in your hand. Hold it loosely, in an open palm, and the sand remains. The moment you close your hand tightly, it begins to slip through your fingers. You may retain a little, but most will spill away. Relationships are the same. Treat another person and their freedom with care and respect while remaining close. But if you grip too tightly and claim possession of them, the relationship will deteriorate and fall apart.
Separation diminishes moderate love and strengthens great love, just as wind extinguishes a candle and fans a fire.
Do not reproach yourself if you cannot give something to another. Reproach yourself if you can, but do not.
We always think that we are loved because we are good. We do not realize that we are loved because those who love us are good.
First we choose the path; then the path chooses us.
Life begins where the comfort zone ends.
A great goal is one that can be achieved only after your death. A person with a great goal knows their path.
Life is a persistent teacher. It repeats its lessons until we learn them.
Guilt is the rejection of oneself. Anger is the rejection of others.
Most often, people want a listener in their conversation partner, not an adviser.
If you know how to speak, learn how to listen as well.
If you wish to improve yourself, try silence or another cleansing discipline that will gradually reveal your true self, free of selfishness.
Every time you ask, ‘Why is this happening to me?’, you cast yourself as a victim and move even farther away from a solution.
What you curse will curse you. What you bless will bless you.
If we ourselves have not attained perfection, how can we be angry with others for not being as we would like them to be?
There are four kinds of people: those who do not know and do not know that they do not know — they are fools, avoid them; those who do not know but know that they do not know — they are simple, teach them; those who know but do not know that they know — they are asleep, wake them; those who know and know that they know — they are wise, follow them.
For an ordinary person, everything that happens is either a curse or a blessing. For a warrior, every event is a trial.
Education shows an intelligent person how little they know, while giving a fool the illusion that they know a great deal.
Speak little, listen much, and think even more.
When people struggle together, even the weak will prevail.
Do great things without making great promises.
It is impossible! — said Reason. It is reckless! — observed Experience. It is useless and humiliating! — declared Pride. Try... — whispered the Dream.
Both when we are born and when we die, we cause someone pain.
A wall of emotions blocks both the outer and the inner world at once.
Learning without reflection is useless, but reflection without learning is dangerous.
To err is human; to persist in error is foolish.
Culture is not the number of books read, but the number understood.
It is very difficult for a child to behave properly if they have never seen how it is done.
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
Strangely enough, to believe in youth is to look backward; to look forward, one must believe in old age.
What is the difference between truth and ultimate truth? No one knows ultimate truth, while everyone has a truth of their own.
...although this has happened to me, I do not surrender to grief, I am not broken by the present, and I do not tremble before the future.
Experience is the name people give to their mistakes.
Do not forget to do the impossible in order to achieve the possible.
Lord, give me the strength to change what I can change; give me the patience to accept what I cannot change; and give me the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.
You are not responsible for every event. But you are always responsible for your interpretation of events and for your response to them.
You have searched for too long. Now stop searching and learn to find.
We live only once, but if we live rightly, once is enough.
Fear is a sign of the possibility of death. Calm is certainty of it.
We stubbornly seek the eternal somewhere far away; we stubbornly turn our inner gaze away from what is before us now and plainly visible, or else await death as though we were not dying and returning every moment. At every instant a new life is given to us. Today, now, this very minute — that is all we possess.
To know how to learn is to know how to trust and to cultivate a sense of duty. If you do not know how to serve, you will not know how to command.
A Master has the right to say without explanation: ‘It is true because I said so!’ For in everything he says, he takes care that it should be true.
Impossible is only a loud word behind which small people hide. It is easier for them to live in a familiar world than to find the strength to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It is only an opinion. Impossible is not a sentence. It is a challenge. Impossible is a chance to test yourself. Impossible is not forever!
All things in the world have the Way as their source. One who loses it perishes. One who finds it lives. One who goes against it fails. One who follows it succeeds.
Be simple in words and actions, and you will touch the source of being and the essence of things.
Good fortune is as dangerous as failure. Whether you climb a mountain or descend from it, in either case you may fall.
Hope is as emptying as fear. Hope and fear are both phantoms born of concern for the self. When we do not belong to ourselves, what is there to fear?
Everything a Mentor teaches is only one quarter of a Student's knowledge. One quarter comes through personal interest and hard work. One quarter comes through revelations of the Force. The remaining quarter is age and life experience.
True words do not require eloquence. Eloquence is not proof of their truth.
Some think that the Order teaches nonsense. Others consider it lofty but far removed from practice. Yet for those who have looked within themselves, this nonsense is filled with enormous meaning. And for those who have dared to put it into practice, the deep roots of all these lofty things become visible.
The Master acts by simply allowing things to follow their natural course. He owns nothing, so he has nothing to lose. What he desires is to be free of desires. What he teaches is to forget what you know. He merely reminds people of who they have always been. He cares for nothing but the Force, and therefore he can care for everything.
The Master does not try to instruct people, but teaches them to forget what they knew. When they think they know the answers, it is difficult to lead them toward Truth. When they know that they know nothing, they are able to find themselves.
A Jedi does what must be done. When he makes a mistake, he becomes aware of it. Once aware, he admits his mistake. Having admitted it, he seeks to correct it. He regards those who point out his mistakes as his most generous teachers. He thinks of his enemies as the shadow he casts.
He lets events come and go, without passion or craving. He never desires results, and therefore cannot be disappointed. He is never disappointed, and so his soul never grows old.
He demands nothing from Life in return, and nothing holds him. Therefore he is attached to nothing and is ready for death, as every creature is ready for sleep after a good day's work.
A Jedi Master does not concern himself with his actions. They flow from his Heart.
Ordinary people hate solitude. But a Jedi knows how to work with it. Enveloped in solitude, a Jedi truly feels his unity with the entire Universe.
A Jedi never seeks power. That is why he is truly powerful.
If you want to receive everything, you must give up everything.
Because he does not display himself, people see his Light. Because he has nothing to prove, people believe his words.
The Jedi Master doesn't seek fulfillment. Not seeking, not expecting, he is present, and can welcome all things.
The Force is like a bellows: the more you talk of it, the less you understand.
Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.
A Jedi has but does not possess; acts but does not expect.
A Jedi Teacher acts without acting and teaches without saying anything.
When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad. There are no ugly or bad things... it is a person's attitude that makes them so.
It is no sin to fall; the sin is not to rise.
Do, or do not. There is no try.
The possible, until it becomes real, is only a distraction.
No knowledge can be evil in itself, and no pursuit of knowledge can be impure, as long as the seeker is pure of heart and masters what they know rather than being mastered by it.
Assumptions are meaningless; patience will reveal everything.
The most important lessons are taught without words.
A Jedi should not cling to the past. Nor should one speak of a shadow obscuring Jedi perception.
When every choice seems wrong, choose restraint.
Despair is a herald of the dark side.
A Jedi should not clarify reality; a Jedi should only interact with it.
If you have made no mistake and yet you are losing... you should begin to play by different rules.
There are questions to which we can never receive answers; we can only become the answers.
The Jedi are keepers of the peace. We are not soldiers. If we become soldiers, we will cease to be Jedi. The true enemies of the Jedi are not the Separatists. They are enemies of the Republic. It is the Republic that will stand or fall in the Clone Wars. Even the reborn Sith are not our enemies. They are not the point. Our enemy is power mistaken for justice. Our enemy is despair that justifies crimes. Our enemy is darkness itself: a swirling cloud of fear, despair, and suffering brought by war. A cloud that poisons our Galaxy.
Clear your mind, you must.
The life of a Jedi is discipline imposed upon nature, just as civilization itself is, at its root, discipline imposed upon the natural impulses of sentient beings. Because peace is not the natural state. Peace is the child of civilization. The myth of the peaceful savage is what it is: a myth. Without civilization, all existence becomes a jungle. Approach your peaceful savage and burn his crops, kill his herds, or drive him from his hunting grounds. You will discover that he has no intention of remaining peaceful... The Jedi do not fight for peace. That is merely a slogan, and it is too broad, as every slogan is. The Jedi fight for civilization, because only civilization creates peace. We fight for justice because justice is the cornerstone of civilization: an unjust civilization is built on sand. It will not survive the storm.
The Jedi do not ‘figure out what to do next’ or ‘develop a plan.’ Such actions contradict Jedi being. We allow the Force to flow through us and follow its current toward peace and justice. Much of Jedi training is devoted to teaching us to trust our instincts and feelings rather than reason. A Jedi must learn not to think about a situation, not to act: to become an empty vessel that the Force fills with wisdom and action. We feel the truth when we stop analyzing it. The Force acts through us when we stop trying. A Jedi does not make decisions. A Jedi trusts. Seen another way, we are not taught to think. We are taught to know.
The ability to acknowledge your weaknesses and not be afraid to ask for help in dealing with them is the greatest virtue.
Creating a lightsaber was not an act of invention, only of realization: he took a mental reality and turned it into a physical one. /.../ His true blade existed only in his mind. /.../ The lightsaber was not a weapon. A weapon can be taken away or destroyed. A weapon is a separate entity. Many people even give one a name. Mace felt no more desire to name his lightsaber than to name his own hand. /.../ His blade did not match the image dreamed by the nine-year-old boy. With every step toward a deeper understanding of the Force and his place within it, he rebuilt the blade. Remade it. The blade grew with him.
A Jedi looks the same when cleaning his weapon as when using it.
Overly cautious people die just as quickly as overly bold ones.
The Jedi are altruistic less because it is good than because it is safe: using the Force for personal ends is dangerous. Even the best, kindest, and most caring Jedi can fall into this trap; it leads to what we call the dark side. Power used to do good may one day become simply power. Naked force. Curled inward upon itself. It is a form of madness to which Jedi are especially susceptible.
There is no such thing as luck. Luck is the word we use to describe our blindness to the subtle currents of the Force.
There are no coincidences. A person speaks of coincidence when they cannot see the chain of events that led to it.
A lightsaber duel should not be treated as a choice between victory and defeat. Every duel can have many endings. If you focus entirely on winning at any cost, you may easily stain your victory. Such a victory becomes worse than defeat. It is better to lose with dignity than to win dishonorably. And of course, it is always better to end a duel peacefully than with the inevitable victory of one and defeat of the other.
Size matters not. The difference is only in your mind. Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not. For the Force is my ally — and a powerful ally it is!
What you think, you receive. What you fear, you attract. What you resist, persists.
The Light that we are shines brightest in the darkest night.
I wear my robe, and therefore I am warm. I keep my lightsaber with me, and therefore I am safe. And I have enough credits for my next meal, so I am not hungry. If the Force wishes me to have more, it will let me know.
Only one who can take a life with a single strike begins truly to value it.
A Jedi is a Jedi and must understand who he is. For a Jedi, dividing his attention between the will of the Force and the desires of others is a sure path to trouble.
The best fight is the one that never happened.
The best enemy is not one killed or defeated, but one who has taken your side.
Use the Force to carry out the will of the Force itself, not to satisfy your own curiosity.
In a real war no one wins. The only question is how much each side is prepared to lose.
Often it is not truth itself that matters, but the meaning of that truth, and a wise Jedi understands that meaning before revealing the truth to others. If concealing the truth would be more honest, the Jedi will do so. And if a Jedi, remaining honest with himself and acting according to the will of the Force, tells a lie, he tells the truth.
You fail to understand one thing: you have already understood everything there was to understand. You simply do not want to believe it.
Where does the true lesson lie: in what the teacher teaches, or in what the student learns?
You see, but you do not see.
Some actions require a certain freedom of mind. When emotions do not take part in decision-making, the answers usually become obvious.
An untrained being who wields the Force may possess as much power as the greatest Jedi. But without training, they rely on instincts bestowed by nature and environment. Here lies one of the central Jedi paradoxes: the ‘instincts’ on which we rely are not truly instinctive. Through intense training, they have replaced our natural ones. That is why Jedi must begin training at such an early age: to replace natural instincts — territoriality, selfishness, anger, fear, and the rest — with Jedi ‘instincts’: service, clarity, selflessness, and compassion.
War is horror. It is supposed to be horror. That is how wars are won: by inflicting suffering so terrible upon the enemy that they can no longer fight. War cannot be viewed through the lens of law. You cannot fight while protecting the innocent, because there are no innocents. The leaders of the Confederacy can wage war against us only because of its innocent citizens: those who build ships, grow food, mine metals, and purify water. And only they can stop the war: only their suffering will bring it to an end.
It is about war... Not this particular war, but war in general. When every choice you make means death. Saving these innocents means that other innocents must die.
The sword is the heart. If the heart is wrong, the sword is wrong. One who wishes to study the sword must first study the heart.
If I were not cruel, I would not survive. If I were not gentle with people, I would not deserve to live.
Learning is a struggle against the current of a river: as soon as you stop rowing, you drift backward.
If you cannot change life's attitude toward you, change your attitude toward life.
The purpose of life is a life devoted to a purpose.
One who flatters me robs me. One who criticizes me is my teacher.
Material possessions do not bring fulfillment. Fulfillment comes from knowing that a goal has been achieved.
Predators are interested only in victims, not rivals.
In hours of leisure, do not forget the past. In the hours of night, remember what happened by day.
Do not complain about the snow on your neighbor's roof while your own doorstep remains uncleared.
Do not untie a knotted rope, and do not tie new knots without need.
The heart needs the mind no less than the body needs food.
Do not blame the strong for your weakness.
Is what you seek worth what you are losing?
It is not the direction that matters, but the final destination. If the destination is clear, you may walk in any direction and still arrive where you wish to go.
Be wiser than other people if you can, but do not boast of it.
Reason reveals itself when a person bears sorrow patiently and calmly.
A coward tries to become one with the sword without understanding that emptiness cannot fill emptiness. A noble sword belongs in noble hands.
By studying the small, comprehend the great.
Apply the laws of the sword everywhere; remain a warrior even without a sword — follow the Way.
Modesty conceals strength, but modesty should not be confused with insecurity. As in combat, in conversation one should be attentive and courteous, study one's counterpart, and avoid conflict; but if you intend to break your opponent, then as in combat, strike decisively and hard.
Excessive concern for oneself constrains.
Defeat one and you will defeat a thousand, if that one is yourself.
Wise is the one who knows what is needed, not many things.
A person is what they think. Everything they are comes to them through thought. With thought we create the world.
A person should not strive for what contradicts their nature.
Do not undertake a task in which you cannot be useful.
It is good to have a destination at the end of the road. But the road itself is the only thing that will matter once it has been traveled.
One should not undertake what is impossible, nor what will bring no benefit.
Pray as though everything depended on Higher Powers, but act as though everything depended on you.
Do not fear death; fear wasting your life foolishly and without purpose.
It is untimely to lecture a person in distress — first, they need help.
Keep the word of reproach in your heart, and it will be better for you. Otherwise, once the word leaves your lips, you will lose a friend.
Do not speak words you have not considered, for it is better to stumble in thought than in conversation.
If you cannot take a hundred steps, take one... Then another... And another...
While dreaming of living forever, live as though you will die tomorrow.
Do not remain where people quarrel.
If you can advance, advance. If you cannot advance, defend. If you cannot defend, run. If you cannot run, surrender. If you refuse to surrender, die.
Do not try to stand firm when the river floods.
Without entering the tiger's den, you cannot take the cub. If you dream of a rainbow, be prepared to get caught in the rain.
Do not visit your friend too often, lest they become weary of you and come to hate you.
It is better to die pursuing your dreams than to live your whole life without hope.
The power of will is so strong that it can overcome the inevitable.
Sow an action and reap a habit. Sow a habit and reap a character. Sow a character and reap a destiny.
A person is not the sum of their character and intellect, but the choice they have made.
When brothers quarrel, do not try to judge between them and do not interfere in their affairs. Brothers will reconcile, and they will hate you.
It is always useful to learn from your own mistakes — then those mistakes acquire some meaning.
One who steps softly will go far.
Rivers and seas receive tribute from hundreds of mountain streams because they lie below them. For the same reason, they are able to rule all the mountain streams. So too, a sage who wishes to stand above people places himself below them. Wishing to be ahead, he stands behind. Therefore, although he rises above people, they do not feel his weight. Although he stands before them, they do not consider it an insult.
Time is measured not in days, but in the deeds you managed to accomplish during the day.
Your victory is your refusal to surrender.
Jesus said: the kingdom of God is within you and all around you. Not in buildings of wood and stone. Split a piece of wood and I am there. Lift a stone and you will find me.
For evil to rule the earth, it is enough for good people to do nothing.
Do not fear the enemy. All they can do is kill you. Do not fear a friend. All they can do is betray you. Fear the indifferent, for with their silent consent both are done.
A human being is a creature most eager to discuss what they understand least.
Devote half an hour each day to your troubles. Use that half hour to take a nap.
Everyone talks about strength and dexterity, but try lifting an optical mouse without moving the cursor.
A samurai without a sword is like a samurai with a sword, only without the sword.
Never be afraid to do what you do not know how to do. Remember: the Ark was built by an amateur. Professionals built the Titanic.
When love knocks at the door, reason jumps out the window.
If you do not find life beautiful, look more closely.
If you are arguing with an idiot, they are probably doing the same.
Some people have God living within them. Some have the Devil. And some have only worms.
A Master eats as much as he wants. A Knight eats as much as he can. The rest eat what remains.
The first saber is a disaster. The second goes to a friend. The third to the family. The fourth is mine.
However poor your health may be, it will last you your entire life.
Whatever misfortune occurs, there will always be someone who knew it would happen.
A person can do anything until they begin to do something.
Do not take care of yourself — others will lose the habit.
Better that people laugh at you than cry over you.
The first sign of a primitive consciousness is that it considers itself completely enlightened.
People love truth so much that they take everything they love for truth.
Intuition is the head's ability to sense things with the backside.
Do not take life too seriously; you will not get out of it alive anyway...
The secret of flying is to learn how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
Happiness is like health: when you do not notice it, it means you have it.
When you point at someone with your index finger, the other three fingers point back at you.
Four tanks divided by one Jedi equals one enormous smoking pile of wreckage.
The art of prolonging life consists in not shortening it.
One who can bite the hand that feeds will lick the boot that kicks.
Love is the ability to admire the virtues of the chosen one and be charmed by their shortcomings.
Not all fools are round. Some have edges sharp enough to cut you.
A fool climbs the mountain because the wise person goes around it.
Make a fool fish, and he will catch every fish.
Flattery pleases those who do not realize it is criticism.
One who knows nothing has nothing to be wrong about.
To make the same mistake several times is to prove yourself incapable of making a new one.
Before losing your temper, consider whether it is the best way out.