Nothing is more durable than the dynasty of Doubt; for he reigns in the hearts of all his people, but gives satisfaction to none of them, and yet he is the only despot who can never die, while any of his subjects live.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
It is with disease of the mind, as with those of the body; we are half dead before we understand our disorder, and half cured when we do.
Interpretation
Understanding our mental issues is the first step to healing.
This quote highlights the importance of self-awareness in mental health. It suggests that just as physical ailments can be underestimated until we recognize them, mental disorders also need acknowledgment and understanding before we can begin the healing process. The quote invites us to explore our mental states more deeply, revealing that recognition and awareness are crucial steps towards recovery.
In practice
In a mental health awareness seminar, to motivate attendees to address their feelings.
Nothing is more durable than the dynasty of Doubt; for he reigns in the hearts of all his people, but gives satisfaction to none of them, and yet he is the only despot who can never die, while any of his subjects live.
It is astonishing how much more people are interested in lengthening life than improving it.
The benevolent have the advantage of the envious, even in this present life; for the envious man is tormented not only by all the ill that befalls himself, but by all the good that happens to another; whereas the benevolent man is the better prepared to bear his own calamities unruffled, from the complacency and serenity he has secured from contemplating the prosperity of all around him.
Happiness, that grand mistress of the ceremonies in the dance of life, impels us through all its mazes and meanderings, but leads none of us by the same route.
Our minds are as different as our faces. We are all traveling to one destination: happiness, but few are going by the same road.
Moderation is the inseparable companion of wisdom, but with it genius has not even a nodding acquaintance.
You must not for one instant give up the effort to build new lives for yourselves. Creativity means to push open the heavy, groaning doorway to life. This is not an easy struggle. Indeed, it may be the most difficult task in the world, for opening the door to your own life is, in the end, more difficult than opening the doors to the mysteries of the universe.
More important than finding the teacher is finding and following the truth of the teaching.
A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise.
He who can wait for what he desires takes the course not to be exceedingly grieved if he fails of it; he, on the contrary, who labors after a thing too impatiently thinks the success when it comes is not a recompense equal to all the pains he has been at about it.
I knew if I waited around long enough something like this would happen.
We do not progress from error to truth, but from truth to truth
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