QuoteProject
The greater part of human pain is unnecessary. It is self-created as long as the unobserved mind runs your life.
Eckhart Tolle
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Much of our suffering stems from our own thoughts and perceptions rather than external circumstances.

Eckhart Tolle emphasizes that a significant portion of human suffering is self-inflicted, arising from an unobserved or unconscious mind. This suggests that many emotional pains are a result of our inability to observe our thoughts and allow them to control our lives, highlighting the importance of mindfulness and awareness in alleviating unnecessary pain.

Themes

PainMindSufferingAwarenessSelf-Created

In practice

Example use cases

During a mindfulness workshop, the speaker shared this quote to highlight the importance of being aware of one's thoughts.

More from Eckhart Tolle

Bring awareness to the many subtle sounds of nature - The rustling of leaves in the wind, Raindrops falling, The humming of an insect, The first birdsong at dawn.
Eckhart TolleRead
Body awareness not only anchors you in the present moment, it is a doorway out of the prison that is the ego. It also strengthens the immune system and the body’s ability to heal itself.
Eckhart TolleRead
Whenever you become anxious or stressed, outer purpose has taken over, and you lost sight of your inner purpose. You have forgotten that your state of consciousness is primary, all else secondary.
Eckhart TolleRead
Nothing that was real ever died, only names, forms, and illusions.
Eckhart TolleRead
Suffering has a noble purpose: the evolution of consciousness and the burning up of the ego.
Eckhart TolleRead
Sometimes surrender means giving up trying to understand and becoming comfortable with not knowing.
Eckhart TolleRead

Similar quotes

Establish the eternal truth that acquiescence under insult is not the way to escape war.
Thomas JeffersonRead
The river has taught me to listen; you will learn from it, too. The river knows everything; one can learn everything from it. You have already learned from the river that it is good to strive downwards, to sink, to seek the depths.
Hermann HesseRead
Always remember, joy is not incidental to spiritual quest. It is vital.
Nachman Of BreslovRead
Every man I meet is in some way my superior...
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
Whilst we deliberate how to begin a thing, it grows too late to begin it.
QuintilianRead
If honest of heart and uprightness before God were lacking or if I did not patiently wait on God for instruction, or if I preferred the counsel of my fellow-men to the declarations of the Word of God, I made great mistakes.
George MullerRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.