QuoteProject
If you just sit and observe, you will see how restless your mind is. If you try to calm it, it only makes it worse, but over time it does calm, and when it does, there's room to hear more subtle things - that's when your intuition starts to blossom and you start to see things more clearly and be in the present more. Your mind just slows down, and you see a tremendous expanse in the moment. You see so much more than you could see before. It's a discipline; you have to practice it.
Walter Isaacson
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Observing your restless mind without trying to control it can lead to clarity and intuition.

This quote emphasizes the importance of mindfulness and observation in understanding our own thoughts. By allowing our minds to settle naturally rather than forcing calmness, we create space for deeper insights and awareness, ultimately leading to a richer experience of the present moment.

Themes

MindfulnessObservationClarityIntuitionPresent MomentDiscipline

In practice

Example use cases

During a meditation workshop, you might share this quote to illustrate the benefits of observing one's thoughts.

More from Walter Isaacson

I visited Jobs for the last time in his Palo Alto, Calif., home. He had moved to a downstairs bedroom because he was too weak to go up and down stairs. He was curled up in some pain, but his mind was still sharp and his humor vibrant
Walter IsaacsonRead
I've always had an abundance of material about the subjects of my biographies.
Walter IsaacsonRead
Polite and velvety leaders, who take care to avoid bruising others, are generally not as effective at forcing change.
Walter IsaacsonRead
for Steve, less is always more, simpler is always better. Therefore, if you can build a glass box with fewer elements, it’s better, it’s simpler, and it’s at the forefront of technology. That’s where Steve likes to be, in both his products and his stores.
Walter IsaacsonRead
What are the five products you want to focus on? Get rid of the rest, because they’re dragging you down. They’re turning you into Microsoft. They’re causing you to turn out products that are adequate but not great.
Walter IsaacsonRead
When there are multiple versions of a story, you really have three ways to go. You can pick the most sensational version. You can try to balance things in your gut to get to what you think is the honest truth. Or you can err on the side of kindness.
Walter IsaacsonRead

Similar quotes

Las personas con un alto nivel de tolerancia al aburrimiento tienen tiempo de sobra para pensar.
Stephen KingRead
There you go, Harry!” Ron shouted over the noise. “You weren’t being thick after all — you were showing moral fiber!
J. K. RowlingRead
It's not necessary to tell all you know. It's not ladylike -- in the second place, folks don't like to have someone around knowin' more than they do. It aggravates them. Your not gonna change any of them by talkin' right, they've got to want to learn themselves, and when they don't want to learn there's nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language.
Harper LeeRead
It's not all bad. Heightened self-consciousness, apartness, an inability to join in, physical shame and self-loathing—they are not all bad. Those devils have been my angels. Without them I would never have disappeared into language, literature, the mind, laughter and all the mad intensities that made and unmade me.
Stephen FryRead
Everybody hates a prodigy, detests an old head on young shoulders.
Desiderius ErasmusRead
If tomorrow, women woke up and decided they really liked their bodies, just think how many industries would go out of business.
Gail DinesRead

A little wisdom, now and then

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