As you recognize that you already own the wholeness you seek, and no one outside you can give you more than you already are, dysfunctional situations will evaporate like bad dreams exposed to the morning sun.
Alan CohenRead
If you are not living with a whole heart now, the end of the world poses no threat; your life is already gone. Life is only as valuable as our presence to enjoy it. To miss the beauty of the moment because you are preparing to protect yourself from the next one, is to trade a precious gem for a cheap trinket.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Embrace life fully in the present, as fearing the future diminishes its value.
This quote emphasizes the importance of living fully in the present moment and experiencing life with an open heart. It suggests that a life lived in fear or preparation for future threats is a wasted life, as it overlooks the beauty and value of current experiences. When we’re overly focused on protecting ourselves from potential dangers, we miss the richness of what life has to offer, ultimately leading to a life devoid of joy and fulfillment.
Themes
PresenceLifeMomentFearValue
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech, to encourage the audience to embrace their experiences rather than fear the unknown.
More from Alan Cohen
All quotes →Communication is an offering. When you tell someone your truth, you must release your expectation of what the other person should do with it. They may thank you profusely, love you forever, argue with you, or ignore you. It doesn't matter. Of course we hope the gift will be received with appreciation and thanks. But if it isn't we must not dictate. We've done our part, and we must trust the universe to do the rest.
Alan CohenRead
When you learn to say yes to yourself, you will be able to say no to others, with love.
Alan CohenRead
We attain freedom as we let go of whatever does not reflect our magnificence. A bird cannot fly high or far with a stone tied to its back. But release the impediment, and we are free to soar to unprecedented heights.
Alan CohenRead
You can be helping many people, but if you are not helping yourself, you have missed the one person you were born to heal.
Alan CohenRead
When you protect yourself from pain, be sure you do not protect yourself from love.
Alan CohenRead
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My dear, dear girl [. . .] we can't turn back the days that have gone. We can't turn life back to the hours when our lungs were sound, our blood hot, our bodies young. We are a flash of fire--a brain, a heart, a spirit. And we are three-cents-worth of lime and iron--which we cannot get back.
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Uncertainty and expectation are the joys of life. Security is an insipid thing.
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