I'm not doing anything, and yet I'm also doing the most important thing a man can do: I'm listening to what I needed to hear from myself.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Certain people, in their eagerness to construct a world no external threat can penetrate build exaggeratedly high defense againts the outside world, againts new people, new places, different experiences and leave their own world stripped bare. It is there that bitterness begins irrevocable work.
Interpretation
Isolation can lead to bitterness when we shut ourselves off from new experiences and people.
In this quote, Paulo Coelho highlights the danger of becoming overly defensive and closed off to the world, as it can lead to a barren existence devoid of meaningful connections and experiences. By constructing walls against potential threats, individuals may inadvertently cultivate bitterness and deprive themselves of growth and fulfillment that comes from embracing the diversity of life.
In practice
In a motivational speech about embracing new challenges.
I'm not doing anything, and yet I'm also doing the most important thing a man can do: I'm listening to what I needed to hear from myself.
Each stone, each bend cries welcome to him. He identifies with the mountains and the streams, he sees something of his own soul in the plants and the animals and the birds of the field.
We need to clear our minds of bad thoughts.
Having the courage to take the steps we always wanted to take is the only way of showing that we trust in God.
The fool who loves giving advice on our garden never tends his own plants
Sometimes the Warrior feels as if he were living two lives at once.
However many holy words you read, However many you speak, What good will they do you If you do not act on upon them?
You know more of a road by having traveled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world.
There's hard lessons in this world. What's the hardest? I dont know. Maybe it's just that when things are gone they're gone. They aint comin back.
The willingness to reach inside every part of yourself opens the door to total understanding. You place your entire identity on the line, not just an isolated part. This may sound daunting, but actually it’s the most natural way to approach any situation. When you hold some part of yourself in reserve you deny it exposure to life; you repress its energy and keep it form understanding what it needs to know.
What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness? You only truly, deeply appreciate and are grateful for something when you compare and contrast it to something worse.
If you can be kind and considerate for one day, then you can be for another. It won't cost you a penny in the world. Begin today.
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