Cut brambles long enough, Sprout after sprout, And the lotus will bloom Of its own accord: Already waiting in the clearing, The single image of light. The day you see this, That day you will become it.
Interpretation
Patience and perseverance will lead to personal growth and enlightenment.
This quote by Sun Bu'Er emphasizes the importance of persistence in the face of challenges. Just as brambles must be cut to allow the lotus to bloom, we must work through our struggles and be patient as we progress toward self-realization and enlightenment, which will come naturally when the time is right.
In practice
This quote can inspire students during a graduation speech about the journey to success.
I was destined to work with dying patients. I had no choice when I encountered my first AIDS patient. I felt called to travel some 250,000 miles each year to hold workshops that helped people cope with the most painful aspects of life, death and the transition between the two.
Let him who desires peace prepare for war.
When you complain, you make yourself a victim. When you speak out, you are in power.
Sometimes I think that it is enough to say that if we don't sit down and shut up once in a while we'll lose our minds even earlier than we had expected. Noise is an imposition on sanity, and we live in very noisy times.
The greedy search for money or success will almost always lead men into unhappiness. Why? Because that kind of life makes them depend upon things outside themselves.
We all have different desires and needs, but if we don't discover what we want from ourselves and what we stand for, we will live passively and unfulfilled. Sooner or later, we are all asked to compromise ourselves and the things we care about. We define ourselves by our actions. With each decision, we tell ourselves and the world who we are. Think about what you want out of this life, and recognize that there are many kinds of success.
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