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.
Interpretation
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.
In practice
During a meditation workshop, you might share this quote to illustrate the benefits of observing one's thoughts.
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
I've always had an abundance of material about the subjects of my biographies.
Polite and velvety leaders, who take care to avoid bruising others, are generally not as effective at forcing change.
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.
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.
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.
Clever talk can confound the workings of virtue, just as small impatiences can confound great projects.
There is absolutely no inevitability, so long as there is a willingness to contemplate what is happening.
Danger was the grindstone on which the swordsman whetted his spirit. Enemies were teachers in disguise.
A life spent writing has taught me to be wary of words. Those that seem clearest are often the most treacherous.
Slow thinking has the feeling of something you do. It's deliberate.
Embrace simplicity. Put others first. Desire little.
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