You know the old adage: Plant an expectation, reap a disappointment.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
The resting place of the mind is the heart. The only thing the mind hears all day is clanging bells and noise and argument, and all it wants is quietude. The only place the mind will ever find peace is inside the silence of the heart. That's where you need to go.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of inner peace, suggesting that true tranquility comes from the heart rather than the chaotic thoughts of the mind.
In this quote, Elizabeth Gilbert highlights the conflict between the restless mind, filled with distractions and noise, and the serene, peaceful space of the heart. She suggests that in our busy lives, while the mind is preoccupied with arguments and clamor, true calmness and peace can only be found through introspection and connecting with our deeper emotions. The heart serves as a refuge for quietude that the mind desperately seeks, encouraging individuals to cultivate this inner silence for mental tranquility.
Themes
MindHeartPeaceSilenceQuietude
In practice
Example use cases
In a meditation class, to illustrate the importance of finding peace within.
More from Elizabeth Gilbert
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I had always been taught that the pursuit of happiness was my natural (even national) birthright. It is the emotional trademark of my culture to seek happiness. Not just any kind of happiness, either, but profound happiness, even soaring happiness. And what could possibly bring a person more soaring happiness than romantic love.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
When I tried this morning, after an hour or so of unhappy thinking, to dip back into my meditation, I took a new idea with me: compassion. I asked my heart if it could please infuse my soul with a more generous perspective on my mind's workings. Instead of thinking that I was a failure, could I perhaps accept that I am only a human being--and a normal one, at that?
Elizabeth GilbertRead
And when you sense a faint potentiality for happiness after such dark times you must grab onto the ankles of that happiness and not let go until it drags you face-first out of the dirt - this is not selfishness, but obligation. You were given life; it is your duty to find something beautiful within life no matter how slight.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilling yearnings.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
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