It is not possible to control the outside of yourself until you have mastered your breathing space. It is not possible to change anything until you understand the substance you wish to change.
Interpretation
Mastering oneself is essential for making meaningful changes in the world.
This quote suggests that true control over external situations and the ability to effect change begins with self-awareness and understanding. It emphasizes the importance of introspection and personal mastery as prerequisites for influencing the broader environment or achieving significant transformation.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a personal development workshop.
What is remembered is not a deed in stone but a metaphor. Meta = above. Pheren = to carry. That which is carried above the literalness of life. A way of thinking that avoids the problems of gravity. The word won't let me down. The single word that can release me from all that unuttered weight.
Reading things that are relevant to the facts of your life is of limited value. The facts are, after all, only the facts, and the yearning passionate part of you will not be met there. That is why reading ourselves as a fiction as well as fact is so liberating. The wider we read the freer we become.
I have a list of titles that I leave at the [library] desk, because they are bound to be written some day, and it's best to be ahead of the queue.
Woolf wanted to say dangerous things in Orlando but she did not want to say them in the missionary position.
In that house, you will find my heart. You must break in, Henri, and get it back for me.' Was she mad? We had been talking figuratively. Her heart was in her body like mine. I tried to explain this to her, but she took my hand and put it against her chest. Feel for yourself.
History is a string full of knots, the best you can do is admire it, and maybe tie it up a bit more. History is a hammock for swinging and a game for playing.
Man's greatness lies in his power of thought.
To accept grace is to admit failure, a step we are hesitant to take. We opt to impress God with how good we are rather than confessing how great he is.
He that reads and grows no wiser seldom suspects his own deficiency, but complains of hard words and obscure sentences, and asks why books are written which cannot be understood.
Worrying is like paying on a debt that may never come due.
If you take care of the small things, the big things take care of themselves. You can gain more control over your life by paying closer attention to the little things.
Helped are those who are content to be themselves; they will never lack mystery in their lives and the joys of self-discovery will be constant.
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