When the sage points at the moon, all that the idiot sees is the finger.
Anthony De MelloRead
Suffering is given to you that you might open your eyes to the truth.
Interpretation
Suffering can serve as a catalyst for personal growth and enlightenment.
This quote by Anthony De Mello suggests that experiencing suffering is not just a burden, but an opportunity for awareness and understanding. It implies that through pain and hardship, individuals can gain deeper insights into themselves and the realities of life, thereby facilitating a transformative journey towards truth.
In practice
In a motivational speech on overcoming adversity.
When the sage points at the moon, all that the idiot sees is the finger.
Perfect love casts out fear. Where there is love there are no demands, no expectations, no dependency. I do not demand that you make me happy; my happiness does not lie in you. If you were to leave me, I will not feel sorry for myself; I enjoy your company immensely, but I do not cling.
The master never seemed to have his fill of gazing at his firstborn child. "What do you want him to be when he grows up?" someone asked. "Outrageously happy," said the master.
The genius of a composer is found in the notes of his music; but analyzing the notes will not reveal his genius. The poet's greatness is contained in his words; yet the study of his words will not disclose his inspiration. God reveals himself in creation; but scrutinize creation as minutely as you wish, you will not find God, any more than you will find the soul through careful examination of your body.
What is a loving heart? A loving heart is sensitive to the whole of life, to all persons; a loving heart doesn't harden itself to any persons or things.
Problems only exist in the human mind.
She felt that she would have to be much more than just a doctor or an engineer. She would have to be a saint.
I started off thinking that I just needed one shot to prove myself, but then I realised that I was only going to learn about acting by doing it.
If we can manage to refrain from harming others in our everyday actions and words, we can start to give more serious attention to actively doing good, and this can be a source of great joy and inner confidence. We can benefit others through our actions by being warm and generous toward them, by being charitable, and by helping those in need.
Prejudice and self-sufficiency naturally proceed from inexperience of the world, and ignorance of mankind.
I wanted to ask a thousand questions, but there was no one to ask. Besides I knew that people only told lies to children-lies about everything from soup to Santa Claus.
God finds us in the holes we dig for ourselves. We see failures; He sees foundations.
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