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If, from time to time, you give up expectation, you will be able to perceive what it is you are getting.
Idries Shah
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Letting go of expectations can lead to a clearer understanding of what you are receiving in life.

This quote emphasizes the importance of releasing our attachments to specific outcomes or expectations. By doing so, we become more open and receptive to the reality of our experiences, allowing us to appreciate what is present rather than being fixated on what we think should be happening. This perspective fosters mindfulness and can ultimately lead to a more fulfilling life.

Themes

ExpectationPerceptionMindfulnessReceptivenessGratitude

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a motivational speech about embracing life's uncertainties.

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The Sufi way is through knowledge and practice, not through intellect and talk.
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To 'see both sides' of a problem is the surest way to prevent its complete solution. Because there are always more than two sides.
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You have not forgotten to remember; You have remembered to forget. But people can forget to forget. That is just as important as remembering to remember - and generally more practical.
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Banality is like boredom: bored people are boring people, people who think that things are banal are themselves banal. Interesting people can find something interesting in all things.
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Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right effort, right time, right people, right materials.
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To be obsessed by the idea of freedom, for instance, is itself a form of slavery. Such people are in the chains of the hope of freedom, and are therefore able to do little else than struggle with them.
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