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Anthony de Mello

Anthony de Mello Quotes

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Famous Anthony de Mello Quotes

“This is what Wisdom means: To be changed without the slightest effort on your part, to be transformed, believe it or not, merely by waking to the reality that is not words , that lies beyond the reach of words. If you are fortunate enough to be Awakened thus, you will know why the finest language is the one that is not spoken, the finest action is the one that is not done and the finest change is the one that is not willed.”

IfsKnowsBelieveMeanDoneEnoughRealityActionLyingLanguageEffortChangedFortunateWakingTransformedFinestAwakened
Book:One Minute Wisdom
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“Tell me," said the atheist , "Is there a God really?" Said the master, "If you want me to be perfectly honest with you, I will not answer." Later the disciples demanded to know why he had not answered. "Because the question is unanswerable," said the Master. "So you are an atheist?" "Certainly not. The atheist makes the mistake of denying that of which nothing may be said... and the theist makes the mistake of affirming it.”

IfsKnowsWantMaySaidAnswersMistakeHonestMastersAtheistWant MeDiscipleYou Want MeAffirmingTheistIf You Want Me
Author:Anthony de Mello
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“If you search within your heart, you will find something there that will make it possible for you to understand: a spark of disenchantment and discontent, which if fanned into flame will become a raging forest fire that will burn up the whole of the illusory world you are living in, thereby unveiling to your wondering eyes the kingdom that you have always lived in unsuspectingly.”

IfsWorldHeartWholeEyeWonderFireRageKingdomsForestsFlamesSparksDiscontentIllusoryDisenchantmentForest FiresUnveiling
Book:The Way to Love: Meditations for Life
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“The philosopher Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king. Said Aristippus, "If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils." Said Diogenes, "Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.”

IfsSaidKingsEatingPhilosopherBreadFlatteringSupperSubservientEating BreadLentils
Book:The Song of the Bird
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“Everybody was talking about the religious man who committed suicide. While no one in the monastery approved of the man's action, some say they admired his faith. Faith?" said the Master. He had the courage of his convictions, didn't he?" That was fanaticism, not faith. Faith demands a greater courage still: to reexamine one's convictions and reject them if they do not fit the facts.”

IfsMenSaidStillsFactsActionReligiousTalkingGreaterMastersFitDemandSuicideCommittedConvictionRejectsFanaticismApprovedMonasteries
Author:Anthony de Mello
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“the tragedy of an attachment is that if its object is not attained it causes unhappiness. But if it is attained, it does not cause happiness – it merely causes a flash of pleasure followed by weariness, and it is always accompanied, of course, by the anxiety that you may lose the object of your attachment.”

IfsMayDoeCoursesCausesLosesPleasureObjectsAnxietyTragedyAttachmentUnhappinessFlashWeariness
Book:The Way to Love: Meditations for Life
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“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.”

IfsFeelsDoeHappinessLyingFearEnjoyPerfectCompanyKnowledgeLearningDemandExpectationsInspiredSorryCastsFabulousLeaving MeMake Me HappyDependencyPerfect LoveYou Make Me Happy
Book:Awareness: Conversations with the Masters
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“Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had a world where everybody said, 'We don't know?' The fact is that you're surrounded -God and you don't see God, because you KNOW ABOUT God. The final barrier to the vision of God is your God concept. You miss God because you think you know. The highest knowledge of God is to know God as unknowable. All revelations, however divine, are never any more than a finger pointing at the moon. As we say in the East, 'When the sage points to the moon, all the idiot sees is the finger'.”

IfsThinkingKnowsWorldSaidGodFactsSpiritualityVisionWonderfulMissingDivineMoonHighestConceptsFingersFinalsEastIdiotRevelationsBarriersSagePointingKnowing GodKnowledge Of GodYou Think You KnowPointing Fingers
Author:Anthony de Mello
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“Waking up is unpleasant, you know. You are nice and comfortable in bed. It is irritating to be woken up. That's the reason the wise guru will not attempt to wake people up. I hope I'm going to be wise here and make no attempt whatsoever to wake you up if you are asleep. It is really none of my business, even though I say to you at times, "Wake up!" My business is to do my thing, to dance my dance. If you profit from it fine; if you don't, too bad! As the Arabs say, "The nature of rain is the same, but it makes thorns grow in the marshes and flowers in the gardens."”

PeopleIfsKnowsReasonSpiritualityGrowsWiseNiceFlowerFineBedComfortableRainGardenWake UpProfitAwakeningWakingGuruBeing WiseThornsIrritatingMarshesWakes You
Book:Awareness: Conversations with the Masters
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