Marcus Aurelius' Six Timeless Observations on Life Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was Roman emperor from 161 until his death in 180. A great thinker, Marcus embodied Plato’s ideal of the philosopher king to a considerable extent. He was a strong emperor, engaging in various wars in defense of the Roman empire for his entire reign, but he was also greatly concerned with social justice and welfare, even going so far as to sell his own possessions to alleviate people’s suffering from famine and plague (from which he died). Marcus left behind a corpus of writing which, despite it’s antiquity, offers us some truly timeless wisdom. Here are six lessons we can learn from his observations on life. Lesson #1: We Are Responsible for Our Own Experience of Life “Such as are your habitual thoughts; such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the color of your thoughts.” Much has been made recently of the (so called) ‘law of attraction.’ I keep a sign posted over my desk at work. Lesson #3: Live a Real Life Lesson #4: Be Grateful
40 Belief-Shaking Remarks From a Ruthless Nonconformist If there’s one thing Friedrich Nietzsche did well, it’s obliterate feel-good beliefs people have about themselves. He has been criticized for being a misanthrope, a subvert, a cynic and a pessimist, but I think these assessments are off the mark. I believe he only wanted human beings to be more honest with themselves. He did have a remarkable gift for aphorism — he once declared, “It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book.” A hundred years after his death, Nietzsche retains his disturbing talent for turning a person’s worldview upside-down with one jarring remark. Even today his words remain controversial. Here are 40 unsympathetic statements from the man himself. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. More of Nietzsche’s genius here. Have a lot on your mind? Everyday mindfulness has transformed my life, and the lives of many others.
The Three Phases of Life One of life's great fascinations is watching people evolve over time. Some people grow and develop, while others seem to be stuck in patterns that limit their happiness and well-being. Others excel in certain areas of their lives while failing miserably in others. A small few are spectacularly successful by conventional measures yet are perpetually dissatisfied. Is there a simple model we can use to make sense of these observations? Many years of watching and thinking have led me to believe that we can further our understanding by simplifying the problem. I want to be a little precise with words here. Why is this important? Schlepper Let us begin with the first state. This term comes from the Yiddish verb "schlep," which means "to drag." Literally, a schlepper is a carrier. First of all, just because you are schlepping does not mean you are forbidden to think. In general, we all need to schlep. Schleppers quickly perceive the great injustice of life. So, we all start out as schleppers.
Western Philosophy elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. 60 Selected Best Famous Quotes In this posting you will find my selection of the very best 60 quotes, from nearly a decade of collecting them. They range from the profound to the intriguing to the just plain funny. One way or the other, you’ll surely find many of them to be thought-provoking and entertaining. This selection is, of course, based solely on my personal taste (and even that varies largely from day to day according to my mood). Wisdom Quotes 1. —David Allen 2. —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 3. —Unknown Author 4. —Wayne Gretzky 5. —Ambrose Redmoon 6. —Gandhi 7. —Lin-Chi 8. —A. 9. —Abraham Maslow 10. —Aristotle 11. —Baltasar Gracian 12. —Basho 13. —Lao-Tze 14. —Georg Christoph Lichtenberg 15. —John Ruskin 16. —Marcel Proust 17. 18. —Virgil Garnett Thomson 19. —Will Rogers 20. —Zig Ziglar Funny Quotes 21. —John Wilmot 22. —Oscar Levant 23. —Oscar Wilde 24. —New York City detective 25. —Norm Crosby 26. —Kurt Vonnegut 27. —Carl Sagan 28. —Jean Rostand 29. —Lily Tomlin 30. —Richard Lewis 31. —Robert Wilensky 32. —Scott Adams 33. —Anon 34. 35. 36.
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Interesting? | Postcards from Žižek "We don't really want what we think we want," says philosopher Slavoj Žižek. It's a strange, almost exotic thought at a time when many of us are inundated daily with the prospect of infinite choice. You can no longer buy a product, it seems, without expressing your opinion. But what if happiness isn't actually all that fulfilling? In this second video from our interview with Žižek, the author of Big Think's most recent Book of the Month argues that happiness is a conformist category. "Let’s be serious: when you are in a creative endeavor, in that wonderful fever--'My God, I’m onto something!' You can be happy without being moral. Tell us: Would you rather be happy or inspired?
45 Life Lessons, written by a 90 year old 1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good. 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short not to enjoy it. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. (Source: reginabrett.com)