Book of Quotes — Volume 1
On Self Reliance:
There needs to be a commitment to the self before there can be a commitment to any other. I believe in reasoning by fundamental principles over reasoning by analogy. Analogy is simply a comparison to what others do rather than an introspection to what YOU can do. Now more than ever I need to dedicate myself to visualizing myself with openness, honesty, dedication, sincerity. I am what I need and I don’t need IT because there is no I and there is nothing I need to seek.
Concern yourself with what you can best do, and the rest will come.
Move forward, remember the lessons you learned, and take a breath of confidence; the next step is a new one and you wouldn’t have gotten there without the last one.
“I love individuals. I hate groups of people. I hate a group of people with a ‘common purpose’. ’Cause pretty soon they have little hats. And armbands. And fight songs. And a list of people they’re going to visit at 3am. So, I dislike and despise groups of people but I love individuals. Every person you look at; you can see the universe in their eyes, if you’re really looking.” ~ George Carlin
Faith and persistence are the glory of individuality.
Channel your energy toward productive action centered around the SELF.
Listen to the SELF and have confidence in it.
On the NOW:
Find happiness and meaning in what you already have, but do not get lost yearning for a future.
Remember your center.
As it begins, so it shall end.
On Impermanence:
Finality is uncertain.
When you’re on a journey, don’t get caught up stopping to watch.
There is no give without take or take without give.
What begins must end, but may never die.
Attachment can hinder creation.
On Emptiness:
Let emptiness fill you up and in that, you are never empty yet never full.
When highs and lows center around a middle ground, why not just stay level at the middle?
Silence is an important canvas — paint on it and use it to wipe the slate anew.
On Chaos:
To really find peace, you must do so in the midst of chaos.
There is no clarity without the understanding of confusion.
Only with peace can you understand chaos. Only with chaos can you understand peace.
There is no right state of mind.
On Connection:
What is different should be interpreted not judged.
See yourself as an individual among individuals, but not as a group among a group.
Sometimes unplugging is the best way to recharge.
Integrity, presence, and purpose — share do not withhold.
Be diplomatic, but don’t forget to be real.
When around others, do not become others — meditate on the self.
“There is no such thing as an effective segment of a totality” ~ Bruce Lee
On Challenges:
When you’re least ready is when you make yourself the tallest. Else you do not rise to the challenge.
Take necessary risks, but take the necessary precautions.
The further your main goal, the closer your true one.
What one needs and one wants are two very different things.
On Reality:
Reality is not something to create an alternate of. XR (extended reality) does not exist to create a new reality, but rather to connect each one of us to the reality within ourselves.
There is no breath without a give and take; there is no life without death.
It is important to see without losing perspective.
If you look but do not see, only time can reveal what is beheld.
Declassified perception is an important alternative to classified perception; balance and explore what you see, what is, and what can be.
On Illusions:
Monotony is polyphony in a one-tracked mind.
Maya’s worst enemy is simplicity.
On Limitions:
“Now the reality is my people have given the world so many different styles of music. So why would I just want to confine myself to one? You know, we want to explore them all.” ~ Robert Glasper
There is no one place to learn, keep yourself open.
Be aware of the flow of energy and know when to stop or change it. Redirect consuming thoughts to productive action.
“Through stories everything is made possible” ~ Yellowman
On Culture:
“What becomes part of your grammar is part of what your culture finds important to notice.” ~ Paul Kroskrity
On Nature:
If a spider knows how to come to the center of its web, why can’t we? We must tap into an intuition that precede a rationality or a self-imposed logic of thought.
The stalks, stems, flowers, all stem from the ROOT. In your growth, do not forget to take a moment to feel that presence.
An open heart, like an open house, doesn’t mean the heart is sold; but keep it open.
There is no root that can produce the perfect flower.
On Knowing:
Spontaneity is the bridge between intelligence and action — from this stems KNOWLEDGE.
It is important to know the present, but keep my distance. Nobody should have control of me but myself.
Don’t sleep when you’re awake.
Don’t live in sickness; once diagnosed, improve!
“Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. Respond like an echo” ~ Bruce Lee
No representation can represent the self, yet that does not mean no representation is representation. Recognize the indescribable behind the describable.
On Intuition and Logic:
“If you get caught up in the production of information, you drown in the data” ~ Paul Van Riper
Don’t make intuition about logic.
“Don’t think… FEEL” ~ Bruce Lee
“We have come to confuse information with understanding” ~ Malcolm Gladwell
It is important to see without losing perspective.
Do not let feeling overcome. Use reason.
On Teaching:
“A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence. It is easy to teach one to be skillful, but it is difficult to teach him his own attitude. Each moment during teaching requires a full, alert, and sensitive mind that is constantly changing” ~ Bruce Lee
Saying things in parts is often better than rushing to the whole.
Although all individuals are intertwined, if you focus on the branches, you’ll neglect the fruit.
Many people experience, few question, and even fewer understand.
Authority is only as valuable as the people who question it.
Groups are only as important as the individuals they foster.
On Work:
“Work alone is your privilege, never the fruits thereof. Never let the fruits of action be your motive, and never cease to work.” ~ Bhagavad Gita
What is new and becoming your own must be rooted in what is within for without a center, you cannot make a circle.
A body set free makes way for a mind set to purpose.
On Love:
Love may be hidden, but it can always be found.
