Eckhart Tolle Quotes

“All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present.

Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear – are caused by too much future, and not enough presence.

Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.”

“Any action is often better than no action, especially if you have been stuck in an unhappy situation for a long time.

If it is a mistake, at least you learn something, in which case it's no longer a mistake. If you remain stuck, you learn nothing.”

“As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease.

When you act out the present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love – even the most simple action.”

“Compassion arises when you recognize that all are suffering from the same sickness of the mind, some more acutely than others.

The mind-identified state is severely dysfunctional. It is a form of insanity. Almost everyone is suffering from this illness in varying degrees.

The moment you realize this, there can be no more resentment. How can you resent someone’s illness? The only appropriate response is compassion.”

“Death is a stripping away of all that is not you. The secret of life is to 'die before you die' – and find that there is no death.”

“Don't look for peace. Don't look for any other state than the one you are in now; otherwise, you will set up inner conflict and unconscious resistance. Forgive yourself for not being at peace.

The moment you completely accept your non-peace, your non-peace becomes transmuted into peace. Anything you accept fully will get you there, will take you into peace. This is the miracle of surrender.”

“Humans are a dangerously insane and very sick species.”

“I have lived with several Zen masters – all of them cats.”

“If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place.”

“If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place. Primary reality is within; secondary reality without.”

“If your mind carries a heavy burden of past, you will experience more of the same. The past perpetuates itself through lack of presence. The quality of your consciousness at this moment is what shapes the future.”

“It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.”

“Love is not selective, just as the light of the sun is not selective. It does not make one person special. It is not exclusive. Exclusivity is not the love of God but the 'love' of ego.

However, the intensity with which true love is felt can vary. There may be one person who reflects your love back to you more clearly and more intensely than others, and if that person feels the same toward you, it can be said that you are in a love relationship with him or her.

The bond that connects you with that person is the same bond that connects you with the person sitting next to you on a bus, or with a bird, a tree, a flower. Only the degree of intensity with which it is felt differs.”

“Nothing has happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now.”

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”

“See if you can catch yourself complaining, in either speech or thought, about a situation you find yourself in, what other people do or say, your surroundings, your life situation, even the weather.

To complain is always nonacceptance of what is. It invariably carries an unconscious negative charge. When you complain, you make yourself into a victim.

When you speak out, you are in your power. So change the situation by taking action or by speaking out if necessary or possible; leave the situation or accept it. All else is madness.”

“Stress is caused by being 'here' but wanting to be 'there'.”

“The past gives you an identity and the future holds the promise of salvation, of fulfillment in whaterver form. Both are illusions.”

“Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed.

The more you are focused on time — past and future — the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.”

“Where there is anger there is always pain underneath.”

“You are awareness, disguised as a person.”

“You attract and manifest whatever corresponds to your inner state.”