The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius once wrote, ‘Your mind will be like its habitual thoughts; for the soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts. Soak it then in wise trains of thought.’ To achieve this, we need to repeatedly return to these thoughts throughout our days, until we reach the point where inclination and deliberation feed into each other.
Bravery
‘Does this choice diminish me or enlarge me?’ (James Hollis)
‘Fortune favours the brave’ (English proverb)
‘The best way out is always through’ (Helen Keller)
Creativity
‘Make good art.’ (Neil Gaiman)
‘Be a seed planter, not a firefighter’ (Rory Vaden)
‘Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive. Because what the world needs most is people who have come alive.’ (Howard Thurman)
‘To be happy I think you have to be doing something you not only enjoy but admire. You have to be able to say at the end, wow, that’s pretty cool.’ (Paul Graham)
Decisiveness
‘You will never plough a field if you only turn it over in your mind’ (Irish proverb)
‘Start before you’re ready’ (Steven Pressfield)
‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is today.’
(Chinese proverb)
Charm
‘Imagine everybody around you has an invisible sign above their head that says: Make me feel important.’ (Simon Cowell)
Savouring
‘Comparison is the thief of joy’ (Theodore Roosevelt)
‘He who is contented is rich’ (Lao Tzu)
Tranquillity
Overcoming frustration
‘Some things are up to us, other things are not up to us.’ (Epictetus)
‘If there is a remedy when trouble strikes,
What reason is there for dejection?
And if there is no hope for it,
What is the use in being glum?’ (Shantideva)
Overcoming anger
‘The best remedy for anger is delay’ (Seneca)
‘Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at someone else. You are the one who gets burned.’ (Buddha)
Overcoming disrespect
‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent’ (Eleanor Roosevelt)
Overcoming worry
‘He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary’ (Seneca)
Overcoming disappointment
‘Never try to be better than somebody else. But most importantly, never cease trying to be the best you can be.’ (John Wooden)
