Sharon Salzberg Quotes
When we develop our ability to love in one realm, we simultaneously nourish our ability in others, as long as we remain open to the flow of insight and compassion.
So often we operate from ideas of love that don’t fit our reality.
Feelings of apathy as they relate to our relationships often stem from insufficiently paying attention to those around us.
Only when we start to distinguish reality from fantasy that we can humbly, with eyes wide open, forge loving and sustainable connections with others.
One foundation of loving relationships is curiosity, keeping open to the idea that we have much to learn even about those we have been close to for decades.
When we don’t tell those we love about what’s really going on or listen carefully to what they have to say, we tend to fill in the blanks with stories.
Although much of the work we do in committed relationships we do with our partners, sometimes it’s necessary to start with ourselves.
With our close friends, family members, and lovers, we hope to create a special world, one in which we can expect to be treated fairly, with care, tenderness, and compassion.
Be open to the possibility that there are other paths available to you in relating to yourself and to another.
Without equanimity, we might give love to others only in an effort to bridge the inevitable and healthy space that always exists between two people.
How we traverse the space between us when conflict arises has a profound effect on the health and longevity of our relationships.
A particularly difficult line to navigate is the one between fear and love, especially for parents, who want more than anything to protect their children from suffering.
The paradigm for our relationships is formed from our earliest experiences and is actually hardwired into our neurological and emotional network.
Letting go of the belief that we’re powerless to help relieve our own suffering enhances our ability not only to heal but also to genuinely love and receive the love of others.
The key in letting go is practice. Each time we let go, we disentangle ourselves from our expectations and begin to experience things as they are.
We learn from conflicts only when we are willing to do so.
To truly love ourselves, we must challenge our beliefs that we need to be different or better.
As soon as we ask whether or not a story is true in the present moment, we empower ourselves to re-frame it.
Maybe what we really need is to change our relationship to what is, to see who we are with the strength of a generous spirit & a wise heart.
Living in a story of a limited self—to any degree—is not love.
Identifying the source of our personal narratives helps us to release its negative aspects and re-frame it in ways that promote wholeness.
Cultivating loving kindness for ourselves is the foundation of real love for our friends and family, for new people we encounter in our daily lives, for all beings and for life itself.
When we experience inner impoverishment, love for another too easily becomes hunger: for reassurance, for acclaim, for affirmation of our worth.
Love is a living capacity within us that is always present, even when we don’t sense it.
When our focus is on seeking, perfecting, or clinging to romance, the charge is often generated by instability, rather than by an authentic connection with another person.
Real Love may run on a lower voltage, but it’s also more grounded & sustainable.
Whatever language we use use to describe healthy relationships, when we’re in them, we feel nourished by them, in body as well as mind.
Intellectually, we may appreciate that loving ourselves would give us a firm foundation but for most of us this is a leap of logic, not a leap of the heart.
Though it may seem counter intuitive to our inner perfectionist, recognizing our mistakes as valuable lessons (not failures) helps us lay the groundwork for later success.
We long for permanence but everything in the known universe is transient. That’s a fact but one we fight.
Science tells us that love not only diminishes the experience of physical pain but can make us—and our beloveds—healthier.
When we pay attention to sensations in our bodies, we can feel that love is the energetic opposite of fear.
Love seems to open and expand us right down to the cellular level, while fear causes us to contract and withdraw into ourselves.
There is a sentiment common among most of us when it comes to love—letting go can feel scary.
Loving kindness is the practice of offering to oneself and others wishes to be happy, peaceful, healthy, strong
We begin to cultivate real love for ourselves when we treat ourselves with compassion.
A lack of real love for ourselves is one of the most constricting, painful conditions we can know.
Forgiveness is a personal process that doesn’t depend on us having direct contact with the people who have hurt us.
Forgiveness is the way we break the grip that long-held resentments have on our hearts.
Healing comes in many ways, and no one formula fits all.
Letting go is an inside job, something only we can do for ourselves.
Taking responsibility for oneself is by definition an act of kindness.
When we are willing to explore our own experiences, we open the doorway to deeper connection and intimacy.
In more ways than any of us can name, love is wrapped up with the idea of expectation.
Letting go is actually a healthy foundation upon which we can open up to real love—to giving, receiving, and experiencing it authentically and organically.
Mindfulness may help you gain insight into your role in conflicts with others, it won’t single-highhandedly help you resolve them.
These are times when sympathetic joy comes naturally, but in a complex relationship the heart may not leap up so easily.
Laughing at your pettiness probably works better than scolding yourself for it.