Thoughts are just what is. They appear. They're innocent. They're not personal.

I would go out into the desert. The desert was my teacher. I didn't know about gurus and wise people-I wasn't a reader.

The Work reveals that what you think shouldn't have happened should have happened. It should happened because it did, and no thinking in the world can change it. This doesn't mean that you condone it or approve of it. It just means that you can see things without resistance and without the confusion of your inner struggle. No one wants their children to get sick, no one wants to be in a car accident; but when these things happen, how can it be helpful to mentally argue with them? We know better than to do that, yet we do it, because we don't know how to stop.

If I had a prayer, it would be this: "God, spare me from the desire for love, approval, or appreciation. Amen."

For me, if somebody tells me to go away, that is an opportunity for me to give them a better life. And that's an opportunity for me to know and realize where not to be. It's an opportunity for me to see what could be better than being with that person I love.

When your mind opens, the whole world falls into place.

To think that I know what's best for anyone else is to be out of my business. Even in the name of love, it is pure arrogance, and the result is tension, anxiety, and fear. Do I know what's right for me? That is my only business. Let me work with that before I try to solve problems for you.