When I turn the thought around - the thought that war, let's say war in Iraq, should stop - the turnaround is the war in myself should stop.
Byron KatieWhen we work with our thinking, then to have great wealth is the same as to have nothing. That's the only freedom.
Byron KatieAffecting the world is obviously possible when we see people in the world who we really love and respect and we see how that they affect our lives.
Byron KatieIt's not possible to have a problem without believing a prior thought. To notice this simple truth is the beginning of peace.
Byron KatieI have a list of universal beliefs, and they are amazing beliefs, like, "No one cares" or "You don't care about me"; "I should be successful" or "I'm not successful"; "I don't have enough money"; "I'm too tall or thin or fat"; "I shouldn't have done it" - oh, my goodness, they go on and on and on.
Byron KatieThe only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with what is. When the mind is perfectly clear, what is is what we want.
Byron KatieIf I had a prayer, it would be this: "God, spare me from the desire for love, approval, or appreciation. Amen."
Byron KatieWe all think we have our personal favorites. But when I say, "People shouldn't steal - is it true?" Everyone in a room of, let's say, a thousand people all raise their hands and say, "That's true."
Byron KatieNo one has ever been able to control his thinking, although people may tell the story of how they have. I don't let go of my thoughts-I meet them with understanding. Then they let go of me.
Byron KatieFear has only two causes: the thought of losing what you have or the thought of not getting what you want.
Byron KatieNo one told me that you could be alive and be happy. No one told me, and if someone had I wouldn't have believed them. I thought that you had to die - physically die - to escape.
Byron KatieThe 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.
Byron KatieYou can’t have your daughter as long as you have a concept of her. When you get rid of the concept, you meet your daughter for the first time. That’s the way this works.
Byron KatieAny stressful thought that you have about the planet, for example, shows you where you are stuck, where your energy is being exhausted in not fully meeting life as it is, without conditions.
Byron KatieWhen you discover that all happiness is inside you, the wanting and needing are over, and life gets very exciting.
Byron KatieYou move totally away from reality when you believe that there is a legitimate reason to suffer".
Byron KatieI 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.
Byron KatieWhen you stay present with your children, that’s where abundance is. And when you stay out of their business, that’s where everything you deserve in life is. When you’re in presence, there’s no story, and you are abundance. And you come to trust that space so often that you just eventually hang out as that, because there is nothing that can move you out of it, not even a perceived child or a perceived anything.
Byron KatieStories are the untested, uninvestigated theories that tell us what all these things mean. We don’t even realize that they’re just theories.
Byron KatieWhen the creative mind is unleashed and understands its true nature, it's unlimited. There's nothing you cannot do.
Byron Katie