Our attitude in the face of life's challenges determines our suffering or our freedom.

If our hearts are ready for anything, we will spontaneously reach out when others are hurting. Living in an ethical way can attune us to the pain and needs of others, but when our hearts are open and awake, we care instinctively.

People don't behave in angry ways unless they are feeling stressed and conflicted too.

The boundary to what we can accept is the boundary to our freedom.

If there's a demand of being together in a certain way, those expectations and judgements take away from that space and create an edginess and a cramped-ness to the relationship.

It's the beginning of opening to love. Even if there's not much feeling of compassion toward oneself, just say, "It's okay, sweetheart," or "I'm sorry and I love you."

There are some things we can't choose, but in being present we can choose how we want to relate to them