Dan Millman Quotes

Sometimes sorrow, sometimes joy. But beneath it all remember the innate perfection of your life unfolding. That is the secret of unreasonable happiness. ~ Dan Millman

Every choice eventually leads to wisdom. ~ Dan Millman

Life is not suffering; it's just that you will suffer it, rather than enjoy it, until you let go of your mind's attachments and just go for the ride freely, no matter what happens. ~ Dan Millman

Knowledge is not the same as wisdom. Wisdom is doing it. ~ Dan Millman

Faith means living with uncertainty - feeling your way through life, letting your heart guide you like a lantern in the dark. ~ Dan Millman

Stress happens when the mind resists what is. Most of us tend to either push or resist the river of our lives, to fight circumstance rather than make use of things as they are. Resistance creates turbulence, which you feel as physical, mental, and emotional tension. Tension is a subtle pain, which - like any pain - signals that something is amiss. When we are out of natural balance, we create tension; by listening to our body, we can take responsibility for releasing it. ~ Dan Millman

Someday, in the moment of death, your whole life will pass before you. In a few fractions of a second-because time no longer applies-you will see many incidents from your life in order to learn. You will review your life with two questions in your consciousness: Could I have shown a little more courage in these moments? Could I have shown a little more love? You will see where you let fear stop you from expressing who you are, how you feel, or what you need. You will see whether you were able to expand into these moments, just a little, to show love, or whether you contracted. ~ Dan Millman

Consciousness is not in the body; the body is in consciousness. And you are that consciousness. ~ Dan Millman

The first step to change,... is accepting your reality right now. Honoring your process. Compassionate self-awareness leads to change; harsh self-criticism only holds the pattern in place, creating a stubborn and defensive Basic Self. Be gentle with yourself as you would with a child. Be gentle but firm. Give yourself the space to grow. But remember that the timing is in god's hands, not yours. page~147 ~ Dan Millman

If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever. ~ Dan Millman

A fool is 'happy' when his cravings are satisfied. A warrior is happy without reason. That's what makes happiness the ultimate discipline ~ Dan Millman

Everything you need to know is within you. Listen. Feel. Trust the body's wisdom. ~ Dan Millman

The secret of change consists in concentrating one's energy to create the new, and not to fight against the old. ~ Dan Millman

Sports and sex and movies are not inherently bad - But for you they're addictions, not enjoyments. You use them to distract you from what you know you should do. Break free! ~ Dan Millman

This planet is a divine school, and daily life a classroom. Our choice of teachers depends on what we need to learn. ~ Dan Millman

Under the weight of my growing self-knowledge, my self-image was sinking fast. ~ Dan Millman

Life is not a private affair. A story and its lessons are only made useful if shared. ~ Dan Millman

It may be true that the unexamined life is not worth living-but neither is the unlived life worth examining. ~ Dan Millman

No matter what we feel or know, no matter what our potential gifts or talents, only action brings them to life. Those of us who only think we understand concepts such as commitment, courage, and love, one day discover that we only know when we act; doing becomes understanding. ~ Dan Millman

The world's a puzzle; no need to make sense out of it. - Socrates ~ Dan Millman

Better to live Until You die. ~ Dan Millman

When you resist what happens, your mind begins to race; the same thoughts that impinge upon you are actually created by you. ~ Dan Millman

Don't wait until you die to learn the warrior's way. Do it now, each night, just before you drift off to sleep. As you review your day, consider these two questions of courage and love. Learn from each day, so that each day you can show a little more courage and a little more love. Then, as incidents occur, you may rise to the occasion and look back at the end of your life and feel good about the way you lived. ~ Dan Millman

Old urges continue to arise, but urges do not matter; only actions do. A warrior is as a warrior does. ~ Dan Millman

People from all walks of life share an innate drive for meaning, direction, and purpose. This drive to understand our life purpose seems as important to our psychological growth as eating is to our biological survival. ~ Dan Millman

The warrior acts, the fool reacts. ~ Dan Millman

I don't even know if the sun will rise or whether I'll wake up in the morning. I don't know if God will grant me my next breath. So I choose to live on faith rather than knowledge - and accept whatever comes, welcome or not, bitter or sweet - all of it, a gift from God. ~ Dan Millman

Money is neither my god nor my devil. It is a form of energy that tends to make us more of who we already are, whether it's greedy or loving. ~ Dan Millman

Saints were saints because they acted with loving kindness whether they felt like it or not. ~ Dan Millman

Meditation is a valuable exercise, but eventually you have to open up your eyes and look around. ~ Dan Millman

Babe Ruth was the home-run king of his time, but also the strikeout king. ~ Dan Millman

It's a thought," I said with a grin.
"That's exactly what it is, Dan - a thought - no more real than the shadow of a shadow. Consciousness is not In the body; the body is In Consciousness. And you Are that Consciousness - no the phantom mind that troubles you so. You are the body, but you are everything else, too. That is what your visions revealed to you. Only the mind resists change. When you relax mindless into the body, you are happy and content and free, sensing no separation. Immortality is Already yours, but not in the same way you imagined or hope for. You have been immortal since before you were born and will be long after the body dissolves. The body is in Consciousness; never born; never dies; only changes. The mind - your ego, personal beliefs, history, and identity - is all that ends at death. And who needs it?" Socrates leaned back into his chair.
"I'm not sure all of that sank in."
"Of course not." He laughed. "Words mean little unless you realize the truth of it yourself. And when you do, you'll be free at last. ~ Dan Millman

Faith does not rely on knowing anything with certainty. It requires only the courage to accept that whatever happens is for the highest good. ~ Dan Millman

Understanding is the one-dimensional comprehension of the intellect. It leads to knowledge. Realization is three-dimensional - a simultaneous comprehension of head, heart, and instinct. It comes only from direct experience. ~ Dan Millman

As a peaceful warrior, I would choose when, where and how I would behave. With that commitment, I began to live the life of a warrior. ~ Dan Millman

Use whatever knowledge you have but see its limitations. Knowledge alone does not suffice; it has no heart. No amount of knowledge will nourish or sustain your spirit; it can never bring you ultimate happiness or peace. Life requires more than knowledge; it requires intense feeling and constant energy. Life demands right action if knowledge is to come alive. ~ Dan Millman

We all know that life has ups and downs; you've experienced both. And though you can't always control what happens outside you, you can choose how you will respond. You can treat life as a dance rather than a wrestling match. You can become an active participant rather than a victim of circumstance. ~ Dan Millman

While some of us act without thinking, too many of us think without acting. ~ Dan Millman

When running up a hill, it is all right to give up as many times as you wish-as long as your feet keep on moving. ~ Dan Millman

You will fail many times, but in failing you will learn , and in learning you will find your way. ~ Dan Millman

The warrior is Here, Now. ~ Dan Millman

Faith is our direct link to universal wisdom, reminding us that we know more than we have heard or read or studied that we have only to look, listen, and trust the love and wisdom of the Universal Spirit working through us all. ~ Dan Millman

Action always happens in the present, because it is an expression of the body, which can only exist in the here and now. But the mind is like a phantom that lives only in the past or future. It's only power over you is to draw your attention our of the present. ~ Dan Millman

Remember that life develops what it demands - the toughest path creates the
strongest warrior. Pray not for a lighter load, but for stronger
shoulders. ~ Dan Millman

Energy follows thought; no matter how hard we work or how much we know, we tend to rise to our assumed limits, and no higher. ~ Dan Millman

My mind is like a pond without ripples. Your mind is full of waves because you feel separated from, and often threatened by, an unplanned, unwelcome occurrence. Your mind is like a pond into which someone has just dropped a boulder! ~ Dan Millman

Life is constantly supporting us and giving us gifts. It's a matter of opening ourselves to that. ~ Dan Millman

I kind of got more interested in writing after I turned in my last college essay and nobody was going to tell me what kind of academic papers to write anymore. I could write whatever I wanted, and I realized that I actually liked it when I could choose what I would write. ~ Dan Millman

Autumn leaves shower like gold, like rainbows, as the winds of change begin to blow, signaling the later days of autumn. ~ Dan Millman

There are no ordinary moments. ~ Dan Millman

Unless the desire to change remains strong, body and mind tend to return to old, familiar patterns. It takes time-from three to six months-for old habits to become obsolete. By the end of that time, you'll have adapted to a new pattern. In a sense, you'll have found a new way of life. ~ Dan Millman

Managing your money does not depend upon becoming wealthy or declaring vows of poverty. Rather, it is about creating stability and sufficiency - a balanced flow of monetary energy through your life. ~ Dan Millman

you have to 'lose your mind' before you can come to your senses. ~ Dan Millman

lofty dreams in the distant future are a difficult burden to carry. The best goals may be those you can handle in the next week, the next day, the next hour, or the next step; create a process that yields many small successes." "Many ~ Dan Millman

You haven't yet opened your heart fully, to life, to each moment. The peaceful warrior's way is not about invulnerability, but absolute vulnerability
to the world, to life, and to the Presence you felt. All along I've shown you by example that a warrior's life is not about imagined perfection or victory; it is about love. Love is a warrior's sword; wherever it cuts, it gives life, not death. ~ Dan Millman

Your greatest fear is death and your deepest craving is survival. You want Forever, you desire Eternity. In your deluded belief that you are this 'mind' or 'spirit' or 'soul', you find the escape clause in your contract with mortality. Perhaps as 'mind' you can wing free of the body when it dies, hmm? ~ Dan Millman

Never fear the weapon, only the man wielding it. Focus on your opponent while he focuses on his knife or saber or pistol. He invests his power in the weapon but forgets the rest of his body. ~ Dan Millman

As we stop monitoring others' opinions, we connect with our heart's wisdom. ~ Dan Millman

Here and now ... breathe and relax ... in battle and in life ~ Dan Millman

There are times, you know, it's said in the Spiritual Tradition, just a glimpse at an enlightened personage can convey immense information at the sub-conscious level that sprouts later, that we don't even know. ~ Dan Millman

Make peace within, and there will be no one who can overcome you. And no one you will wish to overcome. ~ Dan Millman

A Zen student asked his roshi the most important element of Zen.The roshi replied, "Attention." "Yes, thank you," the student replied. "But can you tell me the second most important element?"And the roshi replied, "Attention." ~ Dan Millman

If you want a kinder world, then behave with kindness; if you want a peaceful world, make peace within. ~ Dan Millman

Our practices - our most spiritual practices - are hanging laundry on the line, raising children, building strong relationships, practicing kindness as much as we can, striving for excellence in the workplace, and developing deeper self-knowledge. I wrote The Four Purposes of Life to assist in these endeavors. ~ Dan Millman

May you find grace as you surrender to life. May you find happiness, as you stop seeking it. May you come to trust these laws and inherit the wisdom of the Earth. May you reconnect with the heart of nature and feel the blessings of Spirit. ~ Dan Millman

As you manage your money, you manage your life. ~ Dan Millman

A warrior doesn't seek pain, but if pain comes, he uses it. ~ Dan Millman

The conventions of language reveal the ways we see the world. ~ Dan Millman

When in haste, rest in the present. Take a deep breath and come back to here and now. ~ Dan Millman

You can change your life with a simple shift of attention. But to make that simple shift, you have to find your heart. It's the only way. Accept yourself, then transcend yourself. ~ Dan Millman

No need to feel brave or confident; just behave that way. ~ Dan Millman

To see where something leads, it's best to wait until you've reached the end. ~ Dan Millman

Focus all your energy not on struggling with the old, but on building the new. ~ Dan Millman

It's better to make a mistake with the full force of your being than to timidly avoid mistakes with a trembling spirit. Responsibility means recognizing both pleasure and price, action and consequence, then making a choice. ~ Dan Millman

Responsibility is a grace you give yourself not an obligation ~ Dan Millman

Looking back we see with great clarity, and what once appeared as difficulties now reveal themselves as blessings. ~ Dan Millman

Only the supremely wise and the ignorant do not alter.' Saying ~ Dan Millman

We are both burdened and blessed by the great responsibility of the will - the power of choice. Our future is determined, in large part, by the choices we make now. We cannot always control our circumstances, but we can and do choose our response to whatever arises. Reclaiming the power of choice, we find the courage to live fully in the world. ~ Dan Millman

Process transforms any journey into a series of small steps, taken one by one, to reach any goal. Process transcends time, teaches patience, rests on a solid foundation of careful preparation, and embodies trust in our unfolding potential. ~ Dan Millman

Unless someone truly has the power to say no, they never truly have the power to say yes. ~ Dan Millman

Have shown you the way of the peaceful warrior, not the way to the peaceful warrior. As long as you tread the way, you are a warrior. ~ Dan Millman

The hours of your life are the most valuable currency you will ever have. How will you spend them? ~ Dan Millman

Like this gas tank, you are overflowing with preconceptions, full of useless knowledge. You hold many facts and opinions, yet know little of yourself. Before you can learn, you'll have to first empty your tank. ~ Dan Millman

Never struggle with anyone or anything. When you're pushed, pull; when you're pulled, push. ~ Dan Millman

Faith is the recognition that Spirit works in, as and through each and all of us - through every person and every circumstance. ~ Dan Millman

As poet-philosopher Rabindranath Tagore reminds us, "We cannot cross the sea merely by staring at the water." Simplicity has power. And living on purpose comes to this: Just do it. How much simpler can we get? ~ Dan Millman

The movements of the highest warriors are relaxed and expansive because they fight for a cause larger than themselves. Only by surrendering to God's will does one find victory in battle and serenity in life. Serafim started pacing again, as he did ~ Dan Millman

People love miracle stories and dramatic moments of transcendence or transformation, and may then pursue their own dramatic "awakenings." ~ Dan Millman

We all have the archetype inside us of the enlightened being. ~ Dan Millman

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. ~ Dan Millman Way Of The Peaceful Warrior A Book That Changes Lives

He was a thinker, but also a man of action. ~ Dan Millman

Only then do I realize that the jewel had always been with in me, even then and that the light had always shinned, only my eyes were closed ~ Dan Millman

Stable happiness doesn't come from getting everything we want, because we never will; true happiness comes from wanting whatever we get. ~ Dan Millman

Energy follows thought; we move toward, but not beyond, what we can imagine. What we assume, expect, or believe creates and colors our experience. By expanding our deepest beliefs about what is possible, we change our experience of life. ~ Dan Millman

The quality of your moments produces the quality of your life. So, as thoughts come and go and the waves of mind rush on, Carpe punctum-Seize this moment. It deserves your full attention, for it will not pass your way again. ~ Dan Millman

Action is stronger than subjectivity. No matter what you feel or think, you can still act. ~ Dan Millman

Ships are safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for. So set sail on the stormy sea of love. You're going to get soaked at times, but at least you'll know you're alive. ~ Dan Millman

Your body is malleable; you can sculpt it over time with daily habits of diet and exercise. The law of accommodation reminds us that the body may change slowly, but it will change. ~ Dan Millman

Be gentle with yourself. Think less and feel more. Be as happy as you can. You only have this moment. ~ Dan Millman

When you release your expectations that the world should fulfill you, your disappointments vanish. ~ Dan Millman