#seren

Pursue not the outer entanglements; Dwell not in the inner void; Be serene in the oneness of things; And dualism vanishes by itself. ↗

— Sengcan

#serenity #faith

Poetry is sane because it floats easily in an infinite sea; reason seeks to cross the infinite sea, and so make it finite. The result is mental exhaustion. To accept everything is an exercise, to understand everything a strain. ↗

— G.K. Chesterton

#mysticism #poetry #reason #serenity #faith

The best fighter is never angry. ↗

— Lao Tzu

#anger-management #ataraxy #bushido #inner-peace #martial-arts

We are not going to change the whole world, but we can change ourselves and feel free as birds. We can be serene even in the midst of calamities and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil. Serenity is contagious. If we smile at someone, he or she will smile back. And a smile costs nothing. We should plague everyone with joy. If we are to die in a minute, why not die happily, laughing? (136-137) ↗

— Swami Satchidananda

#death #freedom #happiness #joy #laughter

Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity. ↗

— Lao Tzu

#inspirational #serenity #inspirational

Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. Every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment. ↗

— Thích Nhất Hạnh

#peace #religion #serenity #inspirational

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books ↗

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

#learning #love #serenity #love

You could make me say it again," he whispered. "Make me say it always. Make me say it so often that you never have cause to doubt. I love you. ↗

— Courtney Milan

#romance #serena #love

Ci eravamo incontrati perché doveva succedere, e anche se non fosse stato quel giorno, prima o poi ci saremmo sicuramente incontrati da qualche altra parte. ↗

— Haruki Murakami

#destino #destiny #love #serendipity #love

But in Friendship, being free of all that, we think we have chosen our peers. In reality, a few years' difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another, posting to different regiments, the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting—any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of the Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends "You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another." The Friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others. They are no greater than the beauties of a thousand other men; by Friendship God opens our eyes to them. They are, like all beauties, derived from Him, and then, in a good Friendship, increased by Him through the Friendship itself, so that it is His instrument for creating as well as for revealing. ↗

— C.S. Lewis

#friendship #serendipity #beauty