How can we know ourselves thoroughly when the self sometimes lies even to itself.

When someone wins, they alone did it. When they lose, someone else caused it.

If we could have an aerial view of our life, it would indeed seem ridiculous.

Words are disguises people choose to put on the mannequins of their thoughts.

Words are free building blocks and we the architects create either beautiful or ugly buildings with them.

Through persistence we may get that which we want but don't deserve, but retaining it is another matter.

We all have a glorified view of what we want. If you get to acquire it, be prepared to face reality.

A relationship where the balance of control is unequal is flawed and will not stand the test of time.

The most powerful person in an individual's life is oneself. For it is within one's power to take it or leave it.

Those who keep pushing someone too far must remember they are pushing them further and further away from themselves.

The only way to break time's grip on us is to stop breathing.

Push the boat out too far and risk letting it drift away.

It is good to be aware that our impression of ourselves is not the same as others' impression of us.

If we can speak the right words to each person we come across, we will have a multitude of friends.

To remove the barriers between me and others I need to first remove the barrier between me and myself.

To be right all the time is a lonely life. To identify with others, one needs to be fallible sometimes.

Perhaps it's because the individual can see everyone else but itself in the flesh that it has an amplified view of others' shortcomings while it is blind to its own.

As it is futile to expend valuable energy on those things we have no control over, every effort must be made to divert that energy to things we can control.

If we can tap in to a fraction of our unlimited abilities, we could all be great.

If you’re waiting for something to enter through your door, leave it open, not shut.

Those who are nice to us are being wise, for they make us serve them.

The subtler shades of honesty are slipperier than outright fraudulence.

We have as much right not to express our thoughts as to express them.

Words kitted up in fancy dress should not be taken seriously.

Having clear-cut desires will help us recognise them when they arrive. Many a dream has been turned away when it arrived to fulfil one’s desire.

If we could stop being inflexible and respond with fluidity like water, we could exploit the weakness of the obstacle before us.

Desire drives us forward. Without it we would stall.

We can never be sure what others truly think of us.

The mind world is the complete world, for there you find the unedited version of all things on earth, plus more.

One needs to be careful about labelling something as the truth or a lie, as they can change places at any time.

Good things don’t come to those who wait but to those who help themselves.

Paying too much attention to detail makes us blind to the overall picture.

It is human to want to know everything, but by knowing something inside out we risk getting bored with it.

The ever increasing stream of information is making it ever harder to sift through to find the right answer.

Freedom and bondage are both states of mind.

To understand is to forgive.

Straying from the scripted path could have two outcomes: getting lost or discovering new territory.

No-one is fearless, but those deemed to be are being courageous enough to face it regardless.

If we could remove our mental obstacles there'll be plenty of room to negotiate the rest.

If only sentences and not words existed in language, this world would be a very boring place.

To see things as they really are, one must stop seeing and start feeling.

Those who are truly great have no need for the curlicues of associations.

Beware of controlling a fellow-being, for as a fistful of squeezed sludge pops out between the fingers, the controlled will react in one way or another.

The deprived grab the first thing they see, the privileged dump the first when they see the next, but the in-between are slower to grab as well as dump.

The movable whether it be tangible or metaphorical is always better than the immovable, for the latter is forced to stand its ground and face the consequences, whatever the circumstance.

The energy from the enmity of our foes can be turned into an advantage and used to propel us forward.

Experience like the mimic octopus is able to change shape to fit within each one of our unique selves.

All of nature is engaged in a harmonious symphony. As members of the orchestra let us be careful not to be in discord.

Handicaps, shortcomings and deprivations are the catalysts in the fuel that powers us with energy to achieve our goals.

Like gardens, our lives need to be managed and maintained. Tidying them up after they've grown wild is a difficult task.

We all own a little tool called 'the tongue' which can destruct or construct. The question is, how are we going to use it?

Those who use war as a tool for creating peace are either fools or have ulterior motives. The tools that can create true peace are love, compassion and empathy.

Action is better than inaction though it may not always meet expectations, but there is always the possibility it might. Inaction gains nothing most of the time.

When you want to purchase something, it is as bad to buy on impulse as it is to be overcautious. The first could saddle you with an unnecessary item and the latter could deprive you of an essential.

Every part of me is tied up in iron chains. Ironically I also hold in my hand the bunch of keys to undo the locks. Which ones I choose to unlock or keep locked are also within my own power.

A healthy heart must be like a harbour with strict regulations. Ships with contraband must be turned away.

If the process of life could be compared to being lost in a maze, who would want to find their way out?

"Meaning well" cannot be taken as "good", for what matters is the end result.

The dog that bites the hand that feeds it is probably a snake in disguise.

To be liked one has to deserve it. Not so in love.

Cutting your teeth is a painful experience.

The best way to experience liberation from inescapable oppression is to be creative.

Being oneself requires no energy but putting on a false personality is energy sapping

The best of an individual's latent talents get pushed out with force when in the face of compelling oppression the human spirit seeks liberation through creativity.

We will all do well to remember at all times that it is we ourselves who choose either to be happy or sad. Hence we have no excuse for choosing the latter and seeking sympathy.

It's as important to speak the right words at the right time as it is not to speak the wrong words at the wrong time, for time robs them both of their potency.

There is but one instance when it's better to be selfish than unselfish: take all you can from the day and not let the day run away with any of your assets.

There's a code called genius within all human beings and to each a cleverly hidden solution. The trick is to find it.

When things are looking down and you feel trapped behind four walls, it's worth looking up. There might be a way out.

The heart and head are an unlikely couple with their own strengths and weaknesses, but they balance each other out.

Food and hunger are indispensable to each other. Food without hunger and hunger without food are both as hopeless.

Asking might give us what we want, but it is possible the giver might be resentful about it. Not asking rarely gets us what we want. Decide for yourself which option you prefer.

Since humans tend to behave better if they think they are being watched,and there is the possibility we are being watched, it is prudent to always behave as if that were the case.

I need to cultivate the friendship of habit and keep its enmity at bay.

He who runs after trends will always be a follower and never the followed

The heart, nose and head are three guides offering to take us to our destination. The heart offers to guide us through Fantasyland, the nose through Pleasantville and the head straight to the Destination. It all depends on whether we value the journey or arrival.

Life is like a baton relay where each runner's performance is crucial to the success of the whole. Our ancestors have passed the batons on to us and any one of us who doesn't perform to the best of our ability is jeopardising the position of future generations.

Humility is one of the greatest virtues, but humiliation must never be tolerated.

The circumstances we face are subject to our perception of them and how we respond.

Nature guards her assets by throwing up defences when tampered with, and we are part of nature.

It is necessary to first "face the music", and "music to the ears" will inevitably follow.

Giving our all to a task means we ought to do it as if we'll never get to do it again.

In nature the unpleasant is often coated with the sweet, the pleasant with the bitter.

Aren't we all mirrors through which we view each other?

To be truly free one has to be sincere with oneself

I would rather be the warden of habit than its prisoner.

Ideas never run out of us. It is we who run out of them.

In the circle of life on which we journey, the best usually lies in the middle and is furthest away from us. To reach it takes more effort than every sub-standard, tarted up thing that tempts us along the way. To reach the best takes singularity of mind, but the labour is worth it. For the best is always best.

The urge to create as well as to destroy exists within all beings along with the power to choose between the two. Both actions can have either a positive or negative consequence depending on each situation and it is the choice that dictates the outcome. Hence each action must be weighed on its merits at the time.

As a pregnant woman is compelled to deliver when her time is up, danger hurtles us into action.

Nature makes complete use of its endowments and performs to its full capacity. So why don't we?

Treating others well is in our self interest for they may treat us well in return, whereas the chances are those we treat badly will respond in like manner.

Unless we can handle others' faults with magnanimity, as we do ours, ignoring those that do not affect us adversely spares us of extra mental baggage.

Anyone who thinks they know another well is fooling only themselves. The individual alone knows what lies within their own heart.

There's no such thing as a fixed event. We can interpret it as we like, but the consequence to us depends on how we interpret it.

A ray of hope can filter through only if we make a hole in the envelope of darkness engulfing us.

The artist should treat frustration as their friend. It is one of the best sources of inspiration.

Nature is full of ingenious designs that illustrate our own lives if we would only care to open our eyes to them.

The common denominator between happiness and sadness is that they are both available to anyone who seeks them.

As attractiveness is based on the individual's personality rather than perfectly sculpted looks, successful art is that which arouses emotion rather than that which has been skilfully executed but fails to move.

Ideas are like seeds floating around looking for fertile ground in which to germinate. If we till and plough ourselves, the right ideas will lodge in us and grow. Nurture them, and we profit from the harvest.

Truth is relative to where you stand.

To know the great, study the small.

Reaping what we sow is never a one-off but only the beginning of a continuous harvest cycle, as some of the seeds will invariably escape and keep rewarding us according to what we deserve.

The predator instinct lurks in every creature and the balance of power between predator and prey is finely poised. Given the slightest opportunity prey could transform into predator.

If you hit rock bottom, celebrate... you can't fall any further.

The only machine that appreciates with use is the human brain.

Nothing on Earth is flawless and even the imperfect is transitory. So make the most of what's available while it's still there.

Too much talking will drain us. Too much listening will fill us. We need to talk as well as listen if the process is to go on.

Keeping a secret is no easy task. Only burden someone with yours if you don't mind it being spilled.

Suffering is an illusion just as much as pleasure is - might as well enjoy the illusion of pleasure

If all the knowledge in the world was offered to me on a platter I would take only enough for one day, for I relish the wonder of discovery each day.

The nose like the crow takes the shortest route to its destination. So follow it only if you're prepared to surmount the obstacles along the way.

I have the capacity to love all people but to like only some.

The most poisonous berries are often the most attractive.