Sharon Salzberg

“Let the breath lead the way.”
― Sharon Salzberg, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation

“Because the development of inner calm & energy happens completely within & isn’t dependent on another person or a particular situation, we begin to feel a resourcefulness and independence that is quite beautiful—and a huge relief.”
― Sharon Salzberg, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation

“Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what’s happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what’s happening, stories that get in the way of direct experience. Often such stories treat a fleeting state of mind as if it were our entire and permanent self.”
― Sharon Salzberg, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation

“The difference between misery and happiness depends on what we do with our attention.”
― Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness

“We don’t need any sort of religious orientation to lead a life that is ethical, compassionate & kind.”
― Sharon Salzberg, The Force of Kindness: Change Your Life with Love & Compassion
“Compassion is cultivated by moving from a strong sense of self and other, or ‘us and them’ to a sense of ‘we’”
– Sharon Salzberg

“One of the things that I think makes it hard in this society for us to tell the truth is the kind of conventional relationship to adversity. Things aren’t always easy and rather than being taught to have kindness to ourselves and others in the light of that we’re taught something very different; that it’s wrong and rejected – that’s a lot of conditioning to step away from.”
– Sharon Salzberg

Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope - a slight change, and all patterns alter.
– Sharon Salzberg

If we fall, we don't need self-recrimination or blame or anger - we need a reawakening of our intention and a willingness to recommit, to be whole-hearted once again.
– Sharon Salzberg

We learn and grow and are transformed not so much by what we do but by why and how we do it.
– Sharon Salzberg

“We are all too often told by someone that we are too old, too young, too different, too much the same, and those comments can be devastating.”
― Sharon Salzberg, The Force of Kindness: Change Your Life with Love & Compassion

“To offer our hearts in faith means recognizing that our hearts are worth something, that we ourselves, in our deepest and truest nature, are of value.”
― Sharon Salzberg, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience