Those who are governed by reason, desire nothing for themselves which they do not also desire for the rest of humankind.
Baruch Spinoza
In fact, every time you breathe out, it is not all that certain that you will breathe in again.
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Think carefully about pain and suffering and ask yourself who or what it is that is suffering.
Khenpo Tsültrim
Samsara is like making a mistake, and nirvana is like when you stop making it.
Khenpo Tsültrim
Artists and philosophers agree on one thing: one of their self-appointed tasks is to 'make the familiar strange.'
Daniel Dennett
Meta-advice: don't take any advice too seriously!
Daniel Dennett
Philosophy — in every field of inquiry — is what you have to do until you figure out what questions you should have been asking in the first place.
Daniel Dennett
There is no reason to suppose that the world had a beginning at all. The idea that things must have a beginning is really due to the poverty of our imagination.
Bertrand Russell
How do we turn confusion into wisdom? First, we need to understand what confusion is. Confusion is taking what isn't for what is.
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
It is said that all sentient beings are buddhas, but they are covered by their temporary obscurations. These 'temporary obscurations' are our own thinking.
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
There is no end to worldly pursuits; they only end when you stop.
Jetson Milarepa
Everything is impermanent, and no fleeting thing is worth pursing.
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude.
George Orwell
To the eyes of an enlightened person, all people are equal. Every person's blood is red. Every person's tears are salty.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Religion is the one area of our discourse where it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about.
Sam Harris
Atheism is not a philosophy; it is not even a view of the world; it is simply an admission of the obvious.
Sam Harris
The lies of the powerful lead us to distrust governments and corporations. The lies of the weak make us callous toward the suffering of others.
Sam Harris
Every lie is an assault on the autonomy of those we lie to.
Sam Harris
Lying is, almost by definition, a refusal to cooperate with others. It condenses a lack of trust and trustworthiness into a single act.
Sam Harris
Unless someone is suicidal or otherwise on the brink, decided how much he should know about himself seems the quintessence of arrogance.
Sam Harris