it is inevitable if you enter into relationships with people on a regular basis… that you will grow to be like them…

place an extinguished peace of coal next to a live one, and either it will cause the other one to die out, or the live one will make the other reignite…

remember that if you consort with someone covered in dirt you can hardly avoid getting a little grimy yourself

discourses / epictetus

Zen Buddhism would say, “When you are eating, eat. When you are walking, walk. When you are making love, make love. When you are cooking, cook.” The ability to act directly from this lower level, turning off conscious inhibition, is what Buddhism calls right action.

Claes, Zane. The Joy of Craft: A Paradoxical Approach for Learning to Do Things Well . Kindle Edition.

“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil.”

“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius

“Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him.” ― Epictetus