I believe in courtesy, the ritual by which we avoid hurting other people's feelings by satisfying our own egos.
To be extremely self-centred, only interested in your own satisfaction, always brings negative consequences in the long run.
The problems we face today, violent conflicts, destruction of nature, poverty, hunger and so on, are human-created problems which can be resolved through human effort, understanding and the development of a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share.
We are driven by self-interest, it’s necessary to survive. But we need wise self-interest that is generous and co-operative, taking others’ interests into account. Co-operation comes from friendship, friendship comes from trust, and trust comes from kind-heartedness. Once you have a genuine sense of concern for others, there’s no room for cheating, bullying or exploitation.
The way to change others' minds is with affection, and not anger.
True friendship develops not as a result of money or power but on the basis of genuine human affection.
A simple smile. That's the start of opening your heart and being compassionate to others.
If the people in the audience are talking, you're being ignored. If the people are gazing at you, you've got something they want to hear.
Remember those wonderful moments you have had. Sit and be with it. In that very memory your entire Being gets back to that state
Gilbert darling, don't let's ever be afraid of things. It's such dreadful slavery. Let's be daring and adventurous and expectant. Let's dance to meet life and all it can bring to us, even if it brings scads of trouble and typhoid and twins!" (Anne to Gilbert)
I graduated from Brown in 2001, moved to New York, and spent a year and a half just looking up Backstage magazine auditions and grinding.