In our turbulent world, equanimity can sometimes feel like a secret treasure, hidden away only to be found by those brave enough to venture out in search of it — retreating into the wild or seeking out tranquility at monasteries and cathedrals. Yet time and again, the most insightful teachers counsel that our sense of serenity isn’t found in the outside world around us; true peace exists in each of us, constant as it is elusive.
Rather than travel the world, seeking serenity in idyllic, far-flung places, we can turn toward the wisdom of those who have asked the same questions before us — the teachers and sages who know that true inner peace is accessible any time, anywhere, if we can only quiet our minds enough to find it.
For those seeking inner peace, we’ve compiled this list of quotes to inspire and guide you on your way. May you be successful in your quest and find tranquility wherever you are.
The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.Carl Rogers, psychologist
If you are depressed you are living in the past, if you are anxious you are living in the future, if you are at peace, you are living in the present.Lao Tzu
Meet this transient world with neither grasping nor fear, trust the unfolding of life, and you will attain true serenity.Bhagavad Gita, Hindu scripture
Do not be afraid to take a chance on peace, to teach peace, to live peace… Peace will be the last word of history.Pope John Paul II
Equanimity is about dwelling with things the way they are. It is a power that can help us meet the intense challenges of this time, in which we face so much disruption and breakdown.Kaira Jewel Lingo, author
Men are not free when they are doing just what they like. Men are only free when they are doing what the deepest self likes. And there is getting down to the deepest self! It takes some diving.D.H. Lawrence
We have to face the pain we have been running from. In fact, we need to learn to rest in it and let its searing power transform us.Charlotte Joko Beck, Zen teacher
To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden.Seneca
If you want to live in peace, you must not tell everything that you know, nor judge everything that you see.Mexican proverb
Peace begins with a smile.Mother Teresa
Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.Wayne W. Dyer, motivational speaker
Photo credit: Hans Isaacson/ Unsplash
