We are bacteria to the universe. We're basically monkeys on a small rock orbiting a small backwards star in a huge galaxy, which is in an absolutely staggeringly gigantic universe, which itself may be part of a gigantic multiverse.

Desire is a contract that you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.

Your existence, my existence is just infinitesimal. It's like a firefly blinking once in the night.

The universe has been around for a long time, and the universe is a very, very large place. If you'll study even the smallest bit of science, for all practical purposes we are nothing.

We're not really here that long, and we don't really matter that much. Nothing that we do lasts. Eventually, you will fade. Your works will fade. Your children will fade. Your thoughts will fade. These planets will fade. This sun will fade. It will all be gone.

The phrase that I use the most to myself in my head is one word: accept.

True rewards – wealth, knowledge, love, fitness, and equanimity – come from ignoring others and improving ourselves.

You can it, you can accept it, or you can leave it. What is not a good option is to sit around wishing you would change it but not changing it, wishing you would leave it but not leaving it, and not accepting it.

Meditation is intermittent fasting for the mind. Too much sugar leads to a heavy body, and too many distractions lead to a heavy mind. Time spent undistracted and alone, in self-examination, journaling, meditation, resolves the unresolved and takes us from mentally fat to fit.

Success is the enemy of learning. It can deprive you of the time and the incentive to start over. Beginner's mind also needs beginner's time.

The fundamental delusion — there is something out there that will make me happy and fulfilled forever.

Once you've truly controlled your own fate, for better or for worse, you'll never let anyone else tell you what to do.

All greatness comes from suffering.

A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought — they must be earned.

If you're more passionate about founding a business than the business itself, you can fall into a ten year trap. Better to stay emotionally unattached and select the best opportunity that arises. Applies to relationships too.