How we think
From 16Guidelines
How we think is the first of the four Wisdom Themes of the 16 Guidelines.
Everything we say and do arises from our thoughts
This wisdom theme proposes that our experience of the world is radically affected by our own state of mind. The same glass can be half empty or half full; in the same situation we might encounter a problem or recognise an opportunity. The way we think affects our behaviour, which in turn affects our relationships and our very experience of the world.
Quotes
"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes."
- William James
"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."
- Hugh Downs
"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."
- Attributed to Goethe
"All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him."
- The Buddha
