Journey Quotes

No label can define the immensity of your True nature. You are the awareness that precedes every label, the awareness that is perceiving these words and turning them into thoughts, the awareness that creates the world with every act of observation.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

You cannot be aware of yourself, for you are awareness itself. How can a witness witness itself? That is like trying to see your own eyes without a reflection, or cut a knife with the tip of its own blade—it is impossible. The subject can only observe the object; it cannot make an object out of itself. But by the very act of observing, you indirectly know yourself as the observer, as the subject. No witnessing of the witness is needed to prove its existence.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

The modern scientist attempts to step outside of himself in order to observe himself, an attempt that is always doomed to failure. You cannot make an object out of your subjective experience, but you know that consciousness exists, simply because you exist.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

We only suffer when we falsely identify with the objects that arise in our awareness, rather than with the awareness itself—when we identify with our thoughts, with our emotions, our personal history, and the many stories we tell ourselves. When you reconnect to your source—the essence of your being, the pure and impartial witness—you become free from all of the troubles of the material world; free from the world of form. You no longer feel the desire to cling to forms or depend on them for your happiness. Instead, you are free to enjoy form, free to let form be, and free to allow all forms to come and go as they please. All forms are impermanent and changing, but your consciousness, being formless, is eternal, and exists regardless of the forms that it gives life to.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

Your true being, as Consciousness, is ever at peace, ever at rest, eternally existing in the dimension of here and now. It is the formless and eternal quality within you that expresses itself through the world of form.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

If your consciousness is without form, without quality, and without characteristics of any kind, would that not imply that the consciousness in every other being is also formless? And if they are all without form, how can you distinguish their consciousness from your own? What forms would you use to compare them? Isn’t the observing you exactly the same as the observing them?

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

The consciousness inhabiting your body is exactly the same as the consciousness inhabiting my body. We are one. The delusion that we are separate beings comes from identifying with the world of form—with our names, our bodies, our roles, our beliefs, our thoughts, and all of the mental constructs that we have created; but even these are more connected to the universe than we realize.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

Your body and my body are both totally made up of and dependent upon the elements of the earth—the water, the air, the heat, the land, the soil and the food it produces—as well as all of the elements that these elements are dependent upon—the sun, the stars, the galaxies, and a vast field of energy and space to contain them in. Nature is our extended body, and the elements outside of our skin are just as important to our health as the elements within our skin. Our bodies are connected to the universe as a whole, and consequently to each other and the many ways in which we influence our shared environment.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

When we look at a tree, we do not see the tree for what it really is. We see how it appears to us on the surface, and we dismiss it as being just another form in the Universe. We fail to realize that the tree is connected to the Universe on every level; that all of nature is expressing itself through that single form. There can be no tree without the earth that it grows from, the sun that gives it energy, the water that nourishes its growth, and the millions of fungi and bacteria fertilizing its soil. Looking deeply into anything in nature, we realize that it is connected to the whole. We see that nature is one seamless web, and the notion that things have an existence of their own is merely an illusion.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

You do not have an existence independent of your environment, but rather you are your environment, and your environment is you.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

You are just as connected to the Universe as a finger is to a hand, or as a branch is to a tree. The entire cosmos is expressing itself through your being.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

Buddhist philosophy points out that the true nature of all forms is essentially formless. Forms do not have an existence of their own, but rather they arise together, and are mutually dependent on one another. Everything in the world of form is constantly changing, constantly dying, and constantly being reborn—which is why Buddhists say that there is no-self; no form that has an existence in and of itself.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

We fail to see the oneness of all things, and because of this, we unknowingly cause a lot of harm to ourselves. We pollute the Earth that we live on, cut down the trees that produce our oxygen, destroy the ecosystems of nature and the animals that maintain them, and we mistreat and harm each other, thinking that these destructive actions will not have a direct effect on us.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

Every being experiences themselves as the center of their experience. Consciousness is what lies at our very core, and connects us all to each other. We may appear to be separate and individual because of the various forms our Consciousness inhabits, but below the surface the substance of our being is one and the same.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

We are so fascinated by the complexity and beauty of the various forms in nature, that we have been led away from the formless dimension of Consciousness that lies at our very center. When you look at a person, you see many differences in their unique form, and often we compare, contrast, and judge one another because of the forms that we inhabit. But if you look beyond the various qualities and characteristics of form, and look another person in the eyes, you see a Being, and it is this Being that lies beneath the surface of form that connects us all. That is why the eyes are often referred to as the gateway to the soul, because they allow us to see and feel the presence of another Being, and realize our oneness.

~ Joseph P. Kauffman

Know what you want and reach out eagerly for it.

~ Lailah Gifty Akita

It's just as important to be around people that influence stable mental health as it is working towards it.

~ Kierra C.t. Banks

Love isn't about what you do for me. Love for me is where I see myself in relation to you.

~ Kierra C.t. Banks

Just becauseyou feel lostdoesn't meanthat you are.Sometimes youjust have to relax,breathe deep,and trust the pathyou're on.

~ Lalah Delia

The best parts of life are the things we can't plan. And it's a lot harder to find happiness if you're only searching in one place. Sometimes, you just have to throw away the map. Admit that you don't know where you're going and stop pressuring yourself to figure it out. Besides...a map is a life someone else already lived. It's more fun to make your own.

~ Cora Carmack

To embark on the journey towards your goals and dreams requires bravery. To remain on that path requires courage. The bridge that merges the two is commitment.

~ Steve Maraboli

He found himself remembering how on one summer morning they two had started from New York in search of happiness. They had never expected to find it, perhaps, yet in itself that quest had been happier than anything he expected forevermore. Life, it seemed, must be a setting up of props around one - otherwise it was disaster. There was no rest, no quiet. He had been futile in longing to drift and dream, no one drifted except to maelstroms, no one dreamed, without his dreams becoming fantastic nightmares of indecision and regret.

~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

It may seem that you are on the path alone, but the light that guides you is coming from somewhere. Trust your every step because none of us walk this journey alone.

~ Toni Sorenson

One of the most empowering things about being human is the fact that a single choice can change the entire direction of our lives. What are you choosing for yourself?

~ Scott Stabile

​If You have Chosen a Destination, You Must Find a Path. if You have Chosen a Path, You Must Find the Destination. You can Never Choose Both.

~ Vineet Raj Kapoor

When God takes out the trash, don't go digging back through it. Trust Him.

~ Amaka Imani Nkosazana

The struggles we endure today will be the ‘good old days’ we laugh about tomorrow.

~ Aaron Lauritsen

Those who achieve the extraordinary are usually the most ordinary because they have nothing to prove to anybody. Be Humble.

~ Aaron Lauritsen

It's in those quiet little towns, at the edge of the world, that you will find the salt of the earth people who make you feel right at home.

~ Aaron Lauritsen

Have you ever thought; whilst looking all this time for the magic in the world, it's been inside you all along? No matter how far you travel, how wide you spread your wings and learn to fly if you have no idea what treasures hide within you you'll be searching your entire life.

~ Nikki Rowe

You have travel too far to quit, may the grace of faith, keep you going in the forward motion to reach the ultimate goal.

~ Lailah Gifty Akita

Looking back, I now realize that I left home in search of all the things that were right in the very place I left.

~ Craig D. Lounsbrough

The power of intuitive understanding will protect you from harm until the end of your days.

~ Lao Tzu

Offering care means being a companion, not a superior. It doesn’t matter whether the person we are caring for is experiencing cancer, the flu, dementia, or grief.If you are a doctor or surgeon, your expertise and knowledge comes from a superior position. But when our role is to be providers of care, we should be there as equals.

~ Judy Cornish

Even though people experiencing dementia become unable to recount what has just happened, they still go through the experience—even without recall. The psychological present lasts about three seconds. We experience the present even when we have dementia. The emotional pain caused by callous treatment or unkind talk occurs during that period. The moods and actions of people with dementia are expressions of what they have experienced, whether they can still use language and recall, or not.

~ Judy Cornish

I must give you this warning: your journeys will rarely ever go as you plan. You will make mistakes, and you will feel lost. Whenever that happens, look to the light and keep moving forward in faith.

~ Seth Adam Smith

Since birth, life is about stumbling into the unknown by every turn. One hopes there is a grand purpose to it all.Few are lucky to encounter the right people, along the journey.

~ Kaleb Kilton

Life's trials will test you, and shape you, but don’t let them change who you are.”~ Aaron Lauritsen, ‘100 Days Drive

~ Aaron Lauritsen

From this point forward, you don’t even know how to quit in life.”~ Aaron Lauritsen, ‘100 Days Drive

~ Aaron Lauritsen

True friends don't come with conditions.

~ Aaron Lauritsen