“The brain is a pleasure seeking machine. Once you teach it, through meditation, that abiding calmly in the present moment feels better than our habitual state of clinging l, over time, the brain will want more and more mindfulness.”

“Dalai Lama: "If a scientist confirm nonexistence of something we believe, then we have to accept that."Dan Harris: "So if scientists come up with something that contradicts your beliefs, you will change your beliefs?"Dalai Lama: "Oh yes. Yes.”

“Science experiments have found that people who practice meditation release significantly lower doses of cortisol, known as the stress hormone. This is consequential because frequent release of cortisol can lead to heart disease, diabetes, dementia, cancer, and depression.”

“We all have an innate feeling of being separate from the world, peering out at life from behind our own little self. But how can we truly be separate from the same world that created us? You can no more disconnect from the universe and it's inhabitants than a wave can extricate itself from the ocean.”

“The brain is a pleasure seeking machine. Once you teach it, through meditation, that abiding calmly in the present moment feels better than our habitual state of clinging l, over time, the brain will want more and more mindfulness.”

“A big part of (Janice) Marturano's success in bringing mindfulness to this unlikely venue was that she talked about it not as a "spiritual" exercise but instead as something that made you a "better leader" and "more focused," and that enhanced your "creativity and innovation." She didn't even like the term "stress reduction." "For a lot of us," she said, "we think that having stress in our lives isn't a bad thing. It gives us an edge.”

“Turns out, it's pretty simple to win people over, especially in tense situations, if you're able to take their perspective and validate their feelings.”

“If you don't waste your energy on variables you cannot influence, you can focus much more effectively on those you can. (Mark Epstein)”

“...didn't need to waste so much time envisioning some vague horribleness awaiting me in my future.”

“When you lurch from one thing to the next, constantly scheming, or reacting to incoming fire, the mind gets exhausted. You get sloppy and make bad decisions.”

“In fact, when you're mindful, you actually feel irritation more keenly. However, once you unburden yourself from the delusion that people are deliberately trying to screw you, it's easier to stop getting carried away.”