In today’s busy, chaotic world, obtaining peace can feel elusive, conjuring up images of a privileged class of people who spend their days at leisure, unfettered by the daily demands of life. But finding peace doesn’t have to be such an impossibility. According to philosophers, spiritual leaders, and thinkers, inner peace is something we each already carry within us — we just need to make space for it so it can surface through the noise.
A big part of attaining peace is slowing things down, taking deep breaths, and being present in the moment, according to these sage folks. Another is accepting that life will unfold the way it’s meant to. That means embracing every experience, even the ones that don’t go our way, as an opportunity for growth.
It’s easier said than done, of course, but those who study inner peace will note that it’s not numbness that defines peace of mind so much as it is awareness. It’s about being conscious of what’s happening around us, but choosing not to be disturbed in spite of the circumstances.
Below, we’ve rounded up 14 quotes that tout the importance of finding peace, and that encourage us to hold onto the core of who we are, even in the face of difficulties.
If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.Marvin Gaye
Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.Dalai Lama
If there is to be any peace it will come through being, not having.Henry Miller
The universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself, everything that you want, you already are.Rumi
I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart. I am. I am. I am.Sylvia Plath
Ego says, ‘Once everything falls into place, I’ll feel inner peace.’ Spirit says, ‘Find your inner peace and then everything will fall into place.’Marianne Williamson
You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.Eckhart Tolle
Peace is its own reward.Mahatma Gandhi
Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.Thích Nhất Hạnh
Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.Wayne Dyer
Do not confuse peace of mind with spaced-out insensitivity. A truly peaceful mind is very sensitive, very aware.Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama
Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.Saint Francis de Sales
Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It is a way of entering into the quiet that is already there — buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day.Deepak Chopra
You are the sky. Everything else — it’s just the weather.Pema Chödrön
Featured image credit: sh1/ Unsplash
