To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else’s eyes.

nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.

Contentment is a synonym for loneliness, cool loneliness, settling down with cool loneliness. We give up believing that being able to escape our loneliness is going to bring any lasting happiness or joy or sense of well-being or courage or strength. Usually

There are six ways of describing this kind of cool loneliness. They are: less desire, contentment, avoiding unnecessary activity, complete discipline, not wandering in the world of desire, and not seeking security from one’s discursive thoughts.

If hope and fear are two sides of one coin, so are hopelessness and confidence. If we’re willing to give up hope that insecurity and pain can be exterminated, then we can have the courage to relax with the groundlessness of our situation.

Giving up hope is encouragement to stick with yourself, to make friends with yourself, to not run away from yourself, to return to the bare bones, no matter what’s going on.

renunciation of the hope that our experience could be different, renunciation of the hope that we could be better.

We can drop the fundamental hope that there is a better “me” who one day will emerge.

We hold on to hope, and hope robs us of the present moment.