The life of a monk is often seen as one of simplicity and peace. They choose to live a life of austerity, away from the distractions of the world.
But what can we learn from these spiritual warriors? In this article, we will explore the wisdom of the monk and see how it can help us live a more enlightened life.
We will also look at some famous think like monk quotes and see how they can inspire us to change our lives for the better.
How do Monks think?
How do Monks think? This is a question that has perplexed philosophers and theologians for centuries. On the surface, it would seem that Monks think like everyone else.
They are capable of rational thought and can engage in complex conversations. However, there is something about the way a monk thinks that sets them apart from the rest of humanity.
Perhaps it is their ability to still their minds and focus on a single thought for extended periods of time. Or maybe it is the way they view the world through the lens of their religious beliefs.
Whatever the reason, Monks are able to think in ways that most of us cannot even begin to understand. And that is what makes them so special.
For centuries, monks have been shrouded in mystery, their lifestyles and practices seeming otherworldly to the rest of us.
But what is the secret of the monks? Some say it is their dedication to a life of prayer and contemplation.
Others believe that it is their simple lifestyle, free from the distractions of the modern world. Whatever the case may be, there is no doubt that monks have much to teach us about living a fulfilling life.
By stripping away the excesses of material possessions and worldly concerns, monks are able to focus on what is truly important. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with noise and distractions, the monks remind us that inner peace and contentment are achievable if we are willing to slow down and simplify our lives.
About Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty
The book “Think Like a Monk” was written by Jay Shetty, a former monk who is now a motivational speaker and social media influencer.
In the book, Jay shares his wisdom on how to live a more peaceful and enriching life. He draws from his own experiences as a monk and provides practical advice on how to think like a monk.
Here are some of the key Think Like a Monk Quotes
What would it be like if we all thought a bit more like monks?
According to Jay Shetty, author of the book “Think Like a Monk,” the world would be a much calmer, more peaceful place.
In his book, Shetty shares illuminating quotes from monks that can help us live a happier, more fulfilling life. Here are some of our favorites!
1. “Gratitude is the mother of all qualities. As a mother gives birth, gratitude brings forth all other qualities – compassion, resilience, confidence, passion – positive traits that help us find meaning and connect with others.”
From the moment we are born, we are grateful. We are grateful for the air that fills our lungs, for the food that sustains us. We are grateful for the love and care of our parents and family.
As we grow older, we may forget how to be grateful. We become busy with our lives and stop noticing the things that we once took for granted. But gratitude is always there, waiting to be rediscovered.
When we take the time to appreciate the good in our lives, everything else falls into place. Gratitude is the mother of all qualities because it is the quality that gives birth to all other positive traits.
When we are grateful, we find compassion for others, resilience in ourselves, confidence in our ability to overcome challenges, and passion for life. Gratitude is the cornerstone of a happy and meaningful life.
So let us all remember to be thankful for the gift of life itself and for all the good that surrounds us each day.
2. “The arrogant ego desires respect, whereas the humble worker inspires respect.”
There are two types of people in the world: those who seek respect and those who earn it. The former is driven by ego and arrogance, always striving to be the center of attention.
They believe that respect is something that must be earned through force or intimidation. The latter are humble workers who inspire respect through their actions.
They know that true respect comes from giving your all to something larger than yourself. These are the people who make the world go round. They are the ones who build bridges, not walls.
They are the ones who bring hope, not fear. The next time you’re feeling down, remember that it’s the humble workers of the world who truly make a difference.
3. “A monk is a traveler, but the journey is inward, bringing us ever closer to our most authentic, confident, powerful self.”
4. “When you’re living in service, you don’t have time to complain and criticize. When you’re living in service, your fears go away. When you’re living in service, you feel grateful. Your material attachments diminish. Service is the direct path to a meaningful life.”
5. “Selflessness is the surest route to inner peace and a meaningful life. Selflessness heals the self.”
On the surface, it may seem like a selfish act to put your own needs first. However, in reality, selflessness is the surest route to inner peace and meaningful life.
When you are focused on helping others, you are no longer bogged down by your own problems and fears. Instead, you are able to see the world from a new perspective and find compassion and hope where there was only despair.
In addition, selflessness has a powerful healing effect on the soul. By reaching out to others, we are also able to heal the wounds within ourselves.
As we help those who are suffering, we come to understand our own pain in a new light and find the strength to move forward.
Consequently, selflessness is not only good for others but also for ourselves. It is the surest route to inner peace and a life that is truly rewarding.
6. “Life’s too short to live without purpose, to lose our chance to serve, to let our dreams and aspirations die with us.”
7. “There are two lies some of us hear when we’re growing up. The first is “You’ll never amount to anything.” The second is “You can be anything you want to be.” The truth is – You can’t be anything you want. But you can be everything you are.”
8. “A person who isn’t living their dharma is like a fish out of water. You can give the fish all the riches in the world, but it will die unless it’s returned to the water. Once you discover your dharma, strive to play that role in every aspect of your life.”
9. “When you start your day with gratitude, you’ll be open to opportunities, not obstacles. You’ll be drawn to creativity, not complaint. You will find fresh ways to grow, rather than succumbing to negative thoughts that only shrink your options.”
10. “Life is not going to go your way. You have to go your way and take life with you.”
No one ever said that life would be easy. In fact, it can be downright difficult at times.
There will be obstacles and challenges to face, and you may not always end up where you wanted to be.
But that doesn’t mean you should give up. Life is all about the journey, not the destination. It’s about overcoming obstacles and learning from your mistakes.
So don’t be afraid to take a few detours along the way. You never know what you might find.
11. “The body is a vessel. It contains us, so it’s important. We have to take care of it, feed it, keep it healthy, but the vessel is just a carrier. What it carries is the real value.”
12. “You can only keep up the myth of your own importance for so long. If you don’t break your ego, life will break it for you.”
13. “To build your competence without regard for character is narcissistic, and to build character without working on skills is devoid of impact. We need to work on both in order to serve our souls and a higher purpose.”
14. “Change happens with small steps and big priorities. Pick one thing to change, make it your number one priority, and see it through before you move on to the next.”
15. “Success doesn’t guarantee happiness, and happiness doesn’t require success. They can feed each other, and we can have them at the same time, but they are not intertwined.”
16. “Life isn’t a collection of unrelated events, it’s a narrative that stretches into the past and the future.”
Life is a book. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And like any good book, life is full of tension, conflict, and resolution.
The events of our lives are not random or unrelated. They are connected by the thread of our narratives. Our past shapes our present and our future. The decisions we make today will determine the course of our tomorrow.
So what story are you writing? What will your life be about? Will it be a tale of love or loss? Of adventure or adversity?
Of triumph or tragedy? The choice is yours. But whatever story you choose to write, make sure that it’s one worth reading.
17. “Real greatness is when you use your own achievements to teach others, and they learn how to teach others, and the greatness that you’ve accomplished expands exponentially.”
18. “Eventually, I learned the one infallible trick to successfully getting up earlier: I had to go to sleep earlier. That was it. I’d spent my entire life pushing the limits of each day, sacrificing tomorrow because I didn’t want to miss out on today. But once I finally let that go and started going to sleep earlier, waking up at four became easier and easier. And as it became easier, I found that I could do it without the help of anyone or anything besides my own body and the natural world around it.”
19. “Just as the past is unchangeable, the future is unknowable. A certain amount of planning is useful and good preparation for the various scenarios ahead, but when these thoughts tip into repetitive anxiety and worry or unrealistic aspirations, they are no longer productive.”
20. “When we acknowledge that all of our blessings are like a fancy rental car or a beautiful Airbnb, we are free to enjoy them without living in constant fear of losing them. We are all the lucky vacationers enjoying our stay in Hotel Earth.”
21. “Anger is a great, flaming ball of negative emotion, and when we cannot let it go, no matter how we try, the anger takes on a life of its own. The toll is enormous.”
Anger is a powerful emotion, one that can easily take on a life of its own if we’re not careful. It’s like a great flaming ball of negativity, and when we can’t seem to let it go – no matter how hard we try – the anger only grows stronger and more destructive.
The toll this takes on our lives is enormous. We become consumed by the anger, unable to focus on anything else. Our relationships suffer, our work performance slips and our physical health declines.
All because we’re carrying around this great big ball of rage. It’s important to learn how to deal with anger in a healthy way before it consumes us completely.
Otherwise, we’ll pay an enormous price – in terms of our happiness, our success, and our well-being.
22. “The ego is two-faced. One moment it tells us we’re great at everything, and the next moment it tells us we’re the worst. Either way, we are blind to the reality of who we are. True humility is seeing what lies between the extremes.”
23. “Looking at your phone first thing in the morning is like inviting one hundred chatty strangers into your bedroom before you’ve showered, brushed your teeth, fixed your hair. Between the alarm clock and the world inside your phone, you’re immediately overwhelmed with stress, pressure, anxiety. Do you really expect yourself to emerge from that state and have a pleasant, productive day?”
24. “Take some time to get to know yourself better. Build your self-esteem. Invest in your growth. If you’ve lost yourself in the relationship, find yourself in the heartbreak.”
25. “Remember, saying whatever we want, whenever we want, however, we want, is not freedom. Real freedom is not feeling the need to say these things.”
26. “No matter what you think your values are, your actions tell the real story. What we do with our spare time shows what we value.”
It’s easy to say that we believe in certain values, but it’s much harder to actually live those values out. What we do with our time shows what we really value.
If we spend our free time watching TV or surfing the Internet, that says something about what we value.
But if we use our spare time to volunteer for a worthy cause or help out a friend in need, that tells a different story. Our actions always reveal our true values, no matter how much we try to hide them.
So let’s be honest with ourselves: what do our actions say about what we really value?
27. “Fear motivates us. Sometimes it motivates us toward what we want, but sometimes, if we aren’t careful, it limits us with what we think will keep us safe.”
28. “The less time you fixate on everyone else, the more time you have to focus on yourself.”
29. “The material world has convinced us that there are only a limited number of colleges worth attending, a limited number of good jobs available, a limited number of people who get lucky. In such a finite world, there’s only so much success and happiness to go around, and whenever other people experience them, your chances of doing so decrease. But monks believe that when it comes to happiness and joy, there is always a seat with your name on it. In other words, you don’t need to worry about someone taking your place. In the theater of happiness, there is no limit.”
30. “The most powerful, admirable, captivating quality in any human is seen when they’ve achieved great things, but still embrace humility and their own insignificance.”
There is something infinitely inspiring about someone who has achieved greatness yet remains humble. It speaks to the human capacity for greatness while also acknowledging our own insignificance in the grand scheme of things.
To achieve great things is an admirable feat in and of itself. But to do so with humility is even more powerful. It shows that we are not defined by our accomplishments but by our character.
This quality is captivating because it reminds us of our own potential for greatness. We may not all achieve great things, but we can all aspire to be humble in the face of success. In doing so, we can show the world the best of what it means to be human.
31. “Listening is one of the most thoughtful gifts we can give. There is no better way to show that we care about another person’s experience.”
32. “Monks live in service, and to think like a monk ultimately means to serve. We seek to leave a place cleaner than we found it, people, happier than we found them, the world better than we found it.”
33. “When we criticize others, we can’t help but notice the bad in ourselves. But when we look for the good in others, we start to see the best in ourselves too.”
We’ve all been there before. We see someone do something that rubs us the wrong way, and before we know it, we’re tearing them apart. We find fault in everything they do, and we start to feel superior to them.
It’s easy to do, but it’s not always helpful. After all, when we criticize others, we can’t help but notice the bad in ourselves. But when we look for the good in others, we start to see the best in ourselves too.
It’s a simple shift in perspective, but it can make all the difference. The next time you’re tempted to criticize someone, try to look for the good instead. You might be surprised by what you find.
34. “Society’s definition of a happy life is everybody’s and nobody’s. The only way to build a meaningful life is to filter out that noise and look within. This is the first step to building your monk mind.”
35. “When you get stressed – what changes? Your breath. When you get angry – what changes? Your breath. We experience every emotion with the change of the breath. When you learn to navigate and manage your breath, you can navigate any situation in life.”
36. “The measure of success isn’t numbers, it’s depth. Monks aren’t impressed by how long you meditate. We ask how deep you went.”
How does one measure success? Is it in the numbers, the amount of money you make, the things you own? Or is it in the depth of your experience, the quality of your relationships, the strength of your character?
The monk’s answer is clear: depth is what matters. A life lived shallowly may be long, but it is ultimately unfulfilling. It is only by delving deeply into our experiences that we can find true meaning and purpose.
So go out and live your life to the fullest. Don’t just exist–immerse yourself in every moment, and let it take you to depths you never knew existed.
37. “If I only find joy in my own successes, I’m limiting my joy. But if I can take pleasure in the successes of my friends and family – ten, twenty, fifty people! – I get to experience fifty times the happiness and joy. Who doesn’t want that?”
38. “Being present is the only way to live a truly rich and full life.”
We are all on a journey. A journey through life. But where are we going? And why? We can’t keep living like this, constantly chasing after things that we think will make us happy.
Money, power, possessions… They can all be gone in an instant. Don’t you see? The only way to truly live is in the present moment. That’s where life is happening.
That’s where we are alive. If we want to experience true richness and fullness, we need to start being present. We need to slow down and appreciate the little things.
The smell of a flower, the sound of a child’s laughter, the warmth of the sun on our skin… These are the things that matter.
These are the things that make life worth living. So let’s start living them. Let’s start by being present. It’s the only way to truly live.
Let’s Wind Up…
Did you enjoy these quotes from the book “Think Like a Monk”? We hope you found at least one that spoke to you, and you will apply it to your life.
It’s not possible for everyone to become a monk, but it is possible for everyone to think like one. We hope you take away the lessons from these quotes and use them to think more like a monk every day. Thanks for reading!
If you’re looking for more inspiration, be sure to check our blog regularly.
Which of these quotes was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!