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Every word, every image used for God is a distortion more than a description.

Anthony de Mello

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Anthony de Mello
Age: 55 †
Born: 1931
Born: September 4
Died: 1987
Died: June 2
Philosopher
Priest
Psychologist
Theologian
Writer
Bombay
Distortion
Mysticism
Description
Image
Word
Used
Every

More quotes by Anthony de Mello

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When the sage points at the moon, all that the idiot sees is the finger.
Anthony de Mello
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The Master was exceedingly gracious to university dons who visited him, but he would never reply to their questions or be drawn into their theological speculations. To his disciples, who marveled at this, he said, Can one talk about the ocean to a frog in a well or about the divine to people who are restricted by their concepts?
Anthony de Mello
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Wisdom can be learned. But it cannot be taught.
Anthony de Mello
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If you look carefully you will see that there is one thing and only one thing that causes unhappiness. The name of that thing is attachment. What is an attachment? An emotional state of clinging caused by the belief that without some particular thing or some person you cannot be happy.
Anthony de Mello
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Love springs from awareness.
Anthony de Mello
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Step by step, let whatever happens happen. Real change will come when it is brought about, not by your ego, but by reality. Awareness releases reality to change you.
Anthony de Mello
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If I haven't received any grace today, then I was not at home. This is because God is sending deliveries constantly.
Anthony de Mello
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the tragedy of an attachment is that if its object is not attained it causes unhappiness. But if it is attained, it does not cause happiness – it merely causes a flash of pleasure followed by weariness, and it is always accompanied, of course, by the anxiety that you may lose the object of your attachment.
Anthony de Mello
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What, concretely, is Enlightenment ? Seeing Reality as it is, said the Master. Doesn't everyone see Reality as it is? Oh, no! Most people see it as they think it is. What's the difference? The difference between thinking you are drowning in a stormy sea and knowing you cannot drown because there isn't any water in sight for mil
Anthony de Mello
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In many ways we were drugged when we were young. We were brought up to need people. For what? For acceptance, approval, appreciation, applause.
Anthony de Mello
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Enlightenment is: absolute cooperation with the inevitable.
Anthony de Mello
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I leave you free to be yourself: to think your thoughts, indulge your tastes, follow your inclinations, behave in ways that you decide are to your liking.
Anthony de Mello
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You sanctify whatever you are grateful for.
Anthony de Mello
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You are only a disciple because your eyes are closed. The day you open them you will see there is nothing you can learn from me or anyone.
Anthony de Mello
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You don't have to add anything in order to be happy you've got to drop something.
Anthony de Mello
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If you want to know what it means to be happy, look at a flower, a bird, a child they are perfect images of the kingdom. For they live from moment to moment in the eternal now with no past and no future.
Anthony de Mello
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Most people don't live aware lives. They live mechanical lives, mechanical thoughts - generally somebody else's - mechanical emotions, mechanical actions, mechanical reactions.
Anthony de Mello
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Charity is never so lovely as when one has lost consciousness that one is practicing charity. 'You mean I helped you? I was enjoying myself. I was just doing my dance. It helped you, that's wonderful. Congratulations to you. No credit to me.
Anthony de Mello
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You have to understand, my dears, that the shortest distance between truth and a human being is a story.
Anthony de Mello
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What is the work of a Master? said a solemn-faced visitor. To teach people to laugh , said the Master gravely.
Anthony de Mello