Life tests each and every one of us.

It’s important to have a positive mindset to help navigate the ebbs and flows of life.

Eckhart Tolle has experienced the best and worst of life. At age 29, after suffering from crippling depression for most of his life. Eckhart awoke in the middle of the night and experienced a life-changing epiphany, what followed was an amazing spiritual journey.

Eckhart Tolle is now regarded as one of the most gifted spiritual teachers in the world.

Here are some quotes by Eckhart Tolle to enlighten and empower you.

25 Quotes by Eckhart Tolle on Life, Happiness, and Suffering

1. Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.

The mind works in mysterious ways. Our thoughts can make us afraid for the future or regretful of the past. But our real power lies in the present moment.

Living in the moment or ‘mindfulness’  is being consciously attentive on the present moment. When you become mindful, you realize that you are not your thoughts, you become an observer of your thoughts without judging them, thus allowing you to enjoy life as it’s happening.

Realizing the present moment is all you ever have will allow you to live life in much richer detail. Presence brings power.

2. Life is the dancer and you are the dance. | Quotes by Eckhart Tolle

How you think and act determines your reality. Most people don’t acknowledge that you can influence your own reality.  They believe life is down to luck. That their current situation is their final destination. When really your attitude determines your altitude. A positive outlook will deliver a positive life.

3. Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath.

Some people confuse aggression and anger with dominance and control. But the truth is that anger is a sign of weakness. It says that you were hurt in the past and you are carrying it into the present. This is one of the most enlightening Eckhart Tolle quotes ever. If you carry anger you must look inside yourself for the answer.

4. Give up defining yourself — to yourself or to others. You won’t die. You will come to life. And don’t be concerned with how others define you. When they define you, they are limiting themselves, so it’s their problem. Whenever you interact with people, don’t be there primarily as a function or a role, but as the field of conscious presence. 

Don’t worry about what people think of you or how they label you. Live your own life, discover your own hopes, wishes, talents, desires, and dreams. Fall in love with who you are without having the need to define yourself by a single sentence or achievement. The human spirit is too intense to be captured in a few sentences.

5. Being spiritual has nothing to do with what you believe and everything to do with your state of consciousness. | Quotes by Eckhart Tolle

Spirituality doesn’t mean you have to worship a Godly figure. It’s all about achieving a higher state of consciousness or understanding, where you intuitively know the deeper meaning in ordinary things and can read between the lines.

6. Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you are withholding from the world.

We often blame the external world for our dissatisfaction with life. But the truth is that we never see what we are withholding from the world. Every painful life experience carries a lesson and induces suffering. We must accept that difficult lessons in life will not leave us until they have taught us what we need to know.

7. Anything that you resent and strongly react to in another is also in you. | Quotes by Eckhart Tolle

The faults we find in others are actually the parts of own self, that we recognize and cannot come to terms with. We need to be more accepting of others to better accept ourselves. Instead of looking and judging others we must look inside of ourselves for the answers we seek.

quotes by eckhart tolle

8. Being must be felt. It can’t be thought.

We need to turn off our minds and turn on our hearts. Ask yourself, “How did I feel all day today?” Honor your feelings and understand your heart’s longings. Among all Eckhart Tolle quotes, this one really stands out. Taking time to meditate and be present will help expand our conciousness.

9. To love is to recognize yourself in another. | Quotes by Eckhart Tolle

We are all one, swimming in the same ocean of existence, experiencing life from different shores. When you cross paths with someone, take the time to know them on a deeper level because you have met them for a reason.

10. The past has no power over the present moment.

If there are certain things you regret about the past, know that the only power it has is the power you give to it. You are not what happened to you, you witnessed the past but cannot change it and no amount of stress or anxiety will change the past. Therefore, it’s in your power to change your focus and witness a better reality for yourself in the present moment. Be the change you want to see in the world.

11. Life isn’t as serious as the mind makes it out to be. | Quotes by Eckhart Tolle

Some people are too serious. They make long lists of what to do, how to live and overthink things all the time. Don’t take life too seriously. No matter how deep you are, find joy in the little things. Know that you’re not alone and if you have a single person who cares for you, you are truly blessed.

12. What a liberation to realize that the “voice in my head” is not who I am. Who am I then? The one who sees that.

You are not your thoughts. The thoughts that run through your head are just temporary reflections of your mind. Don’t identify with them. But then who are you? You are the witness that hears the thoughts, observe your thoughts but do not live by them.

13. You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose something that you are. | Quotes by Eckhart Tolle

People are so afraid of losing things and losing people. But the agent of creation lies within you. No matter what you lose, you won’t lose your creativity which can create all the things you want all over again. You won’t lose your ability to enjoy the human experience, so enjoy it.

14. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. | Quotes by Eckhart Tolle

Every person on Earth will experience some difficulty that they cannot change. This fact can either imprison you or enlighten you. When you encounter difficulty, accept it as if you had chosen it, experience it and figure out what you can learn from it.

quotes by eckhart tolle

15. Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.

If you have been keen to change something in your life for a long time, try to understand the hidden lesson it carries. What’s life asking you to do? If you are tired of being stressed all the time, life is pressing you to think differently. If you haven’t found love and intimacy yet, life is telling you that you need to learn how to love yourself first..

16. Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.

Beautiful creation often starts with dark destruction. When you feel you are buried in a hole, you are actually planted like a seed, ready for a magnificent future. Darkness defines the light. Without suffering, we wouldn’t appreciate the happier times.

17. The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.

No matter what you have been through, a situation is defined by the meaning you give to it. Some people can survive death without much hassle and others get frustrated at simple things, it’s all about perspective and your thoughts about a situation.

quotes by eckhart tolle

18. Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the now, the most precious thing there is.

Time is a man-made concept. There is no time, there is a long, eternal “now” that we live all our life. You can only influence the present moment. Reclaim your power by living fully in the present moment.

19. Any action is often better than no action, especially if you have been stuck in an unhappy situation for a long time. If it is a mistake, at least you learn something, in which case it’s no longer a mistake. If you remain stuck, you learn nothing.

It’s better to move forward in any direction than to stare at your problems and suffer from anxiety and fear. Albert Einstein said that you have to keep moving in life to maintain your balance. If you’re unhappy take action now and start living life by your terms.

20. All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear – are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.

This is one of the greatest Eckhart Tolle quotes as it explains all suffering with a simple concept. When our mind is fixed in the future, we suffer from fear, anxiety, and worry. When it is fixed in the past, we suffer from regret, sadness, hatred, and depression. We need to live in the present moment and say “yes” to what the now has to offer.

21. If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place. Primary reality is within; secondary reality without.

There is nothing out there taking the joy out of your life. Everything is inside you. It is your thoughts, beliefs, actions, and the use or misuse of your own imagination is creating your life. If you want to change your life, change your mindset.

22. It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living. | Quotes by Eckhart Tolle

Some of us live our lives in quiet desperation, hoping for a better tomorrow never realizing that our true power lies in the now. We are the creators of our own lives, we can live life our own way and chase our dreams. Don’t think just act.

23. The past gives you an identity and the future holds the promise of salvation, of fulfillment in whatever form. Both are illusions.

We define ourselves by what we have done in the past not realizing that we are limiting ourselves by doing so. Realize that something completely new can happen for you and change that definition. Moreover, we should stop seeking happiness in the future. It’s not something that will arrive in the mail. Happiness is a by-product of how you act in the present. It is not the end goal. Life joyously in the present moment.

24. Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance. | Quotes by Eckhart Tolle

See the good in every situation and experience. We are so blessed to experience this life. Gratitude is your superpower. Practicing and developing gratitude will not only make you happier in the present moment but it will drive you to change the world.

25. Instead of asking “what do I want from life?,” a more powerful question is, “what does life want from me?”

Sometimes our truth is right in front of us, but we fail to see it. Think for a moment. Talk to the part of you that feels dissatisfied with your life. What does that part of you want from life? What are its complaints? Now change your perspective for a moment and turn the tables.

Ask yourself, “What does life want from me? What is the obvious lesson here?” Chances are you need to overcome a limiting belief or learn a certain skill to get to the place you want to be. Whatever it is you must learn the lesson to move forward.

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