I have accumulated these quotes from Byron Katie videos, Byron Katie Books, and other internet resources like her Twitter or Facebook. Byron Katie may not have been the first or only to say any or all of these, but they reflect in me a deep truth that must be inquired to believe. And she may not know it yet, or maybe she does, but she is my adopted *Mother. :)
"I am the source of my pain. But only all of it." ~Byron Katie
"When I’ve learned to meet my thoughts with understanding, I meet you with understanding. No choice." ~ Byron Katie
"If you want a little fear and terror because your life is dull, get a future. Terrifying!" ~Byron Katie
"Defense is the first act of war." ~ Byron Katie
"A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It’s not our thoughts, but attachment to our thoughts, that causes suffering." ~ Byron Katie
"The teacher you need is the person you're living with." ~ Byron Katie
"It's not your job to like me - it's mine." ~ Byron Katie
"Do you want to meet the love of your life? Look in the mirror." ~ Byron Katie
"The mind's job is to validate what it thinks." ~ Byron Katie
"A dishonest yes is a no to yourself." ~ Byron Katie
"Placing the blame or judgment on someone else leaves you powerless to change your experience. Taking responsibility for your beliefs and judgments gives you the power to change them." ~ Byron Katie
"Our problem is always a thought we innocently believe. The Work deals with our thinking, not with the object we think we’re addicted to." ~ Byron Katie
"Sanity does not suffer - ever." ~ Byron Katie
"An uncomfortable feeling is not an enemy. It’s a gift that says, 'Get honest; inquire.' We reach out for alcohol, or television, or credit cards, so we can focus out there and not have to look at the feeling. And that's as it should be, because in our innocence we haven't known how. So now what we can do is reach out for a paper and a pencil, write thought down, and investigate." ~ Byron Katie
"Behold your world! The judgments you believe just created it." ~ Byron Katie
"When you argue with reality, you lose. But only 100% of the time." ~ Byron Katie
"So, how do you get back to heaven? To begin with, just notice the thoughts that take you away from it. You don't have to believe everything your thoughts tell you. Just become familiar with the particular thoughts you use to deprive yourself of happiness. It may seem strange at first to get to know yourself in this way, but becoming familiar with your stressful thoughts will show you the way home to everything you need." ~ Byron Katie
"Money is not my business; my thinking is my business. I don’t have any other business." ~ Byron Katie
"You move totally away from reality when you believe that there is a legitimate reason to suffer." ~ Byron Katie
"You don't get to vote on 'what is.' Have you noticed?" ~ Byron Katie
" I am here for your perception, as if I had a choice. I am your story—no more, no less. You have never met me. No one has ever met anyone." ~ Byron Katie
"The world is nothing but my perception of it. I see only through myself. I hear only through the filter of my story." ~ Byron Katie
"The world is perfect. As you question your mind, this becomes more and more obvious. Mind changes, and as a result, the world changes. A clear mind heals everything that needs to be healed. It can never be fooled into believing that there is one speck out of order." ~ Byron Katie
"Personalities don't love. They want something." ~ Byron Katie
"The worst thing that can happen on your deathbed is a belief. Nothing worse than that has ever happened, ever." ~ Byron Katie
"Would you rather be right or free?" ~ Byron Katie
"I don't want to be wise or smart. I want to be free." ~ Byron Katie
"The only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with what is. When the mind is perfectly clear, what is is what we want." ~ Byron Katie
"The end of suffering happens in this very moment, whether you're watching a terrorist attack or doing the dishes. And compassion begins at home. Because I don't believe my thoughts, sadness can't exist. That's how I can go to the depths of anyone's suffering, if they invite me, and take them by the hand and walk them out of it into the sunlight of reality. I've taken that walk myself." ~ Byron Katie
"All sadness is a tantrum." ~ Byron Katie
"A teacher of fear can’t bring peace on Earth. We have been trying to do it that way for thousands of years. The person who turns inner violence around, the person who finds peace inside and lives it, is the one who teaches what true peace is. We are waiting for just one teacher. You’re the one." ~ Byron Katie
*Adopted Mother - Byron Katie is my adopted mother because I love that thought and I love her. Katie helps people by inviting them to question their stressful thoughts - if they want to - through Inquiry. And the basis of this - the foundation for me - was in meeting myself and realizing it is not my world that is troubled, but my thoughts - those troubling ones that I believe and worship as truth. So this story I tell myself that she is my adopted mother is a good story. I have adopted her. :)
"I am the source of my pain. But only all of it." ~Byron Katie
"When I’ve learned to meet my thoughts with understanding, I meet you with understanding. No choice." ~ Byron Katie
"If you want a little fear and terror because your life is dull, get a future. Terrifying!" ~Byron Katie
"Defense is the first act of war." ~ Byron Katie
"A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It’s not our thoughts, but attachment to our thoughts, that causes suffering." ~ Byron Katie
"The teacher you need is the person you're living with." ~ Byron Katie
"It's not your job to like me - it's mine." ~ Byron Katie
"Do you want to meet the love of your life? Look in the mirror." ~ Byron Katie
"The mind's job is to validate what it thinks." ~ Byron Katie
"A dishonest yes is a no to yourself." ~ Byron Katie
"Placing the blame or judgment on someone else leaves you powerless to change your experience. Taking responsibility for your beliefs and judgments gives you the power to change them." ~ Byron Katie
"Our problem is always a thought we innocently believe. The Work deals with our thinking, not with the object we think we’re addicted to." ~ Byron Katie
"Sanity does not suffer - ever." ~ Byron Katie
"An uncomfortable feeling is not an enemy. It’s a gift that says, 'Get honest; inquire.' We reach out for alcohol, or television, or credit cards, so we can focus out there and not have to look at the feeling. And that's as it should be, because in our innocence we haven't known how. So now what we can do is reach out for a paper and a pencil, write thought down, and investigate." ~ Byron Katie
"Behold your world! The judgments you believe just created it." ~ Byron Katie
"When you argue with reality, you lose. But only 100% of the time." ~ Byron Katie
"So, how do you get back to heaven? To begin with, just notice the thoughts that take you away from it. You don't have to believe everything your thoughts tell you. Just become familiar with the particular thoughts you use to deprive yourself of happiness. It may seem strange at first to get to know yourself in this way, but becoming familiar with your stressful thoughts will show you the way home to everything you need." ~ Byron Katie
"Money is not my business; my thinking is my business. I don’t have any other business." ~ Byron Katie
"You move totally away from reality when you believe that there is a legitimate reason to suffer." ~ Byron Katie
"You don't get to vote on 'what is.' Have you noticed?" ~ Byron Katie
" I am here for your perception, as if I had a choice. I am your story—no more, no less. You have never met me. No one has ever met anyone." ~ Byron Katie
"The world is nothing but my perception of it. I see only through myself. I hear only through the filter of my story." ~ Byron Katie
"The world is perfect. As you question your mind, this becomes more and more obvious. Mind changes, and as a result, the world changes. A clear mind heals everything that needs to be healed. It can never be fooled into believing that there is one speck out of order." ~ Byron Katie
"Personalities don't love. They want something." ~ Byron Katie
"The worst thing that can happen on your deathbed is a belief. Nothing worse than that has ever happened, ever." ~ Byron Katie
"Would you rather be right or free?" ~ Byron Katie
"I don't want to be wise or smart. I want to be free." ~ Byron Katie
"The only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with what is. When the mind is perfectly clear, what is is what we want." ~ Byron Katie
"The end of suffering happens in this very moment, whether you're watching a terrorist attack or doing the dishes. And compassion begins at home. Because I don't believe my thoughts, sadness can't exist. That's how I can go to the depths of anyone's suffering, if they invite me, and take them by the hand and walk them out of it into the sunlight of reality. I've taken that walk myself." ~ Byron Katie
"All sadness is a tantrum." ~ Byron Katie
"A teacher of fear can’t bring peace on Earth. We have been trying to do it that way for thousands of years. The person who turns inner violence around, the person who finds peace inside and lives it, is the one who teaches what true peace is. We are waiting for just one teacher. You’re the one." ~ Byron Katie
*Adopted Mother - Byron Katie is my adopted mother because I love that thought and I love her. Katie helps people by inviting them to question their stressful thoughts - if they want to - through Inquiry. And the basis of this - the foundation for me - was in meeting myself and realizing it is not my world that is troubled, but my thoughts - those troubling ones that I believe and worship as truth. So this story I tell myself that she is my adopted mother is a good story. I have adopted her. :)
