89 Quotes by David Richo

Submit to being called a neurotic. You belong to that splendid and pitiable family which is the salt of the earth. All the greatest things we know have come to us from neurotics. It is they and they only who have founded religions and created great works of art. Never will the world be conscious of how much it owes to them, nor above all of what they have suffered in order to bestow their gifts on it. – MARCEL PROUST, Guermantes Way, Vol. I.

A wound does not destroy us. It activates our self-healing powers. The point is not to “put it behind you” but to keep benefiting from the strength it has awakened.

Bread takes the effort of kneading but also requires sitting quietly while the dough rises with a power all its own.

Yes is the brave ally of serenity; no is the scared accomplice of anxiety.

There is a natural and inviolable tendency in things to bloom into whatever they truly are in the core of their being. All we have to do is align ourselves with what wants to happen naturally and put in the effort that is our part in helping it happen.

A lack of love means not receiving the five A’s of adult love: attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection, and allowing us to be ourselves.

A healthy person is not perfect but perfectible, not a done deal but a work in progress. Staying healthy takes discipline, work, and patience, which is why our life is a journey and perforce a heroic one.

Real love does not come off the rack; it is uniquely tailored by the lover to the beloved. Part of the pain of letting go of someone who really loved you is letting go of being loved in that special way.

Evoke one good memory for each bad one from now on.