2,786 Quotes About Attention

Sanity is a never-ending tug of war between oneself, pulling one’s attention towards happiness, and one’s mind, pulling it towards unhappiness.

Habit has two parts, Toni [Packer] says. There is the habit itself (finger biting, smoking, drinking, whatever), and there is the observer who wants to stop, who is also a habit. And there is the conflict, the battle between the desire to indulge, which is an escape from what is, and the desire to stop, which is also a movement away from what is.

The concentration of a baby is alive wonderment. It is to that kind of organic interest, or passion, and awareness that Toni [Packer] seems to be pointing: listening that is not rote or methodical in any way. The baby has no sense yet of self-image, of itself as an object—a person—who needs to be improved, and Toni will question any meditation practice that contributes to such a picture.

One of the way to get attention is to write a book titled, "How to get attention.

Different looks like talking about suicide once for annual training and then not paying attention to those around you for the rest of the year.

When attention turns into indifference or love fades away into a grey zone of discomfort, only imagination can bring us back to the limelight of life. ("Is that all there is?")

You don't need to explain anything to me, Karl. I trust that you were a gentleman." And then he added, "Or at least I trust that you were a gentleman to as high a degree as she wanted you to be. I was a boy once too. No matter who is in power, I never want you thinking it's wrong to desire a girl's attention. That is life's greatest sweetness. I would never want to deny you that joy.

Everyone wants to blast their music, to impose their voice and opinion, to make noise that is loud enough to cover every other voice around them. I wondered what would happen if we truly gave each other a chance and listened carefully to the tunes played by the fancy or broken instruments of each lonely soul around us?

An exceedingly confident student would in theory make a terrible student. Why would he take school seriously when he feels that he can outwit his teachers?