When we truly allow ourselves to feel our own pain, over time it comes to seem less personal. We start to recognize that what we’ve perceived as our pain is, at a deeper level, the pain inherent in human existence.

— Sharon Salzberg

When you recognize and reflect on even one good thing about yourself, you are building a bridge to a place of kindness and caring.

— Sharon Salzberg

Wherever the responsibility lies, shame creates a solid and terrible feeling of unworthiness that resides in our bodies: the storehouse of the memories of our acts, real or imagined, and the secrets we keep about them.

— Sharon Salzberg

Whether we fear the existence of boundaries with others or crave more of them, there’s no denying that individuation and separation are inevitable parts of loving relationships that become the site of tension.

— Sharon Salzberg

While happiness is an end in itself, it is also the state of mind we can have right now.

— Sharon Salzberg

Wholehearted acceptance is a basic element of love, starting with love for ourselves, and a gateway to joy. Through the practices of loving kindness and self-compassion, we can learn to love our flawed and imperfect selves. And in those moments of vulnerability, we open our hearts to connect with each other, as well. We are not perfect, but we are enough.

— Sharon Salzberg

With a clear intention and a willing spirit, sooner or later we experience the joy and freedom that arises when we recognize our common humanity with others and see that real love excludes no one.

— Sharon Salzberg

With attachment all that seems to exist is just me & that object I desire.

— Sharon Salzberg

With mindfulness, loving kindness, and self-compassion, we can begin to let go of our expectations about how life and those we love should be.

— Sharon Salzberg

With our close friends, family members, and lovers, we hope to create a special world, one in which we can expect to be treated fairly, with care, tenderness, and compassion.

— Sharon Salzberg