Practice patience: It is the shortest path to success. Patience will keep you calm in the face of difficulties, and will enable you to meet each obstacle effectively. Support the show

Some conventions must be changed, certainly. Racial discrimination in America is a national disgrace, for it places fetters on the egos of all who practice it. So too is the caste system in India. That system, however, had an enlightened origin before it became hereditary. It pointed the way to liberation for all mankind. When caste became hereditary, the same abomination appeared as with racial discrimination in America. Everyone on earth is your brother or sister in God. Respect all as...

Show respect for convention, but remember that conventions are often started by unconventional people. Why do people stand when their national anthems are being played? It probably began with one deeply moved individual; nobody wanted to show disrespect, so everyone followed his example. Why do people stand for the “Hallelujah” chorus in Handel’s Messiah? Because King George of England did so first, and everyone had to do likewise. Most conventions have no intrinsic meaning. Usually it would...

Don’t ask yourself, “How can I approach my tasks differently?” Don’t even ask, “How can I do them better?” until you’ve asked first, “What is the right thing to do, and the right way to go about doing it?” Support the show

Do nothing for applause. Act for the far-more-satisfying approval of your own conscience. Someone once asked me, “What has motivated you to do all the things you’ve done in your life?” Conscience? yes, certainly. But conscience in reaction to the sorrows I had seen in the world, brought on by people’s ignorance of who and what they really were, as children of our universal Father/Mother God. Support the show

Do your best, then leave the outcome in God’s hands. Attachment to results will only diminish your ability to work effectively in the present. Without attachment to results, even failure will free you to redirect your energies anew, and ever yet anew, until success is achieved. Support the show

In recreation, seek to re-create yourself. During every pause in your activity, seek in inner peace a renewal of your creative spirit. Withdraw into your inner temple of silence, and, there, focus on re-energizing every thought, every feeling. Support the show

In recreation, seek to re-create yourself. During every pause in your activity, seek in inner peace a renewal of your creative spirit. Withdraw into your inner temple of silence, and, there, focus on re-energizing every thought, every feeling. Support the show

Think of others not as your competitors, but as your colleagues, even when working in the same field of endeavor as they. A thousand rivulets, conjoining, become a mighty river. Thus, indeed, are great civilizations born. Support the show

Make originality your philosophy of life—not in the sense of trying to be different, but rather of being true to your origin in God. Originality in this sense doesn’t mean doing something that has never been done before. It means developing your own perception of the truth. The same thoughts may have occurred already to millions of people, but if the thoughts rise with fresh energy from soul-consciousness, they will never grow stale. How many lovers through the ages have exclaimed, “I love...

Always listen inwardly for the voice of wise counsel. If you keep yourself fully open, you may hear suggestions even in the wind. Support the show

Be loyal above all to truth as you yourself understand it. Always tell the truth, moreover, no matter how inconvenient you find it. Friends and relatives may try to influence you otherwise, but be like a compass needle: Point ever toward the polestar of your own integrity. Support the show

Seek wisdom more from experience than from books. When reading advice in a book, ask yourself, “Does this counsel resonate with my own experience?” If not, put it on “hold.” Don’t scoff at it, for it may contain truths you haven’t yet discovered for yourself. But accept nothing on blind faith. Only when a truth has been lived can it be wholly known. Support the show

Criticize no one, even if the criticism is deserved. For your words may discourage, by suggesting that improvement is impossible. Only persons of strong will power can turn negative judgment of them to good account with a strong, positive affirmation. Many years ago, disciples senior to me in my Guru’s work tried (out of envy, I think) to destroy my faith in myself. I prayed, later, “Divine Mother, they are right: I am nothing. You alone are my strength and my guide.” After all, didn’t even...

Flow through life as though on a downhill ski run. Don’t puzzle your way through it as if playing a game of chess, plotting each move carefully in advance. Bring spontaneity to everything you do. The smooth flow of intuition can be disrupted by too-careful reasoning. Rely more on soul-guidance. Support the show

Your magnetism depends on two things: your strength of will, and your level of awareness. Never impose your will on anyone. Let your influence be like a golden aura of light, surrounding you wherever you go. Project it invitingly to others. Leave it to them to accept as much from you, or as little, as they choose. Support the show

Don’t compare yourself with others to either your advantage or their detriment. On a freeway, as many cars precede you as follow behind. Once you are in front of one cluster, you will only find yourself last in the next one. Resolve simply to go your own way, intent wholly on reaching your own destination. Support the show

Receive praise good-humoredly. Reflect that whatever compliments you receive today may become brickbats tomorrow! Even deserved praise, if accepted too personally, may only add to one’s already-heavy burden of self-definitions. In your quest for happiness, neglect no opportunity to lighten that load. Support the show

Think before you speak. Be circumspect both in speech and in deed. Don’t, by unseemly haste, expose yourself to misunderstandings. Why embroil yourself in unnecessary controversy? Support the show

Give praise sincerely, but understatedly. Never flatter anyone. Praise the God in others, but not their egos, for you, as their friend, ought always to support their aspirations toward the spiritual heights. Support the show

Have the courage to embrace the unexpected. Life is an ever-new drama. If you meet it with positive expectations, you will turn every challenge to good advantage. Support the show

Seek guidance less from reason than from inspired feeling. For although suppressed emotions will distort the clarity of your perception, inspired feeling is intuition. In everything you do, tune in to that clarity, and you’ll always be guided correctly. Support the show

Inspire others more by your example than by what you say. Next, seek to inspire them even more by your vibrations than by your example. An act of kindness may not be understood in the spirit you intended, but vibrations of kindness will influence people’s feelings, changing them from within. Kindness is a vibration of consciousness, and therefore has no boundaries. Support the show

Before making an important decision in life, enter into your inner temple of silence, and there consult your higher Self. If your mind is focused, you may get your answer in an instant. Direct your question to God through the spiritual eye in your forehead. The answer will then appear in your heart as a deep, calm intuition. If you are not yet sure, ask, “Is this the right decision? If not, what ought I to do?” The correctness of the answer will depend on how one-pointedly you focus your...

Be graceful in your movements. Awkward or jerky gestures reflect, and also induce, disconnected thinking. But grace of movement will help bring a smooth flow to all your thinking. Support the show