April 4

Life should and can be limitless joy.

Life in this world is not a vale of tears, not a trial, but a thing that surpasses our imagination. Life could be limitless joy, if we would only take it for what it is, in the way it is given to us.

A person's unfriendly attitude to other people makes life unhappy, both for that person and for those who surround him. A friendly mood and loving attitude are as an oil which lubricates the wheels of life, making them move easily and smoothly.

Try to live your life and be happy with your destiny, acquiring inner peace by love and good deeds.

— Marcus Aurelius

The secret of happiness? Enjoy small pleasures.

— Samuel Smiles

Do not seek pleasure everywhere, but always be ready to find it.

— John Ruskin

A truly wise man is always joyful.

The best way to live joyfully is to believe that life was given for joy. When joy disappears, look for your mistake. 

April 2

The only real life is one lived close to God. This does not happen by itself; you must make an effort to make this happen, and this effort will bring you joy.

A habit is never good, even a habit of doing good deeds. Good deeds, after they become habits, are no longer acts of virtue. Real good is only achieved with effort.

— Immanuel Kant

When you carry your burden, you should know that it is good for you to have it. Make the best of this burden and take from it everything which is necessary for your intellectual life, as your stomach takes from food everything necessary for your flesh, or as fire burns brighter after you put some wood on it.

— Marcus Aurelius

Be attentive to what you do; never consider anything unworthy of your attention.

— Confucius

Spiritual effort and the joy that comes from understanding life go hand in hand like physical exertion and rest. Without physical exertion, there is no joy in rest; without spiritual effort, there can be no joyful understanding of life. 

March 30

The truth is not only a joy, it is an instrument in conflict more powerful than violence.

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

— Matthew 18:21 22

If you want to demonstrate some truth to your listeners, do not be irritated, and do not say unkind or abusive words.

— After Epictetus

If you notice someone in error, then correct this person and his mistake in a humble way. If he does not listen to you, blame yourself only; or, even better, do not blame anybody, but continue to be humble.

— Marcus Aurelius

If you have parted from a person, and he was not satisfied with you, or did not agree with you when you were right, he is not to blame, but probably it is you who are to blame, because you were not kind enough with this man. 

March 27

The more a person believes in God, the less he is afraid of other people.

Do not despair. Do not be disappointed if you see that you cannot accomplish all the good which you would like to accomplish. If you fall, try to stand up; try to overcome the obstacle before you. Get to the heart of the matter, to the essence of things.

— Marcus Aurelius

Those who fear people do not fear God; those who fear God do not fear people.

He who is not afraid of anything, and who is ready to give his life for a righteous cause, is much stronger than he whom other people fear and who has the lives of other people in his power.

Look for the better men among those who are despised.

Do what you think is necessary, and do not expect reward. Remember that a stupid person is a bad judge of clever deeds.

You want to save yourself from the power of other people – give yourself to the power of God. If you see yourself as being in the power of God, then people cannot do anything to you. 

February 19

It is a sin not to be engaged in work, even if it is not necessary for you to make your living with everyday work.

One of the best and purest joys is having a rest after labor.

— Immanuel Kant

Work all the time. Do not think that work is a disaster for you, and do not seek praise or reward for your work.

— Marcus Aurelius

The  most outstanding gifts  can be  destroyed by idleness.

— Michel De Montaigne

Nothing can make a person feel more noble than work. Without work, a person cannot have human dignity. It is because of this that idle people are so much concerned by the superficial, outer expression of their importance; they know that without this, other people would despise them.

When we accept truth and repent our sins, we understand that nobody can have special rights, advantages, or privileges in this life. There is no end is to fight with nature for our life and for the lives of other people.

February 4

A man is free only when he lives in truth, and the truth may be perceived only by the intellect.

If you throw some nuts and cookies on a road, you will eventually see children come, pick them up, and start to argue and fight for them. Adults would not fight for such things. And even children would not pick up the nuts’ empty shells.

For a wise man, the wealth, the glory, and the rewards of this world are like sweets or empty shells on a road. Let the children pick them up and fight for them. Let them kiss the hands of the rich men, the rulers, and their servants. For the wise one, all these are but empty shells.

— Epictetus

A distinctive feature of a thinking person is submission to his fate, as opposed to the shameful struggle with it that is a characteristic feature of animals.

— Marcus Aurelius

We are not free in this world, subdued by our passions and by the emotions of other people to the degree that we forget the requirements of our intellects. If we really want to become free, we can be so only through our intellect.

February 1

It is not possible to explain the origin of the spiritual from the material.

A man consists of body and soul. Thus often, especially in his youth, he is interested only in his body, but nevertheless, the most essential part of every man is not his body, but his soul. It is your soul that you must take care of, not your body. You must learn this over time, and remember that your real life is in your spirit, that is, in your soul. Save it from everyday dirt and do not let your flesh guide it; subdue your body to your soul, and then you will fulfill your destiny and live a happy life.

— After Marcus Aurelius

The heart of the matter is whether we believe or disbelieve in the existence of a spiritual realm. All people are divided into two groups, those who are alive and those who are dead, in other words, those who believe and those who don’t.

An unbeliever says: “What is spirit! . . . What I ate and what I enjoyed, this is what I possess, this is material and real! And such :1 person, without thinking much, takes care only of the outer things, arranging in order only his own mean, dirty affairs; he becomes a liar, a snob, a slave, and does not feel any higher needs: freedom, truth, and love. Such a person keeps away from the light of the intellect, because in fact he is dead, and this light gives life only to living things, and hardens and rots the dead things.

— Alexandr Arkhangelsky

The difference between the spiritual realm and the material is equally clear and obvious, both for a child and a wise man; further speculations are not necessary.

December 17

Our understanding of ourselves as discrete beings separate from each other grows out of conditions of our life in time and space. The less we feel this separation, the more we feel our unification with all other living creatures, the lighter our load, and the more joyful our life will be.

 

For the body is not one member, but many . . . And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

— 1 Corinthians 12:14, 26

 

A small branch cut off from a big limb is separated from the whole tree. In the same way when a person is in an argument with another person, he is separated from all humanity

— Marcus Aurelius

 

God created heaven and earth, but they lacked the ability to understand the happiness of their existence. Then God made creatures who could understand the happiness of their existence, and who could create a single body from all of its thinking parts. All people are members of this one body; in order to be happy, they should live in harmony with the will that governs its life. We should live in harmony with this great soul and love it more than we love ourselves.

— Blaise Pascal

 

We manifest in love our understanding of the unity of our being with others, and in so doing we make our life greater. The more we love, the wider, larger, and more joyful our life becomes.

December 7

Life consists of numerous invisible, imperceptible changes, changes that began at birth and end with death. It is not possible for us humans to observe them all.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.

— John 12:24-25

Life is changing all the time and only the ignorant do not look into the depth of things.

— Lucy Malory

Why are you so afraid of change? Nothing in this world can be done without change. Only one rule should remain constant: do not do anything inhumane to others.

— Marcus Aurelius

Everything in this world blooms, grows, and returns to its roots. Returning to one's roots means becoming united with nature; becoming united with nature involves eternity. The destruction of your body holds no danger in itself.

— Lao-Tzu

Death is a change to a form with which our spirit is united. You should not confuse the form with those things with which it is united. 

November 27

If a passion embraces you, you should remember that this passionate desire is not a part of your soul, but a dark covering which shuts out the true qualities of your soul.

 

You should be a lantern for yourself. Draw close to the light within you and seek no other shelter.

— Buddhist Wisdom

 

A person's soul may be compared to a transparent ball which is lit from the inside with its own light. This flame is not only the source of all light and truth, but it illuminates everything around you. In this state, the soul is free and happy. Only if it becomes addicted to anything outside you will it become troubled, darkened, and impenetrable. Distractions obstruct the light which shows you the way.

— Marcus Aurelius

 

The soul is a mirror in which you can see the reflection of divine intellect.

— John Ruskin

 

As soon as you feel passion, try to feel in yourself the understanding of your divine nature. As soon as you perceive that your divine nature is inactive and that you are possessed by passions, fight with these passions.

November 18

You cannot measure good by either the feeling of need or sacrifice, but only by the communication with God which is established between the giver and the receiver.

Life alone is not good. Goodness exists only in a proper, virtuous life.

— Lucius Annaeus Seneca  

It is not a virtue, but a kind of deceitful similitude, to fulfill our duty for the purpose of its reward.

— Marcius Tullius Cicero

All people become closer, more or less, to one of two opposite limits: one is life only for oneself, and the other is life only for God.

I call this life a happy one in which I do one good deed after another, with no intervals between them.

— Marcus Aurelius

We do good only when we do not notice what we do, when we forget ourselves and live only in others. 

October 28

Pain is the necessary condition of our body, and suffering is the necessary condition of our spiritual life, from birth to death.

— Marcus Aurelius

You should not welcome everything which happens to you from birth to death, because the existence and the purpose of the world is in these cases.

— Marcus Aurelius

Only in the storm can you see the art of the real sailor; only on the battlefield can you see the bravery of a soldier. The courage of a simple person can be seen in how he copes with the difficult and dangerous situations in life.

— Daniel Achinsky

October 23

Conscience is the understanding of the divine beginning which lives in us.

Conscience is the real judge between good and bad, conscience is what makes a person similar to God, and conscience is the greatest advantage of human nature. Without conscience there would be nothing that would raise us above the animals, and people would move from one lie to another.

— Jean Jacques Rousseau

The purpose of your life is not to do as the majority does, but to live according to the inner law which you understand in yourself. Do not act against your conscience or against truth. Live like this, and you will fulfill the task of your life.

— Marcus Aurelius

You cannot fight with the requirements of conscience. These are the rules of God, and it is better to submit to them.

October 22

Make sure that you do not gossip about your brother.

Time passes, but the words which you say will remain.

To stop your tongue from talking too much is a sign of great virtue.

The human soul, not by itself, but by some power, is pushed closer and closer to truth and goodness, and the better we understand this, the more humble we will be.

— Marcus Aurelius

If you think that it is necessary to judge your neighbor, then say this looking directly into his eyes, and say this in such a way that you do not create animosity.

September 26

All true wisdom and all true faith are clearly expressed in the same moral law.

 

All the world is subject to one law, and all thinking beings have the same basic intellect. Therefore, all wise men share the same idea of perfection.

— Marcus Aurelius

 

The more I dedicate my time to two things, the more they fill my life with ever-increasing pleasure. The first is the sky above me, and the second is the moral law within me.

— Immanuel Kant

 

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

— Matthew 7:1-2

 

Moral law is so obvious and clear that even people who do not know the law have no excuse for violating. They have only one recourse: to deny their intellect, which they do.

September 19

Nothing can enlighten people's lives and ease their burdens more than the understanding that they should serve God.

 

Religious disbelief and neglect is a great evil, but prejudice and lies are even worse.

— Plutarchus

 

Life is short. Do not forget about the most important things in our life, living for other people and doing good for them.

— Marcus Aurelius

 

The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

— Matthew 20:28

 

Pay goodness for evil. We should be like trees that give fruits to those who throw stones at them.

 

You should accept yourself, not as a master, but as a servant, and then all your bad feelings, your anxiety, alarm, uncertainty, and dissatisfaction will be changed into calmness and peace. You will be filled inside with a clear vision of your purpose, and with a great joy.

September 18

Life's essence lies, not in your body, but in your conscience.

 

The divine spark lives in all of us, and perpetually strives towards its origin.

— Lucius Annaeus Seneca

 

When you see that everything around you is impermanent, then you will perceive other, permanent, and eternal things.

— Dhammapada: a book of Buddhist Wisdom

 

You cannot see the soul, but only the soul can truly see the essence of things.

— The Talmud

 

I call spirit that part of man which has independent existence and gives us the understanding of life.

— Marcus Aurelius

 

Let your spiritual side guide your material side, and not the other way around. In order to improve his state, a person should strive for spiritual not physical perfection.

August 26

Justice is achieved not in striving for justice, but with love.

In order to hit the mark, you should aim farther than it stands, so you will achieve it; in order to be just, you should make a self-sacrifice, be unjust to yourself.

Not a single person can be completely just in all his deeds, but a just person can be completely different from an unjust one with his efforts, in the same way as a truthful man is different from a liar, with his efforts to speak only truth.

There is only one law of life which is really precious: though you meet all the time with injustice, remain humble.

— Marcus Aurelius

You cannot be completely just. One time you do too little, the other time you do too much. There is only one way not to sin against justice; always to change things, to improve things, to make them better.

August 16

We are spiritually connected on all sides, not only with people but with all living creatures.

Someone told me once that every person has an element of good and an element of bad within him, and that either the good or the bad can be manifested according to the person’s mood. We possess within us two different ways of understanding this world. One is the feeling of being divided, distanced, and alienated from each other; in this state, all things seem gloomy to us. We feel nothing except jealousy, indifference, and hatred. I would like to call the opposite way of understanding the understanding of universal unification. In this state, all people seem very close to us, and all are equal among themselves. This state, therefore, arouses compassion and love in us.

— Arthur Schopenhauer

All people have the same origin, are bound by the same law, and were created for the same purpose. Therefore, we should have one faith, one purpose to our actions, one banner under which we live and fight.

— Giuseppi Mazzini

We should always try to find those things which do not separate us from other people but which unite us. To work against each other, to be angry and turn your back on each other is to work against nature.

— Marcus Aurelius

Try to understand the unity of all living things. Try to serve and suffer with all living beings.

August 5

For the most part, false and harmful opinions are distributed and supported by influence. We are too likely to accept the views and thoughts of other people without trying to investigate them deeper and further ourselves. Unimportant people are those who accept other people’s thoughts without developing them themselves.

Your thought is easily influenced by the presence of another soul; a person can be completely free only when he is alone.

Nothing is more harmful than a bad example set by others. They bring into our life notions which never would have occurred to us without an example.

Do not allow yourself to be infected by the mood or spirit of those who abuse you; do not step onto their path.

—Marcus Aurelius

A person can easily grow accustomed to living a lie, especially if he sees everyone around him living in the same way.

False ideas which gain currency can easily be recognized by the loud fanfare with which they are accustomed. Real truth does not need any outer embellishments.

The possibility of influencing others causes a person with morals to be more strict about his words and actions which could influence other people.