Happiness and Other Small Things of Absolute Importance Quotes

“Between the natural way and the path of grace there is a deep abyss. It is in that gap that we live our lives as a giant struggle between good and evil, Satan and God, despair and love. Whenever despair wins, it is the natural way. Whenever love wins, it is a moment of grace. When love is victorious and defeats despair completely, you've reached the path of grace.”
― Haim Shapira, על הדברים החשובים באמת

“We, however, have all kinds of different ideas about what happiness is. Some must go bungee jumping to experience a rush of joy, while others find bliss staying home. Some are happy in a concert hall, listening to classical music, while children on a playground could be music to the ears of others. Some people experience elation when they solve a complicated equation, while for others a cancelled math class is a happy childhood memory.”
― Haim Shapira, על הדברים החשובים באמת

“It is not really hard to do nothing. Many can. The hard part is doing nothing without feeling guilty about it.”
― Haim Shapira, Things That Matter

“«El cuento trata de un rey sabio, generoso y humilde. Un día pide a su corte de filósofos que busquen una de las frases más sabias del mundo, una tan sabia que se pueda aplicar en cualquier situación de la vida para que te alegre cuando estás triste y te entristezca un poco cuando te sientas demasiado feliz. El rey se la quería grabar en su anillo.

Después de cavilar la petición del rey durante tres días y tres noches, los sabios regresaron y le ofrecieron esta percepción tan profunda y exacta:

Esto también pasará.

El rey se la hizo grabar en su anillo.»

Fuente: Lo que de verdad importa (Haim Shapira)”
― Haim Shapira, Lo que de verdad importa

“Solo chi guarda la realtà con occhi da bambino può ancora provare stupore e meraviglia per quella cosa incredibile che si chiama Vita.”
― Haim Shapira, La felicità e altre piccole cose di assoluta importanza

“Uno dei criteri per definire il genio è forse la capacità di accettare che i confini della propria immaginazione differiscano da quelli del mondo. E' questa capacità che spinge a oltrepassare i confini noti e che apre la mente.”
― Haim Shapira, La felicità e altre piccole cose di assoluta importanza

“Quando cerchiamo di ingannare gli altri, a volte ci riusciamo, a volte no. Ma quando cerchiamo di ingannare noi stessi le nostre percentuali di successo sono eccezionali e in continua ascesa.”
― Haim Shapira, La felicità e altre piccole cose di assoluta importanza

“In a lecture I attended once, the speaker concluded by saying that now we were all 90 minutes closer to death. People in the audience chuckled, but the speaker remarked, quite angrily, that what he said was actually rather sad. The passing of time is a deep and sad truth that no man or woman can change.”
― Haim Shapira, Happiness and Other Small Things of Absolute Importance

“Who is rich? He who rejoices in his portion. Ethics”
― Haim Shapira, Happiness and Other Small Things of Absolute Importance

“Søren Kierkegaard maintained that once a person finds the path of grace in his heart and fully enters the realm of love, the world – however imperfect it may be – becomes rich and beautiful, consisting entirely of opportunities for love. Eternity, he believed, will ask me (and you, and you) only one question: have you lived your life in despair or in love? Despair is a sign of a life lived wrongly. Despair is vanity turned upside down. Love is the way.

Whenever despair wins, it’s the natural way. Whenever love wins, it is a moment of grace. When love is victorious and defeats despair completely, you’ve reached the path of grace. So, two roads diverge in life. The choice is ours, and the things that matter to us will light our way.”
― Haim Shapira, Happiness and Other Small Things of Absolute Importance