Byron Katie is a speaker and author that guides people on how to get in form thought inquiry and use discomfort as a guide into what our internal world needs. She causes people who do “The Work” to fall in love with reality by getting honest with themselves. Click here to read what we think Byron Katie’s best teachings are.
The Quotes
Author of Loving What Is, Byron Katie imparts powerful advice and guidance allowing you to step into the work of self-development as deeply as you are ready to.
Through these quotes, you can apply her teachings by becoming aware of what they stir in you when you read them. You may even want to grab a journal and write down any realizations or lessons that surface.
1.“When you argue with reality, you lose, but only 100% of the time.”
This one is a great foundational quote to start off with as it is a crucial aspect to The Work she teaches. This quote teaches us every thought we have that includes a should have or should not have is arguing with reality.
When we have a belief that something should not have happened the way it did, we are believing that reality shouldn’t be the way it is. This causes us to suffer at the hand of our thoughts, which we have the power to change. That brings us to our next quote.
2. “ Taking responsibility for your beliefs and judgments gives you the power to change them.”
It may feel like it is the right thing to do, deflect ownership of judgments. Especially as spiritual beings many of us immediately switch out of negative thoughts. Although diving into them and researching why they are there is actually incredibly rewarding.
3.“No one can hurt me—that’s my job.”
This goes for why we feel defensive about a rude comment. See someone’s attitude or perception can’t hurt us. What can is the portion of us that agrees with that perception.
4.“We don’t attach to people or to things; we attach to uninvestigated concepts that we believe to be true in the moment.”
This brings us to the core of what goes on underneath addictions and the thought processes within them. To learn more about how meditation can break cyclical habits and addictions click here.
5. “It is easy to be swept away by some overwhelming feeling, so it’s helpful to remember that any stressful feeling is like a compassionate alarm clock that says, “You’re caught in the dream.” Depression, pain, and fear are gifts that say, “Sweetheart, take a look at your thinking right now. You’re living in a story that isn’t true for you.”
Katie embodies the teaching of using discomfort and pain and little alarms that let you know when you’ve veered off your pathway of truth. The law of attraction is another tool that can be used to overcome depression learn how to use it consciously to heal depression here
6.“It’s not the problem that causes our suffering; it’s our thinking about the problem.”
When we believe our thoughts we believe we are suffering. It brings us into a victim mentality which is just not the truth of reality. This is why it is important to practice changing our thoughts from negative to positive.
7.“Would you rather be right or free?”
This quote is confrontational in the best way. It causes us to get to the root of our desires which will then propel us with the utmost clarity towards the direction we truly want!
8. “The world is your perception of it. Inside and outside always match – they’re reflections of each other. The world is a mirror image of your mind.”
This is the foundation behind why Byron Katie’s turnarounds always work. When we judge another or someone simply irks us, it is time to turn it around and see what is going on inside us that is asking for our attention.
9. “People try so hard to let go of their negative behaviors and thoughts, and it doesn’t work, or it works only for a short time. I didn’t let go of my negative thoughts; I questioned them, and then they let go of me, and so did my addictions and depression.”
The gift of this quote encompasses that simply applying thought inquiry that is toxic to you or causes you suffering will naturally fall away. This reminds you that you are innately capable of fully healing.
10. “The reason I love rules and plans and religions is that people feel safe in them for a while. And, personally, I don’t have any rules. I don’t need them. There’s a sense of order that goes on all the time as things move and change, and I am that harmony, and so are you. Not knowing is the only way to understand… Meanings, rules, the whole world of right and wrong, are secondary at best. I understand how some people think they need to live by rules…It’s very frightening for them to watch the world unfolding in apparent chaos and not realize that the chaos itself is God in his infinite intelligence.”
This quote relates to the saying nothing is constant except for change. Meditation teachers and yogis teach the importance of finding peace within the constant change. This is why medication is so potent. Click here to register for our 30 day beginning meditation series on how to quiet the mind for free. r
Continue Your Expansion
You can continue your self-reflection through these journal prompts for the crown chakra or this guided vipassana meditation technique.
