Anthony de Mello
Anthony de Mello
Anthony "Tony" de Mellowas an Indian Jesuit priest and psychotherapist. A spiritual teacher, writer and public speaker, De Mello wrote several books on spirituality and hosted numerous spiritual retreats and conferences. He continues to be known for his unconventional approach to the priesthood and his storytelling which drew from the various mystical traditions of both East and West...
ProfessionClergyman
Date of Birth4 September 1931
Anthony de Mello quotes about
ignorance evil tragedy
Can one be fully human without experiencing tragedy? The only tragedy there is in the world is ignorance; all evil comes from that.
enlightenment used used-to-be
Before enlightenment, I used to be depressed; after enlightenment, I continue to be depressed.
littles crosses leap
Take the leap! You cannot cross a chasm in little jumps.
reality light darkness
Understand your darkness and it will vanish; then you will know what light is. Understand your nightmare for what it is and it will stop; then you will wake up to reality. Understand your false beliefs and they will drop; then you will know the taste of happiness.
knowledge-of-god humans ultimate
This is what is ultimate in our human knowledge of God, to know that we do not know.
mean simple stories
A lost coin is found by means of a candle; the deepest truth is found by means of a simple story.
important succeed labels
The important thing is not to know who "I" is or what "I" is. You'll never succeed. There are no words for it. The important thing is to drop the labels.
being-yourself thinking way
I leave you free to be yourself: to think your thoughts, indulge your tastes, follow your inclinations, behave in ways that you decide are to your liking.
suicide insane mystic
There comes a point in your life when you become stark raving insane, commit suicide or become a mystic.
atheist mistake answers
Tell me," said the atheist , "Is there a God really?" Said the master, "If you want me to be perfectly honest with you, I will not answer." Later the disciples demanded to know why he had not answered. "Because the question is unanswerable," said the Master. "So you are an atheist?" "Certainly not. The atheist makes the mistake of denying that of which nothing may be said... and the theist makes the mistake of affirming it.
reality flow frozen
Concepts are always frozen. Reality flows.
may visitors followers
To a visitor who asked to become his disciple the Master said, "You may live with me, but don't become my follower." "Whom, then, shall I follow?" "No one. The day you follow someone you cease to follow Truth .
self interest self-interest
Ordinarily, everything we do is in our self-interest. Everything.
fate destiny responsible
To a woman who complained about her destiny the Master said, "It is you who make your destiny." "But surely I am not responsible for being born a woman?" "Being born a woman isn't destiny. That is fate. Destiny is how you accept your womanhood and what you make of it."