George Leonard
George Leonard
George Burr Leonardwas an American writer, editor, and educator who wrote extensively about education and human potential. He was President Emeritus of the Esalen Institute, past-president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, President of ITP International, and a former editor of Look Magazine. He was a former United States Army Air Corps pilot, and held a fifth degree black belt in aikido...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionLawyer
Date of Birth3 July 1729
CountryUnited States of America
At the root of all power and motion, at the burning center of existence itself, there is music and rhythm.
The real juice of life, whether it be sweet or bitter, is to be found not nearly so much in the products of our efforts as in the process of living itself, in how it feels to be alive.
Of what is the body made? It is made of emptiness and rhythm. At the ultimate heart of the body, at the heart of the world, there is no solidity. Once again, there is only the dance.
In terms of the game theory, we might say the universe is so constituted as to maximize play. The best games are not those in which all goes smoothly and steadily toward a certain conclusion, but those in which the outcome is always in doubt. Similarly, the geometry of life is designed to keep us at the point of maximum tension between certainty and uncertainty, order and chaos. Every important call is a close one. We survive and evolve by the skin of our teeth. We really wouldn't want it any other way.
At the heart of each of us, whatever our imperfections, there exists a silence pulse of perfect rhythm which is absolutely individual and unique, and yet which connects us to everything else.
Perhaps the safest prediction we can make about the future is that it will surprise us.
The essence of boredom is to be found in the obsessive search for novelty.
Ultimately, human intentionality is the most powerful evolutionary force on this planet.
For the atom's soul is nothing but energy. Spirit blazes in the dullest of clay. The life of every woman or man - the heart of it - is pure and holy joy.
Mastery is the art of setting your foot on the path.
To learn is to change.
For a master, the rewards gained along the way are fine, but they are not the main reason for the journey. Ultimately the master and the master's path are one. And if the traveler is fortunate - that is, if the path is complex and profound enough - the destination is two miles farther away for every mile he or she travels.
If you intend to take the journey of mastery, the best thing you can do is to arrange for first-rate instruction.
Not to dream more boldly may turn out to be, in view of present realities, simply irresponsible.