Born Ulrich Leonard Tolle in post-World War II Germany, Eckhart Tolle rose to prominence through his inspirational book The Power of Now, recommended by Oprah Winfrey in 2000. It has been a bestseller ever since. To commemorate, Life’d now presents these Top 10 Eckhart Tolle Quotes. Let’s get started!
10. For what you do to others, you do to yourself.
Of the Eckhart Tolle quotes on the list, this is the most Golden Rule-ish that we could find. A variation on “do unto others,” we like it because it reminds us that how we treat others is a projection of how we are treating ourselves. The more respect you have for you, the more you’ll have for friends, colleagues, and acquaintances.
9. Death is a stripping away of all that is not you. The secret of life is to “die before you die” — and find that there is no death.
The only true death: never having a sense of your Being. Never knowing who you are in the time that you have on this rock called Earth.
8. Why does the mind habitually deny or resist the Now? Because it cannot function and remain in control without time, which is past and future, so it perceives the timeless Now as threatening. Time and mind are, in fact, inseparable.
This is one of those Eckhart Tolle quotes we can really relate to. Starting over can be scary, especially when you’re in unfamiliar territory. This reminds us to forget about past failures and future repercussions, and to just bask in our awareness of the present.
7. Being must be felt. It can’t be thought.
Or, you are more than the electrical impulses firing in your brain.
6. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.
You cannot always write the story of your life. Sometimes things happen, good and bad, that you must face head-on. This is one of our favorite Eckhart Tolle quotes because it provides encouragement for handling any situation.
5. In today’s rush, we all think too much, seek too much, want too much, and forget about the joy of just Being.
This is one pretty much anyone with a cell phone and a social media account can relate to.
4. Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.
The past is done. The future isn’t guaranteed. In what you would expect from the good Eckhart Tolle quotes, this one is a sobering reminder that we make too much over the things for which we have no control.
3. Be at least as interested in your reactions as in the situation or person that causes you to react.
When you’re not aware of your own actions, how can you be your best and expect the same from others?
2. Many expressions that are in common usage, and sometimes the structure of language itself, reveal the fact that people don’t know who they are. You say, “He lost his life,” or “My life…” as if it were something you can possess or lose. The truth is: you don’t have a life, you are life.
One of the most inspirational of all the Eckhart Tolle quotes presented here, this is also an oddly comforting reflection. With loss comes fear, especially as it relates to death, and when you can understand the proper description of what life is, it becomes easier to deal with the loss of a loved one, deteriorating health, or a terminal illness, to name a few.
1. Suffering is necessary until you realize it is unnecessary.
We’ll all face loss in our lives, and with that will come varying degrees of suffering. This quote reminds us while suffering is useful in purging grief from the body, eventually there is nothing left to expunge. At this point, suffering loses its necessity, and then we can start living again.
Those are our favorite Eckhart Tolle quotes. Which ones have you found the most helpful?
