February 18

The personality of every human being is a covering that conceals the Divinity that dwells within him. The more a human being renounces his personality, the more the Divinity reveals itself.

1

We must love only God, and hate only ourselves.

— Pascal

2

The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.

— John 10:17–18

3

The more a human being cares about himself, the more time he spends on himself and the more he guards his life, the weaker and more constrained he becomes. And vice versa: the less a human being cares about himself, the less time he spends on himself and the less he guards his life, the more powerful and freer he becomes.

4

Everything will be easy and good if it is done with self-renunciation, a renunciation of one’s will.

5

The words of the teaching of truth are firm only in the one who renounces his self.

— The Talmud

6

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

— Mark 8:35

7

The one who does not see himself in what is transient in him, in his name and in his body, knows the truth of life.

— The Dhammapada

8

A human being lacks the data to evaluate, and even more so to judge the results of a life full of unconditional self-denial until he finds the courage to experience such a life himself, at least for a time; but I doubt that a single intelligent person would want to, or that a single honest person would dare to deny the beneficial influence which he had experienced during those accidental minutes when he had forgotten himself and renounced his self.

— John Ruskin

You have only to think about yourself in the middle of giving a speech to lose your train of thought. It is only when we completely forget ourselves, when we go outside of ourselves, that we can fruitfully communicate with others, serve them and influence them.