Thought is the clarification of truth, and therefore bad thoughts are simply thoughts that have not been fully thought through.
That which is still calm can be kept calm. That which has not yet appeared can be easily prevented. That which is still weak can be easily broken. That which is still small can be easily dispersed.
Take care of things before they come into being. Establish order before disorder breaks out.
The thick tree started from a thin stem. A nine-storied tower began with the laying of small bricks. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Pay attention to your thoughts, for they are the source of actions.
— After Laozi
Start watching yourself first thing in the morning and tell yourself: it may happen that today I will be confronted by someone who is impudent, ungrateful, shameless, tiresome or embittered, for anyone who cannot tell the difference between good and evil is possessed by such vices. But if I myself know firmly what is good and what is evil, then I understand that for me evil is only the bad deed for which I myself am responsible, and that therefore no wrongdoer can harm me, for no one can force me to do evil against my own will. And if I also remember how close to me every other person is, not in flesh and blood, but in spirit, which in every one of us comes from God and constitutes that essence of ours that is higher than our material bodies, then I cannot feel angry or annoyed at a being which is so close to me, for we have been created for each other, called to help each other, like a pair of hands, or a pair of legs, like eyes and teeth, which are always working in concert to aid one another. That is why it is contrary to our true nature to turn away from a neighbor who has insulted us. And yet, everyone who hates another because of a grievance sins against this.
— Marcus Aurelius
O, you, seeker of wisdom, master your thoughts if you want to reach your goal! Focus the gaze of your soul onto that one pure light that is free from passion.
— Brahmin wisdom
For its flame to provide undisturbed light, a lamp needs to be placed where it is shielded from the wind. If the flame is exposed to the wind, it will flicker and cast deceptive shadows, dark and strange. Likewise, bad thoughts will cast such shadows onto the white surface of your soul.
— Brahmin wisdom
In the bustle of the world and amid the excitement of temptations we have no time to search for means of counteracting our desires.
Set your goals when you are alone and free from temptations. Only then will you be able to resist the lure of temptations.
— Bentham
Contemplation is the path to immortality, light-mindedness is the path to death. Those who are awake in contemplation never die, the light-minded and ignorant are akin to the dead.
Awaken yourself—and then, self-protected and alert, you will be immutable.
— The Dhammapada
We cannot drive away a bad thought after it has arisen in our mind, but we can note that the thought is bad and we can call to mind the kinds of thoughts that will weaken or destroy it. A thought has arisen about the failings of a neighbor—I cannot drive it away, but, having realized that the thought is bad, I can recall that it is not right to judge others, that I myself have my failings, that the same God is within him that is within me, and that therefore I cannot help but love him.
