Skip to content

The master enjoined not austerity, but moderation. If we truly enjoyed things, he claimed, we would be spontaneously moderate. Asked why he was so opposed to ascetical practices, he replied, "Because they produce pleasure-haters who always become people-haters — rigid and cruel."

— Anthony de Mello One Minute Nonsense (1992)

Another quote →

More quotes by Anthony de Mello

The genius of a composer is found in the notes of his music; but analyzing the notes will not reveal his genius.

Awakening : Conversations with the Masters (2003)

One always treads with a joyful step when one has dropped the burden called the ego.

One Minute Nonsense (1992)

"Can one talk about the ocean to a frog in a well or about the divine to people who are restricted by their concepts?"

One Minute Wisdom (1989)

The Master would frequently assert that holiness was less a matter of what one did than of what one allowed to happen.

One Minute Wisdom (1989)

No one is exempt from talking nonsense. The great misfortune is to do it solemnly.

One Minute Nonsense (1992)

All Anthony de Mello quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Anthony de Mello (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.