Quote Atlassourced quotes & context
Source identified
If a man's thoughts are not dissipated, if his mind is not perplexed, if he has ceased to think of good or evil, then there is no fear for him while he is watchful.
Read & copy the quotation
“If a man's thoughts are not dissipated, if his mind is not perplexed, if he has ceased to think of good or evil, then there is no fear for him while he is watchful.”

The Dhammapada

Download image (JPG)

Source
The Dhammapada
Date
ancient
English wording
F. Max Müller — Translator · from Pali
Meaning

Meaning of “If a man's thoughts are not dissipated, if…”

The verse connects watchfulness with freedom from mental scattering and fear, describing a mind that is not constantly pulled apart by confused or reactive thought.

Source context

Where does it come from?

Dhammapada 39, Max Müller translation; its religious vocabulary belongs to the text’s discipline of watchful thought and should not be reduced to a clinical claim about anxiety.

Primary / edition source ↗

Customize your imageTen designs · Square or portrait · Preview and share
Themes

Ideas connected with this quotation

AngerCalmCourage Quotes About Acting Despite FearDiscipline Quotes About Habits, Practice & ConsistencyFearInner PeaceMindMindfulnessPatiencePeacePresent MomentSelf-Control Quotes About Restraint & JudgmentStrengthMeditationSpiritual
Related quotations

Continue through nearby ideas

Source identified
Men are disturbed not by the things which happen, but by the opinions about the things.
Read & copy

“Men are disturbed not by the things which happen, but by the opinions about the things.”

Epictetus · Enchiridion · c. 125
Meaning & context

Epictetus separates an event from the judgment placed on it, making interpretation a practical point of leverage.

Source details

Enchiridion 5 in George Long’s translation; the passage distinguishes events from the opinions that disturb us.

↓ Download image (JPG)

Source identified
The mind ought in all cases to be called away from the contemplation of external things to that of itself.
Read & copy

“The mind ought in all cases to be called away from the contemplation of external things to that of itself.”

Seneca · Of Peace of Mind · 49–62 CE
Meaning & context

Turning attention back toward the mind does not deny external events; it restores awareness of the judgments and responses that remain available when circumstances cannot be controlled.

Source details

Of Peace of Mind, section XIV, Aubrey Stewart translation (1889), cross-checked against Project Gutenberg #64576 and Wikisource. Seneca turns attention away from external things toward the mind itself while discussing flexibility under changes of fortune; this is historical Stoic counsel, not modern clinical guidance.

↓ Download image (JPG)

Source identified
The mind is its own place.
Read & copy

“The mind is its own place.”

John Milton · Paradise Lost · 1667
Voice: Poetic speaker · Satan
Meaning & context

The statement emphasizes how mental framing can alter the experience of circumstances, for good or ill.

Source details

Paradise Lost (1667), Book I, line 254; retained legacy short extract from the fuller Satan sentence beginning ‘The mind is its own place’ and continuing into line 255. It is the same underlying passage as the longer catalog record, not a separate fifth passage.

↓ Download image (JPG)