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Enthusiasm and Straightforwardness
Joyous enthusiasm: the best way of facing life.
True enthusiasm is full of a peaceful endurance.
Our courage and endurance must be as great as our hope and our hope has no limits. 2 August 1954 A steady hope helps much on the way. 15 August 1954 Our hopes are never too great for manifestation. We cannot conceive of any thing that cannot be. 22 August 1954 Straightforwardness shows itself as it is, without compromising.
Transparency can come only as a result of perfect sincerity. Page ― 186 Illumined transparency: an effect of the Divine Grace.
Integral transparency: it is the result of perfect goodwill and sincerity.
Integrality is super-sincerity. 17 December 1972 Page ― 187
Nobility: the incapacity for any pettiness either of sentiments or of action.
Aristocracy: incapable of baseness and pettiness, it asserts itself with dignity and authority.
Dignity affirms its worth, but demands nothing.
Dignity of the emotions: not to permit one's emotions to contradict the inner Divinity.
Dignity in the physical: above all bargaining.
Psychic dignity refuses to accept anything that lowers or debases.
Refinement: gradually grossness is eliminated from the being. Page ― 188 Sensitivity: one of the results of the refinement of the being.
Gentleness: always gracious and wishing to give pleasure.
Charm envelops and conquers by an inexhaustible sweetness.
Sweetness adds its smiling touch to life without making a fuss.
Sweetness itself becomes powerful when at the service of the Divine.
A smile acts upon difficulties as the sun upon clouds ― it disperses them.
I don't think that one can ever smile too much. Someone who knows how to smile in all circumstances is very close to true equality of soul. 22 September 1934 Generally speaking, man is an animal who takes himself terribly seriously. To know how to smile at oneself in all circumstances, Page ― 189 to smile at one's sorrows and disillusions, ambitions and sufferings, indignation and revolt ― what a powerful weapon with which to overcome oneself! 7 November 1946 Learn to smile always and in all circumstances; to smile at your sorrows as well as your joys, your sufferings as well as your hopes, for in a smile there is a sovereign power of self-mastery. 7 November 1946 If you can always smile at life, life also will always smile at you. 6 October 1960 If one can smile eternally, one is eternally young. 6 October 1960 Eternal smile: a kindness only the Divine can give.
One often comes across the precept: "Love your enemy and smile at him.'' A hypocritical or diplomatic smile may be easy to manage, but a genuine smile is impossible to extend to those who have been repeatedly unfair in their dealings. We lose our trust, cease to expect anything good; an attitude of utter coldness and indifference is the natural one. How are we to get over it? Page ― 190 You can smile genuinely at an enemy if you are above all insult and offence. This is the primary condition for the yogic attitude.
To smile at an enemy is to disarm him. Page - 191 |