Surrender of self is not the beginning of something "better" to come; it does not set the stage for the gain of anything, but spells the end of that nature in ourselves that ever holds onto the hope of "saving" itself with what it can imagine.

The degree to which we judge others, and would make them pay for their shortcomings, is inseparable from the false belief that our nature is somehow different, superior to those seen through the eyes of our disdain.

With few exceptions, the usual focus of our attention and interactions with others is centered on our self and the fulfillment of its desires. "How do I feel about you?" "What do I want from him?" or "When will she realize that I know best?" In other words, the mindset of the false self, under most circumstances, is: "Me first." By forever placing its own considerations befor...

Through our willingness to work deliberately at placing our usual self in "second place," we agree not only to change the way we see our relationships, but we also agree to be changed by the truths our new relationships will inevitably show us about us.

In any relationship, the one who is hurt most by the absence of compassion is the one in whom compassion is absent.

By and large, everything we condemn in others is just a way of hiding something similar within ourselves.

True respect for oneself must include the presence of a humility that tempers the temptation inherent in all forms of self-evaluation; otherwise, what we call respect for ourselves is really just a form of secret self-admiration: a false, fearful state that has as much in common with real self-respect as does a postcard picture of a rugged coastline with the towering cliffs and surging waves t...

As we see more and more how each one of our own attempts to make ourselves feel complete leaves us feeling empty and searching again, we gain the power to refuse to be misled.

Guy Finley talks about how we must risk persisting with what we know to be true even when the sun is not shining.

Events in our lives serve lessons. Lessons serve truths. And each truth that we will submit to changes us into a human being more whole than we were prior to the event. What we suffer over in life is lessons we have yet to learn. When we are in pain, it's because a lesson has been refused. For example, let's say you're talking to somebody and you see that you can't stop from saying something...

In this short talk, Guy Finley explains the difference between the false kind of shame that shackles us to a self that is trapped in the past, and the proper kind of conscious remorse that is the seed of true humility and freedom.

Real compassion has to do with realizing that conscious relationship is the root of our existence, trying to get us to wake up a little bit and enter into those relationships which make it possible for our lives to become what they're intended to be.