Openness Quotes

• A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open.

  Frank Zappa

  Inspirational, Teacher, Religious

  422 Copy quote

• If we are to use our minds rightly, we must live in an attitude of constant openness and learning.

  Dallas Willard

  Attitude, Mind, Use

  10 Copy quote

• What the world needs most is openness: Open hearts, open doors, open eyes, open minds, open ears, open souls.

  Robert Muller

  Eye, Heart, Doors

  36 Copy quote

• Open yourself and flow, my friend. Flow in the total openness of the living moment.

  Bruce Lee

  Flow, Moments, My Friends

  "Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom for Daily Living". Book edited by John Little, p. 13, 2000.

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  The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.

  Terry Pratchett

  Inspirational, Life, Spiritual

  Terry Pratchett (2010). “Diggers: The Second Book of the Nomes”, p.34, Random House

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• We cannot sow seeds with clenched fists. To sow we must open our hands.

  Adolfo Perez Esquivel

  Hands, Fists, Truth And Justice

  Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (1983). “Christ in a Poncho: Testimonials of the Nonviolent Struggles in Latin America”

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  It has always seemed strange to me... the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.

  John Steinbeck

  Love, Wisdom, Appreciation

  John Steinbeck (1963). “The short novels of John Steinbeck: Tortilla Flat, The red pony, Of mice and men, The moon is down, Cannery Row, The pearl”

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• Until the mind is open, the heart stays closed. The open mind is the key to the open heart.

  Byron Katie

  Heart, Keys, Mind

  Twitter post from Feb 14, 2013

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• Openness isn't the end. It's the beginning.

  Margaret Heffernan

  Graduation, Senior, College

  "Dare to disagree". TED Talk, www.ted.com. June 2012.

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• Joy and openness come from our own contented heart.

  Gautama Buddha

  Heart, Joy

  6 Copy quote

• The wind of change, whatever it is, blows most freely through an open mind.

  Katharine Whitehorn

  Blow, Wind, Intelligence

  Katharine Whitehorn (1981). “View from a Column”

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• We can master change not though force or fear, but only though the free work of an understanding mind, though an openness to new knowledge and fresh outlooks, which can only strengthen the most fragile and most powerful of human gifts: the gift of reason.

  Robert Kennedy

  Powerful, Understanding, Mind

  32 Copy quote

• I remain convinced that most human conflicts can be solved through genuine dialogue conducted with a spirit of openness and reconciliation.

  Dalai Lama

  Spirit, Conflict, Genuine

  Dalai Lama's Speech to the European Parliament, tibet.net. October 24, 2001.

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• It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

  Aristotle

  Inspirational, Motivational, Leadership

  Attributed to Aristotle in "Religion and the Pursuit of Truth" by Lowell Lindsay Bennion, p. 52, 1959.

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• Openness doesn’t come from resisting our fears but rather from getting to know them well.

  Pema Chodron

  Wells, Knows, Resisting

  70 Copy quote

• Honesty and openness is always the foundation of insightful dialogue.

  Bell Hooks

  Honesty, Insightful, Foundation

  "Fools for love" by Bell Hooks, www.theguardian.com. February 14, 2000.

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• Action is a high road to self-confidence and esteem. Where it is open, all energies flow toward it. It comes readily to most people, and its rewards are tangible.

  Bruce Lee

  Confidence, Self Esteem, People

  Bruce Lee (2015). “Bruce Lee Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom for Daily Living”, p.31, Tuttle Publishing

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• A successful life is an authentic life. Happiness and creativity rest on a foundation of transparency to yourself and others. Knowing your own heart and speaking clearly to others keep you on the path.

  Gay Hendricks

  Heart, Creativity, Successful

  153 Copy quote

• Openness of mind strengthens the truth in us and removes the dross from it, if there is any.

  Mahatma Gandhi

  Truth, Mind, Dross

  Mahatma Gandhi, Mohandas Gandhi, Homer A. Jack (2005). “The Wit and Wisdom of Gandhi”, p.126, Courier Corporation

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• I do not think that I will ever reach a stage when I will say, "This is what I believe. Finished." What I believe is alive ... and open to growth

  Madeleine L'Engle

  Motivational, Believe, Thinking

  13 Copy quote

• Minds are like parachutes, they only function when they are open.

  James Dewar

  Funny, Education, Attitude

  125 Copy quote

• Transparency is all about letting in and embracing new ideas, new technology and new approaches. No individual, entity or agency, no matter how smart, how old, or how experienced, can afford to stop learning.

  Gina McCarthy

  Smart, Technology, Agency

  94 Copy quote

• Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they are doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out.

  Randall Munroe

  Inspirational, Life, Knowing

  Webcomic by Randall Munroe, xkcd.com.

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• Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door.

  Emily Dickinson

  Encouraging, Spiritual, Not Giving Up

  Emily Dickinson (1994). “The Works of Emily Dickinson”, p.129, Wordsworth Editions

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• The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one.

  Malcolm Forbes

  Inspirational, Education, Travel

  180 Copy quote