Since the beginning of time, people have been trying to change the world so that they can be happy. This hasn’t ever worked, because it approaches the problem backward. What The Work gives us is a way to change the projector–mind–rather than the projected. It’s like when there’s a piece of lint on a projector’s lens. We think there’s a flaw on the screen, and we try to change this person and that person, whomever the flaw appears on next. But it’s futile to try to change the projected images. Once we realize where the lint is, we can clear the lens itself. This is the end of suffering, and the beginning of a little joy in paradise. Byron Katie
About This Quote

The ability to change the projector rather than the projected is a very powerful concept. When we feel like we are not good enough, we often try to change other people in our lives to make ourselves feel better. We can turn these projections into something positive however this is not always easy. The work teaches us to focus on ourselves and lets us know that we can be happy without other people in our lives.

I believe that many times we put pressure on ourselves and think that we need everyone in our life to be happy and comfortable and safe and secure and free from suffering. The work teaches us that we need not worry about what other people do or think of us because we can be happy after we work on ourselves.

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More Quotes By Byron Katie
  1. All I have is all I need and all I need is all I have in this moment.
  2. A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It’s not our thoughts, but our attachment to our thoughts, that causes suffering. Attaching to a thought means believing that it’s true, without inquiring. A belief is a thought that we’ve been attaching to, often for years.
  3. The only way I can be angry at you is when I have thought, said, or done something that is unkind in my own opinion.
  4. It's not your job to like me - it's mine
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