One Minute Nonsense Quotes

“How does one attain happiness?'

'By learning to be content with whatever one gets.'

'Then can’t one ever desire anything?'

'Yes, one can,' said the Master, 'provided one has the attitude of an anxious father I once met in a delivery ward. When the nurse said, 'I know you were hoping to get a boy, but it’s a baby girl,' the man replied, 'Oh! It doesn’t matter really, because I was hoping that it would be a girl if it wasn’t a boy.”
― Anthony de Mello, One Minute Nonsense

“It amused the master to hear the exaggerated claims of modern science to change the Universe.

“In a conflict between human will and Nature, back Nature,” he used to say.

“But can’t we change anything in the Universe?”

“Not until we have learnt to submit to it.”
― Anthony de Mello, One Minute Nonsense

“The master once quoted the
celebrated words of the BHAGAVAD
GITA in which the Lord urges
the devotee to plunge into the
thick of battle, while maintaining
a peaceful heart at the lotus
feet of the Lord.

A disciple asked, “How can I
achieve that?”

Said the Master: “Decide to be
satisfied with any results
your efforts may bring.”
― Anthony de Mello, One Minute Nonsense

“What depresses me is the utter
ordinariness of my existence. I haven’t
done a single important thing in my
life that the world would care to notice.”

“You are wrong to think that the attention
of the world is what gives importance to
an action,” said the Master.

A lengthy pause ensued.

“Well, I haven’t done a single thing to
influence anyone for good or ill.”

“You are wrong to think that influencing
others is what gives importance to an
action” said the Master.

“Well, then, what is it that gives impor-
tance to an action?”

“Doing for its own sake with the whole
of one’s being. Then it becomes
a non-profit, God-like activity.”
― Anthony de Mello, One Minute Nonsense

“A young man eagerly described what he dreamed of doing for the poor.

Said the Master, 'When do you propose to make your dream come true?'

'As soon as the opportunity arrives.'

'Opportunity never arrives,' said the Master. 'It’s here.”
― Anthony de Mello, One Minute Nonsense

“Why do you travel so little?' a reporter asked the Master. "To look into the face of just one person or thing every day of the year and never fail to find something new in it - that is a greater adventure by far than any travel can offer," said the Master.”
― Anthony de Mello, One Minute Nonsense

“The Master made sure the monastery library was well stocked with books on every conceivable subject—politics, architecture, philosophy, poetry, agriculture, history, science, psychology, art . . . and the section he himself used the most, fiction.

His one refrain was, "God save us from people who do not THINK, THINK, THINK!"

There was nothing he feared more, he said, than the one-track mind, the one-book fanatic.

This puzzled the disciples for it was so out of tune with the non-thinking perception, the non-conceptual awareness, that was the mainstay of the Master's teaching.

When asked directly, this was his ambiguous reply: "A thorn can be dislodged by means of another thorn, can't it?”
― Anthony de Mello, One Minute Nonsense

“One clear, starry night the Master gave his disciples the benefit of his studies in astronomy.

"That is the Spiral Galaxy of Andromeda," he said. "It is as large as our Milky Way. It sends out rays of light that, as a speed
of 186,000 miles a second, take 2.5 million years to get to us. It consists of 100,000 million suns, many larger than our own sun."

Then, after a moment's silence, he said with a grin, "Now that we have put ourselves into perspective, let's go to bed.”
― Anthony de Mello, One Minute Nonsense

“An affluent industrialist said to the Master, 'What do you do for a profession?'

'Nothing.' said the Master.

The industrialist laughed scornfully. 'Isn’t that laziness?'

'Heavens, no. Laziness is mostly the vice of very active people.'

Later the Master said to his disciples. 'Do nothing and all things will be done through you. Doing nothing really takes a lot of doing—try it!”
― Anthony de Mello, One Minute Nonsense