--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Practice can be stated very simply. It is…" description: "\"Practice can be stated very simply. It is moving from a life of hurting myself and others to a life of not hurting myself and others. That seems so sim..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/411/joko-beck-18408_angry_practice-can-be-stated-very-simply-it-is_452723.png" --- # Practice can be stated very simply. It is moving from a… ![“Practice can be stated very simply. It is moving from a life of hurting myself and others to a life of not hurting myself and others. That seems so simple-except when we substitute for real practice some idea that we should be different or better than we are, or that our lives should be different…” quote by Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/411/joko-beck-18408_angry_practice-can-be-stated-very-simply-it-is_452723.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/411/joko-beck-18408_angry_practice-can-be-stated-very-simply-it-is_452723.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/411/joko-beck-18408_angry_practice-can-be-stated-very-simply-it-is_452723.png) > “Practice can be stated very simply. It is moving from a life of hurting myself and others to a life of not hurting myself and others. That seems so simple-except when we substitute for real practice some idea that we should be different or better than we are, or that our lives should be different from the way they are. When we substitute our ideas about what should be (such notions as "I should not be angry or confused or unwilling") for our life as it truly is, then we're off base and our practice is barren.” [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True practice means living without harming oneself or others, not chasing idealized versions of self. **In simple terms:** Live without causing harm, not by ideal standards. Key Takeaway Focus on non‑harmful living. Themes mindfulness self‑compassion realism Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily interactions - conflict resolution - personal growth Key Concepts non‑violence ethical living self‑acceptance Questions to Reflect On - How can you notice when you’re harming yourself? - What simple actions reduce harm? A Different Perspective Ideal goals can distract from genuine progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) ## Related quotes > [How do we know if our practice is a real practice? Only by one thing: more and more, we just see the wonder. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/how-do-we-know-if-our-practice-is-a-real-practice-only-by-one-thing/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [“Here's a practice idea for right now. Choose one of those sets of phrases. ... Plan on taking some time to say those words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/here-s-a-practice-idea-for-right-now-choose-one-of-those-sets-of/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [Meditation practice is simply moving from a life of hurting myself and others to a life of not hurting myself and others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/meditation-practice-is-simply-moving-from-a-life-of-hurting-myself/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [A learned person will become noble only when he or she has put into real practice what has been learned, instead of mere words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/a-learned-person-will-become-noble-only-when-he-or-she-has-put-into/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Practicing is not normally fun. Sometimes people say they're practicing, but they're really just enjoying themselves and the instrument. That's not real practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/practicing-is-not-normally-fun-sometimes-people-say-they-re/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [“Burnout is very real. I see it in my practice on a daily basis. Men and women from every age and walk of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ide/burnout-is-very-real-i-see-it-in-my-practice-on-a-daily-basis-men-and/) [Joe Ide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ide/) > [Real practice means working on stuff you're not good at. Real practice is about butting your head against the wall repeatedly until you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/real-practice-means-working-on-stuff-you-re-not-good-at-real-practice/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [ONE OF THE MOST PAINFUL THING THAT I MADE FOR MYSELF IS COMMITTING WITH SOMEONE I KNOW WOULDN'T LAST FOREVER, AND END UP HURTING…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/no-voice/one-of-the-most-painful-thing-that-i-made-for-myself-is-committing/) NO VOICE > [Today I am determined to go through the day with ought hurting myself, or another, with my thoughts or my actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-jampolsky/today-i-am-determined-to-go-through-the-day-with-ought-hurting-myself/) [Gerald Jampolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-jampolsky/) > [As a child I was the best tree climber in our neighbourhood, I was like a little monkey. I've never been afraid of hurting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/as-a-child-i-was-the-best-tree-climber-in-our-neighbourhood-i-was/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [I got a one-way ticker on a hell-bound train With nothing to lose and nothing to gain Nobody ever taught me how to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/papa-roach/i-got-a-one-way-ticker-on-a-hell-bound-train-with-nothing-to-lose-and/) [Papa Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/papa-roach/) > [One day, I want to be able to stand with my head up proud. I want to be able to hear people say how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiana-webb/one-day-i-want-to-be-able-to-stand-with-my-head-up-proud-i-want-to-be/) [Tiana Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiana-webb/) > [After hurting myself like that, I could not go back immediately to racing. I was in no condition, mentally or physically. That helped me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-piquet/after-hurting-myself-like-that-i-could-not-go-back-immediately-to/) [Nelson Piquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-piquet/) > [And with a shattered mirror And a bleeding 0 up And with a shattered mirror And a bleeding fist You hold that blade Against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fading-scars/and-with-a-shattered-mirror-and-a-bleeding-0-up-and-with-a-shattered/) Fading\_scars > [My bulimia was my addiction. Hurting myself was my addiction... The music is what saved me. That's the only thing I can trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-scherzinger/my-bulimia-was-my-addiction-hurting-myself-was-my-addiction-the-music/) [Nicole Scherzinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-scherzinger/) ## More by Joko Beck > [Meditation practice is simply moving from a life of hurting myself and others to a life of not hurting myself and others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/meditation-practice-is-simply-moving-from-a-life-of-hurting-myself/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [If I were to tell you that your life is already perfect, whole, and complete just as it is, you would think I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/if-i-were-to-tell-you-that-your-life-is-already-perfect-whole-and/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [We tend to run our whole life trying to avoid all that hurts or displeases us, noticing the objects, people, or situations that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/we-tend-to-run-our-whole-life-trying-to-avoid-all-that-hurts-or/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [We are just living this moment; we don't have to live 150,000 moments at once. We are only living one. That's why I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/we-are-just-living-this-moment-we-don-t-have-to-live-150-000-moments/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [We have to face the pain we have been running from. In fact, we need to learn to rest in it and let its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/we-have-to-face-the-pain-we-have-been-running-from-in-fact-we-need-to/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [There is one thing in life that you can always rely on: life being as it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/there-is-one-thing-in-life-that-you-can-always-rely-on-life-being-as/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [You cannot avoid paradise. You can only avoid seeking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/you-cannot-avoid-paradise-you-can-only-avoid-seeking-it/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [But opinions, judgments, memories, dreaming about the future—ninety percent of the thoughts spinning around in our heads have no essential reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/but-opinions-judgments-memories-dreaming-about-the-future-ninety/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [My dog doesn't worry about the meaning of life. She may worry if she doesn't get her breakfast, but she doesn't sit around worrying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/my-dog-doesn-t-worry-about-the-meaning-of-life-she-may-worry-if-she/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [An old Zen rule of thumb is not to answer until one has been asked three times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/an-old-zen-rule-of-thumb-is-not-to-answer-until-one-has-been-asked/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [In spiritual maturity, the opposite of injustice is not justice but compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/in-spiritual-maturity-the-opposite-of-injustice-is-not-justice-but/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [We 'rid ourselves of conceptual thought' when, by persistent observation, we recognize the unreality of our self-centered thoughts. Then we can remain dispassionate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/we-rid-ourselves-of-conceptual-thought-when-by-persistent-observation/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [None of us would choose to be Sisyphus; yet in a sense, we all are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/none-of-us-would-choose-to-be-sisyphus-yet-in-a-sense-we-all-are/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [All I can be is who I am right now; I can experience that and work with it. That's all I can do. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/all-i-can-be-is-who-i-am-right-now-i-can-experience-that-and-work/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) > [To some degree we all find life difficult, perplexing, and oppressive. Even when it goes well, as it may for a time, we worry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joko-beck/to-some-degree-we-all-find-life-difficult-perplexing-and-oppressive/) [Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) [Explore all 35 Joko Beck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joko-beck/) ## More Angry quotes > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/) Kirsten Gilchrist > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [When you're frustrated with people, when they've made you angry, it just may be because you haven't given them enough time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/when-you-re-frustrated-with-people-when-they-ve-made-you-angry-it/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [When I was writing 'Black Panther,' on one level, I was angry because DC would never let me write 'Batman,' so I was doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/when-i-was-writing-black-panther-on-one-level-i-was-angry-because-dc/) [Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/) > [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/) [Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/) > [I'm an angry guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gandolfini/i-m-an-angry-guy/) [James Gandolfini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gandolfini/) > [Apparently, I'm the angriest man. I don't know. It's just an interpretation. If it was someone else, they might be called focused or competitive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alun-wyn-jones/apparently-i-m-the-angriest-man-i-don-t-know-it-s-just-an/) [Alun Wyn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alun-wyn-jones/) > [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Of course I get angry, but I want to use my brain a little bit and not just smash things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/of-course-i-get-angry-but-i-want-to-use-my-brain-a-little-bit-and-not/) [Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/) > [“Rather than being incensed by the nature of the bruise, maybe we should be inspired by the possibilities in the bruise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/rather-than-being-incensed-by-the-nature-of-the-bruise-maybe-we/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) [Browse all 3,857 Angry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Practice can be stated very simply. It is moving from a life of hurting myself and others to a life of not hurting myself and others. That seems so simple-except when we substitute for real practice some idea that we should be different or better than we are, or that our lives should be different from the way they are. 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