--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The trick is to keep exploring and not…" description: "\"The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought. That's what we're going to discover again..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/pema-ch-dr-n-327_again-and-again_the-trick-is-to-keep-exploring-and-not-b_2705402.jpg" --- # The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when… ![“The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought. That's what we're going to discover again and again and again. Nothing is what we thought. I can say that with great confidence. Emptiness is not what we thought. Neither is mindfulness or…” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/pema-ch-dr-n-327_again-and-again_the-trick-is-to-keep-exploring-and-not-b_2705402.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/pema-ch-dr-n-327_again-and-again_the-trick-is-to-keep-exploring-and-not-b_2705402.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/pema-ch-dr-n-327_again-and-again_the-trick-is-to-keep-exploring-and-not-b_2705402.jpg) > “The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought. That's what we're going to discover again and again and again. Nothing is what we thought. I can say that with great confidence. Emptiness is not what we thought. Neither is mindfulness or fear. Compassion––not what we thought. Love. Buddha nature. Courage. These are code words for things we don't know in our minds, but any of us could experience them. These are words that point to what life really is when we let things fall apart and let ourselves be nailed to the present moment.” [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explores how concepts like emptiness, mindfulness, compassion, love, and courage are pointers to direct experience beyond mental labels. **In simple terms:** Words point to direct experience beyond mental concepts. Key Takeaway Embrace present moment without clinging to labels. Themes mindfulness impermanence direct experience spiritual growth Mood contemplative curious serene Type teaching philosophical When to use this quote - Meditation practice - therapy - creative work - stressful situations - personal crisis Key Concepts Buddhist philosophy nondual awareness psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you experience compassion without defining it? - What does “being nailed to the present moment” feel like? A Different Perspective Labels can become limiting if taken as absolute truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddha nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddha-nature/) [Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/code/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Emptiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness/) [Great confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-confidence/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mindfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mindfulness/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Present moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-moment/) [Things Fall Apart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-fall-apart/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [This, then, is the ultimate paradox of thought: to want to discover something that thought itself cannot think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-then-is-the-ultimate-paradox-of-thought-to-want-to-discover/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some day, the world will discover that, without thought, there can be no love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/some-day-the-world-will-discover-that-without-thought-there-can-be-no/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“You know how powerful it can be when you discover that you can do something you never thought you could? It changes everything… and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-graham/you-know-how-powerful-it-can-be-when-you-discover-that-you-can-do/) [Ashley Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-graham/) > [“The supreme paradox of all thought is the attempt to discover something that thought cannot think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/the-supreme-paradox-of-all-thought-is-the-attempt-to-discover/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [I don't think I had great confidence as a teenager.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-lewis/i-don-t-think-i-had-great-confidence-as-a-teenager/) [Denise Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-lewis/) > [Some forty years of experience in my field as a scholar and as a teacher have given me great confidence mixed with greater humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sarton/some-forty-years-of-experience-in-my-field-as-a-scholar-and-as-a/) [George Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sarton/) > [I have a great confidence in the revelations which holidays bring forth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/i-have-a-great-confidence-in-the-revelations-which-holidays-bring/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Tis a great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults; greater to tell him his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/tis-a-great-confidence-in-a-friend-to-tell-him-your-faults-greater-to/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [I have a great amount of confidence and faith in my abilities to write. There are other areas of my life where I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/i-have-a-great-amount-of-confidence-and-faith-in-my-abilities-to/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [But even considering these, I have great confidence in our young people as a whole. I regard you as the finest generation in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/but-even-considering-these-i-have-great-confidence-in-our-young/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [It gives us great confidence that our country is in safe hands if the number of youth who turned up in Maitland is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-goode/it-gives-us-great-confidence-that-our-country-is-in-safe-hands-if-the/) Fred Goode > [Finishing overall champion at the World Series in both the individual and synchro events has given me great confidence and I'm pleased I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-daley/finishing-overall-champion-at-the-world-series-in-both-the-individual/) [Tom Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-daley/) > [Confidence comes naturally with success but, success comes only to those, who are confident so, begin ur day with great confidence. HAVE A NICE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexia/confidence-comes-naturally-with-success-but-success-comes-only-to/) [Alexia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexia/) > [ After years of training \[as astronaut\], you have great confidence in the technology. When you get in your car, you probably feel safe too,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-walter/after-years-of-training-as-astronaut-you-have-great-confidence-in-the/) [Ulrich Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-walter/) > [I have great confidence in the common sense of mankind in general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-have-great-confidence-in-the-common-sense-of-mankind-in-general/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Pema Chodron > [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) [Explore all 664 Pema Chodron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## More Again and again quotes > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. 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So you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/again-and-again-i-tell-god-i-need-help-and-god-says-well-isn-t-that/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [After this happens again and again, we reach a point were there is nothing but satori, which is what nirvikalpa samadhi is like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/after-this-happens-again-and-again-we-reach-a-point-were-there-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Listen, the story of the United States is this: One kid, without anything, walks out of his house, down the road, with nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-bone-burnett/listen-the-story-of-the-united-states-is-this-one-kid-without/) [T Bone Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-bone-burnett/) > [The regular division of the plane into congruent figures evoking an association in the observer with a familiar natural object is one of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-escher/the-regular-division-of-the-plane-into-congruent-figures-evoking-an/) [M. C. Escher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-escher/) > [Don´t be unnecessarily burdened by the past. Go on closing the chapters that you have read; there is no need to go back again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/don-t-be-unnecessarily-burdened-by-the-past-go-on-closing-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The difference between a winner and a loser - they both failed, but the winner gets back up and does it again and again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-plitt/the-difference-between-a-winner-and-a-loser-they-both-failed-but-the/) [Greg Plitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-plitt/) > [Owning the intellectual property is like owning land: You need to keep investing in it again and again to get a payoff; you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/owning-the-intellectual-property-is-like-owning-land-you-need-to-keep/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) > [The key to longevity is to keep doing what you do better than anyone else. We work real hard at that. It's about getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-lauren/the-key-to-longevity-is-to-keep-doing-what-you-do-better-than-anyone/) [Ralph Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-lauren/) > [You are great young people. I have said again and again, we have the finest generation of young people ever in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/you-are-great-young-people-i-have-said-again-and-again-we-have-the/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [If you find that the reader of popular romances--however uneducated a reader, however bad the romances--goes back to his old favourites again and again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/if-you-find-that-the-reader-of-popular-romances-however-uneducated-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [And while I am talking to you mothers and fathers, I give you one more assurance. 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