--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we cling to thoughts and memories…" description: "\"When we cling to thoughts and memories, we are clinging to what cannot be grasped. When we touch these phantoms and let them go, we may discover a spac..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/pema-ch-dr-n-327_birthright_when-we-cling-to-thoughts-and-memories-w_3157974.jpg" --- # When we cling to thoughts and memories, we are clinging to… ![“When we cling to thoughts and memories, we are clinging to what cannot be grasped. When we touch these phantoms and let them go, we may discover a space, a break in the chatter, a glimpse of open sky. This is our birthright—the wisdom with which we were born, the vast unfolding display of…” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/pema-ch-dr-n-327_birthright_when-we-cling-to-thoughts-and-memories-w_3157974.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/pema-ch-dr-n-327_birthright_when-we-cling-to-thoughts-and-memories-w_3157974.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/pema-ch-dr-n-327_birthright_when-we-cling-to-thoughts-and-memories-w_3157974.jpg) > “When we cling to thoughts and memories, we are clinging to what cannot be grasped. When we touch these phantoms and let them go, we may discover a space, a break in the chatter, a glimpse of open sky. This is our birthright—the wisdom with which we were born, the vast unfolding display of primordial richness, primordial openness, primordial wisdom itself. When one thought has ended and another has not yet begun, we can rest in that space.” [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. Letting go of mental clinging creates a quiet space for insight and peace. **In simple terms:** Release thoughts, find inner space. Key Takeaway Practice non‑attachment to thoughts. Themes mindfulness impermanence inner peace spirituality Mood calm reflective serene Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - stressful moments - creative blocks - grief processing Key Concepts non‑attachment emptiness conscious awareness Questions to Reflect On - What does “space” feel like for you? - How can you notice when thoughts are clinging? A Different Perspective The space may be fleeting and hard to sustain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birthright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthright/) [Birthright Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthright-wisdom-5697255/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Chatter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chatter/) [Clinging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinging/) [Display](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/display/) [Glimpse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glimpse/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Openness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/openness/) [Openness Primordial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/openness-primordial-5697256/) [Phantoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phantoms/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Primordial Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primordial-wisdom-482470/) [Richness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richness/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Unfolding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfolding/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wisdom Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-born-1108759/) [Wisdom Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-thought-1495620/) ## Related quotes > [“The Buddhist teachings move along a graduated path: first the stages of calm abiding and then the stages of deep insight. 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Tom, Tom! The man in all this world most confident in his sagacity and shrewdness; the man in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/unselfish-thought-not-a-word-tom-tom-the-man-in-all-this-world-most/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“The very old can tell you about peace. They have fought through the black, sinking, visceral knowledge of death–their own death–that heralds middle age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rivers-siddons/the-very-old-can-tell-you-about-peace-they-have-fought-through-the/) [Anne Rivers Siddons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rivers-siddons/) > [Books are but waste paper unless we spend in action the wisdom we get from thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/books-are-but-waste-paper-unless-we-spend-in-action-the-wisdom-we-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Religion is not 'doctrinal knowledge,' but wisdom born of personal experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/religion-is-not-doctrinal-knowledge-but-wisdom-born-of-personal/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“The current conventional wisdom is that we are born, grow up, learn to become consumers, consume, and die. Of course, we can reject this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cap-n-fatty-goodlander/the-current-conventional-wisdom-is-that-we-are-born-grow-up-learn-to/) [Cap'n Fatty Goodlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cap-n-fatty-goodlander/) > [ \[Grace\] is given not to make us something other than ourselves but to make us radically ourselves. Grace is given not to implant in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-philip-newell/grace-is-given-not-to-make-us-something-other-than-ourselves-but-to/) [John Philip Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-philip-newell/) > [No man is the wiser for his learning; it may administer matter to work in, or objects to work upon; but wit and wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/no-man-is-the-wiser-for-his-learning-it-may-administer-matter-to-work/) [John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/) > [Bankruptcy, divorce, these are feathers in my cap, I suppose. I have a wisdom which has been born from these things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/bankruptcy-divorce-these-are-feathers-in-my-cap-i-suppose-i-have-a/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) > [No man is wiser for his learning, wit and wisdom are born with a man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/no-man-is-wiser-for-his-learning-wit-and-wisdom-are-born-with-a-man/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [We make Idols of our concepts, but Wisdom is born of wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-make-idols-of-our-concepts-but-wisdom-is-born-of-wonder/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Birthright quotes > [“Do not trade your birthright as a mother for some bauble of passing value. Let your first interest be in your home. The baby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/do-not-trade-your-birthright-as-a-mother-for-some-bauble-of-passing/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [It is your birthright to live a life abundant in love. Make the commitment today to open your heart and let your love flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/it-is-your-birthright-to-live-a-life-abundant-in-love-make-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Now, we are agreed, I and my destinies. The total world, Above, below, whate'er is seen or known, And all that men, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hartley-coleridge/now-we-are-agreed-i-and-my-destinies-the-total-world-above-below/) [Hartley Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hartley-coleridge/) > [“You're not like other Wasps." "Aren't I?" Aagen smiled, but it was a painful smile. "No doubt you've killed my kinsmen by the score."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tchaikovsky/you-re-not-like-other-wasps-aren-t-i-aagen-smiled-but-it-was-a/) [Adrian Tchaikovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tchaikovsky/) > [I believe that many lives around us now can reflect this strange pattern of migration and movement. The question is: are we aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-dawes/i-believe-that-many-lives-around-us-now-can-reflect-this-strange/) [Kwame Dawes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-dawes/) > [We often block our own blessings because we don't feel inherently good enough or smart enough or pretty enough or worthy enough... You're worthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/we-often-block-our-own-blessings-because-we-don-t-feel-inherently/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Congress decides who becomes a citizen and how. To automatically say the 14th Amendment grants birthright citizenship, no, we can't change that. Amending the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/congress-decides-who-becomes-a-citizen-and-how-to-automatically-say/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [None of us is born thinking we are ordinary. Feeling special is an essential part of the human birthright. If you don't think you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shmuley-boteach/none-of-us-is-born-thinking-we-are-ordinary-feeling-special-is-an/) [Shmuley Boteach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shmuley-boteach/) > [It's like a woman's birthright to knit. It's primal. It's timeless. You don't need electricity to knit. You can do it with a candle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-ullman/it-s-like-a-woman-s-birthright-to-knit-it-s-primal-it-s-timeless-you/) [Tracey Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-ullman/) > [Flourishing is everyone's birthright. I'm trying to break this hold that being smiley and cheery has on what people think the good life is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jurvetson/flourishing-is-everyone-s-birthright-i-m-trying-to-break-this-hold/) [Steve Jurvetson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jurvetson/) > [People shouldn't think that something is their birthright. They need to prove themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janhvi-kapoor/people-shouldn-t-think-that-something-is-their-birthright-they-need/) [Janhvi Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janhvi-kapoor/) > [It is your birthright to discover your sacred contract. It will guide you to find your divine destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/it-is-your-birthright-to-discover-your-sacred-contract-it-will-guide/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [Freedom is the alone unoriginated birthright of man, and belongs to him by force of his humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/freedom-is-the-alone-unoriginated-birthright-of-man-and-belongs-to/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [The Society is based on that great bottom law of human right, that nothing but crime can forfeit liberty. That no condition of birth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dwight-weld/the-society-is-based-on-that-great-bottom-law-of-human-right-that/) [Theodore Dwight Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dwight-weld/) > [We have sold our birthright of freedom and justice for a mess of national security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/we-have-sold-our-birthright-of-freedom-and-justice-for-a-mess-of/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) [Browse all 263 Birthright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthright/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When we cling to thoughts and memories, we are clinging to what cannot be grasped. When we touch these phantoms and let them go, we may discover a space, a break in the chatter, a glimpse of open sky. 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