--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Generally we waste our lives, distracted…" description: "\"Generally we waste our lives, distracted from our true selves, in endless activity. Meditation is the way to bring us back to ourselves, where we can r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/sogyal-rinpoche-2963_activity_generally-we-waste-our-lives-distracted_1815227.jpg" --- # Generally we waste our lives, distracted from our true… ![“Generally we waste our lives, distracted from our true selves, in endless activity. Meditation is the way to bring us back to ourselves, where we can really experience and taste our full being.” quote by Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/sogyal-rinpoche-2963_activity_generally-we-waste-our-lives-distracted_1815227.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/sogyal-rinpoche-2963_activity_generally-we-waste-our-lives-distracted_1815227.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/sogyal-rinpoche-2963_activity_generally-we-waste-our-lives-distracted_1815227.jpg) > “Generally we waste our lives, distracted from our true selves, in endless activity. Meditation is the way to bring us back to ourselves, where we can really experience and taste our full being.” [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Constant busyness masks true identity; meditation restores awareness of our authentic self and full experience of being. **In simple terms:** Meditation reveals our true self. Key Takeaway Practice meditation to reconnect. Themes mindfulness self‑knowledge distraction Mood calm thoughtful Type spiritual self‑help When to use this quote - daily meditation - mindful walking - digital detox - therapy sessions Key Concepts consciousness inner peace spiritual practice Questions to Reflect On - What distractions keep you from inner peace? - How can you integrate stillness into daily life? A Different Perspective Meditation may feel difficult for beginners. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-me/) [Calming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calming/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Meditation mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation-mind/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [True self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-self/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Yoga meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yoga-meditation/) ## Related quotes > [Sitting like a mountain let your mind rise and fly and soar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/sitting-like-a-mountain-let-your-mind-rise-and-fly-and-soar/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [One of the great sadnesses of modern life, because of our disenfranchisement and disillusionment with religion, is that we don't have access to these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/one-of-the-great-sadnesses-of-modern-life-because-of-our/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [You can make any human activity into meditation simply by being completely with it and doing it just to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/you-can-make-any-human-activity-into-meditation-simply-by-being/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [When we dance, the journey itself is the point, as when we play music the playing itself is the point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/when-we-dance-the-journey-itself-is-the-point-as-when-we-play-music-2/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/meditation-brings-wisdom-lack-of-meditation-leaves-ignorance-know/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [To understand the totality of this extraordinary thing called life, one must obviously not be too definite about these things. One cannot be definite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/to-understand-the-totality-of-this-extraordinary-thing-called-life/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/meditation-is-the-discovery-that-the-point-of-life-is-always-arrived/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Meditation creates more time than it takes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/meditation-creates-more-time-than-it-takes/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/work-is-not-always-required-there-is-such-a-thing-as-sacred-idleness/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [What you think you become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/what-you-think-you-become/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Quiet the mind and the soul will speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/quiet-the-mind-and-the-soul-will-speak/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When the mind goes beyond the thought of 'the me,' the experiencer, the observer, the thinker, then there is a possibility of a happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/when-the-mind-goes-beyond-the-thought-of-the-me-the-experiencer-the/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [When we pay attention, whatever we are doing...is transformed and becomes a part of our spiritual path. We begin to notice details and textures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-fields/when-we-pay-attention-whatever-we-are-doing-is-transformed-and-2/) [Rick Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-fields/) > [The whole of meditation practice can be essentialized into these 3 crucial points: Bring your mind home. Release. And relax!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/the-whole-of-meditation-practice-can-be-essentialized-into-these-3/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [The gift of learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can give yourself in this lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/the-gift-of-learning-to-meditate-is-the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-2/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) ## More by Sogyal Rinpoche > [That goodness is what survives death, a fundamental goodness that is in each and every one of us. The whole of our life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/that-goodness-is-what-survives-death-a-fundamental-goodness-that-is/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [Why exactly are we so frightened of death that we avoid looking at it altogether? Somewhere, deep down, we know we cannot avoid facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/why-exactly-are-we-so-frightened-of-death-that-we-avoid-looking-at-it/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [The masters say if you create an auspicious condition in your body and your environment then meditation and realization will automatically arise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/the-masters-say-if-you-create-an-auspicious-condition-in-your-body/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [At every moment in our lives we need compassion, but what more urgent moment could there be than when we are dying? What more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/at-every-moment-in-our-lives-we-need-compassion-but-what-more-urgent/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [Theories are like patches on a coat, one day they just wear off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/theories-are-like-patches-on-a-coat-one-day-they-just-wear-off/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [{While meditating} I sit quietly and rest in the nature of mind; I don't question or doubt whether I am in the "correct" state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/while-meditating-i-sit-quietly-and-rest-in-the-nature-of-mind-i-don-t/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [The most essential thing in life is to establish an unafraid, heartfelt communication with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/the-most-essential-thing-in-life-is-to-establish-an-unafraid/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [The definition of mantra is "that which protects the mind." That which protects the mind from negativity, or that which protects you from your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/the-definition-of-mantra-is-that-which-protects-the-mind-that-which/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [If all we know of mind is the aspect of mind that dissolves when we die, we will be left with no idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/if-all-we-know-of-mind-is-the-aspect-of-mind-that-dissolves-when-we/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [Western laziness consists of cramming our lives with compulsive activity, so that there is no time at all to confront the real issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/western-laziness-consists-of-cramming-our-lives-with-compulsive/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [The key to finding a happy balance in modern lives is simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/the-key-to-finding-a-happy-balance-in-modern-lives-is-simplicity/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [The purpose of meditation is to awaken in us the sky-like nature of mind, and to introduce us to that which we really are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/the-purpose-of-meditation-is-to-awaken-in-us-the-sky-like-nature-of/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [The real glory of meditation lies not in any method but in its continual living experience of presence, in its bliss, clarity, peace, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/the-real-glory-of-meditation-lies-not-in-any-method-but-in-its/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [Samsara is the mind turned outwardly, lost in its projections. Nirvana is the mind turned inwardly, recognizing its true nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/samsara-is-the-mind-turned-outwardly-lost-in-its-projections-nirvana/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [“The simplicity of total trust is one of the most powerful forces in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/the-simplicity-of-total-trust-is-one-of-the-most-powerful-forces-in/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) [Explore all 144 Sogyal Rinpoche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) ## More Activity quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Fighting's fun, man. It's a great activity, it's a great sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mitrione/fighting-s-fun-man-it-s-a-great-activity-it-s-a-great-sport/) [Matt Mitrione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mitrione/) > [There were books everywhere in my house. Books were very present. I just loved books. I never understood reading as anything but a pleasurable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lucas/there-were-books-everywhere-in-my-house-books-were-very-present-i/) [Lisa Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lucas/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [For the longest time, neuroscientists were forced to be passive observers of brain activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gero-miesenbock/for-the-longest-time-neuroscientists-were-forced-to-be-passive/) Gero Miesenbock > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Once an activity has been socialized, it is impossible to point out, by concrete example, how men in a free market could better conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/once-an-activity-has-been-socialized-it-is-impossible-to-point-out-by/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I have to consider everything I eat; I consider every activity I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kimball/i-have-to-consider-everything-i-eat-i-consider-every-activity-i-do/) [Charlie Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kimball/) > [Almost all good businesses engage in 'pain today, gain tomorrow' activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/almost-all-good-businesses-engage-in-pain-today-gain-tomorrow/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) Browse all 3,263 Activity quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Generally we waste our lives, distracted from our true selves, in endless activity. 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