black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

I think of compassion as the fundamental religious experience and, unless that is there, you have nothing.

Joseph Campbell

It’s only when a man tames his own demons that he becomes the king of himself if not of the world.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Demon Himself Man Tame World
We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come. –
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Life Old Oneself Planning Skin Willing
Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Challenge Deep Life Opportunity Ourselves Power
If you are to advance, all fixed ideas must go.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Ideas Innovation Spontaneous Yourself
You can’t have creativity unless you leave behind the bounded, the fixed, all the rules
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Creativity Leaving Rule Yourself
The conquest of fear yields the courage of life. That is the cardinal initiation of every heroic adventure– fearlessness and achievement.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Achievement Adventure Courage Fear Life
We’re so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value that we forget the inner value, the rapture that is associated with being alive, is what it is all about.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Achievement Alive Association Engagement Purpose
Questing… is not an ego trip; it is an adventure to bring into fulfillment your gift to the world, which is yourself.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Adventure Ego Fulfill Gift Mystery Yourself
If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Clear Path Yourself
All the gods, all the heavens, all the hells, are within you.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

God Hell Philosophy Yourself
If you follow your bliss…the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Follow Life Oneself Yourself
There’s nothing you can do that’s more important than being fulfilled. You become a sign, you become a signal, transparent to transcendence; in this way, you will find, live, and become a realization of your own personal myth.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Fulfill Important Personal Realization Transcendence Yourself
Myth is much more important and true than history. History is just journalism and you know how reliable that is.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

History Important True Yourself
Whatever the hell happens, say, ‘This is what I need.’
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Hell Myself Need
The quest for fire occurred not because anyone knew what the practical uses for fire would be, but because it was fascinating.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Fascination Fire Interest Mystery
Vegetarians are people who cannot hear tomatos screaming.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Funny People Scream
Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Life Meaning Question Yourself
If there were already a path, it would have to be someone else’s; the whole point is to find your own way.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Journey Path Way Yourself
Let the world be as it is and learn to rock with the waves.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Learning Wave World
Gods suppressed become devils, and often it is these devils whom we first encounter when we turn inward.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Devil Encounter God Transformation
I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Alive Believe Experience Life Meaning Myself People
Apocalypse does not point to a fiery Armageddon but to the fact that our ignorance and our complacency are coming to an end.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

End Fact Ignorance Ourselves
You have to learn to recognize your own depth.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Deep Learning Recognition Yourself
If you are on the right path you will find that invisible hands are helping.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Hands Path Right Yourself
When everything is lost, and all seems darkness, then comes the new life and all that is needed.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Darkness Life Lost Need
The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Goal Heart Broken Life Nature Universe
Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Burn Happiness Pain Place

I think of compassion as the fundamental religious experience and, unless that is there, you have nothing.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

I think of compassion as the fundamental religious experience and, unless that is there, you have nothing.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Joseph Campbell Quotes