Creative thinking involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in different ways. Edward de Bono, Author of Lateral Thinking
Stillness
When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world. Your innermost sense of self, of who you are, is inseparable from stillness. This is the I Am that is deeper than name and form.
Whenever you deeply accept this moment as it is- no matter what form it takes- you are still, you are at peace. From Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle
Deliberation and Choice There are usually a number of goals which we feel an urge to pursue. But it is not possible or practical to pursue all of them. Certainly not all at once. Therefore we must choose among the many possibilities the one that is most worth while, the one we prefer--and decide to pursue it, renouncing or postponing the others. This is where deliberation comes into play.
The objective of every deliberation, of every consideration of one or more possibilities, is to lead to the best possible decision. A decision reached without deliberation, without examining and evaluation all aspects of the question or choice that confronts us, can lead to impulsive, unconsidered, and ill-advised action. This may often involve us in blunders which can damage ourselves and others. The significance of the two words "unconsidered" and "ill-advised" is worth noting. The first means to be lacking in due consideration; the second, in sound counsel.
The immense number of actions that are impulsively performed by human beings with no consideration of the consequences is appalling. This is because, in reality, few really "think." Thinking is uncomfortable and tiring; it demands concentration, and this requires a persistent use of the will. Moreover, the outcome of such thinking may unpleasantly conflict with some of our inclinations and drives. Hence, the fundamental importance, indeed the necessity, of learning to think properly, to reflect and to meditate.
But to have the space needed to think, meditate, and then decide, we must keep in abeyance the tendencies and drives that impel us toward immediate action. This means taking time, the time needed to examine the situation from all angles and reflect upon it. Thus the prerequisite of thinking--and deliberation--is an act of restraint, of inhibition.
From The Act of Will by Roberto Assagioli, M.D.
A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. This is why bad people, in a sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in.
