21 phrases about the important thing in life pronounced by wise men

We’ve collected lessons from some of the wisest people we’ve spoken to in our magazine’s history. Remembering the answers of these authors about what they consider essential to lead a full life , what their self-care habits are , what they expected from the future or what are the most valuable life lessons allows us to look to the future with hope, serenity and inspiration.

From each of their perspectives we have extracted a motivating quote that can hide a personal purpose for the coming year.

What do happiness, personal development or well-being consist of for each of these voices? We encourage you to discover it.

“ALL MATTERS CAN BE GRASPED WITH TWO HANDLES.”

LOU MARINOFF, AUTHOR OF MORE PLATO AND LESS PROZAC

The essential: Live each day with as much intensity as possible, favoring above all the productive and creative states of mind.
How I take care of myself: I eat healthy, I go to the gym, I play the guitar, I play tennis, I dedicate my best hours to writing and I entertain my mind with philosophical thoughts.
An experience or wish: A very good learning opportunity for me is to apply a maxim from Epictetus, the Greek Stoic, to daily life. Epictetus said: “All matters have two handles: for one they are manageable, for the other not.” How is it put into practice? When a situation seems unbearable to you, try to find the other handle. It is always there, even if your own mental state sometimes prevents you from seeing it. My wish is that you find that other handle that helps to carry everything, whenever you need it.

“MUSIC IS A PLEASURE OTHER THAN NORMAL PLEASURES, SUPERIOR TO THEM.”

FRANCISCO J. RUBIA, NEUROSCIENTIST AND AUTHOR OF THE BRAIN DECEIVES US

The essential: Live it intensely. I have always been interested in almost everything, especially the different fields of knowledge. Also music, and not just listen to it, but practice it. It is a pleasure different from normal pleasures, but superior to them.
How I take care of myself: So far I have not had any serious health problems and I think it is best not to worry.
An experience or wish: The most interesting experience I have had in my life has been to become financially independent by moving to another country and paying for my studies by working on vacations in various trades. The feeling of being the protagonist of my own destiny and, at the same time, learning languages is extremely gratifying. I have no wishes for the future, except to continue working on my own formation until the end.

“THE BEST OPPORTUNITIES ARE IN SETBACKS”

ANNEMARIE COLBIN, AUTHOR OF THE HEALING POWER OF FOOD

The essentials: A happy and healthy family. Good health and a well-functioning brain. Living in a place where I can pursue my dreams.
How I take care of myself: I use food as my best ally, preferring whenever I can whole, natural and organically grown foods. I regularly use alternative medicines such as acupuncture, phytotherapy or chiropractic.
An experience or wish: The best learning opportunities are found in life’s setbacks, challenges and difficulties. My wish for the future is that we recognize each other as beings learning lessons, and that we respect and appreciate our respective strengths and abilities to help build a better world.

“WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR OWN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING”

ANDREW WEIL, PHYSICIAN AND WRITER SPECIALIZING IN NATURAL THERAPIES

The essentials: The balance between work and leisure, activity and rest, the mental and the physical.
How I take care of myself: I take care of my own health by following the same advice that I give to others. I eat well (I grow and cook many of the foods in my diet), I swim or walk every day, I practice breathing exercises and meditation to reduce stress, I spend time in nature…
An experience or wish: The world seems more and more difficult as the years go by, so it is important to learn to protect and enhance your own well-being. Without health, everything else loses its value in life. We are responsible for our own health and well-being. And it is up to us to inform ourselves well about how to do it.

“I AM GRATEFUL TO FIND A LITTLE WISDOM”

MIHÁLY CSÍKSZENTMIHÁLYI, AUTHOR OF FLOW

The essentials: fresh air, good food. The company of my wife, my children and my grandchildren. Pay attention to what I think, without distractions.
How I take care of myself: In moderation. I am grateful to my organs for working well. I praise them often.
An experience or wish: When I was ten years old, World War II was ending and the world around me was falling apart. Since I don’t expect much since then, I am always grateful to find even a little bit of wisdom or intelligence. That’s why I like the scientific method: it requires skepticism but is always open to new discoveries.

“THE TRUTH DEMANDS TO LOOK WITHOUT FEAR”

GABOR MATÉ, PHYSICIAN AND AUTHOR OF THE PRICE OF STRESS.

The bottom line: Go in search of the truth, don’t settle for what is taken for granted. From a medical point of view, it is to look for the connection between apparently unconnected facts.
How I take care of myself: To stay healthy you have to attend to and balance the five pillars of health: physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual.
An experience or wish: The best teaching I have received and continue to receive from the Buddha, Jesus, the Sufi masters and spiritual warriors like Saint John of the Cross is that the truth of our individual lives, like that of the universe, demands that we look fearlessly into the future. the outer world, illuminated by a courageous inner reflection.

“I TRY TO LIVE FROM THE HEART MORE THAN FROM THE HEAD”

JANET BALASKAS, NATURAL CHILDBIRTH EXPERT

The essentials: Love, which begins at birth, when the hormones of natural childbirth infuse mother and baby with ecstatic levels of love and deep bonding.
How I take care of myself: Yoga connects me every day to inner stillness and the presence of a universal source of life. I love walking outdoors. I eat organic foods in moderation. I try to live from my heart rather than my head, and trust my intuition and instincts.
An experience or wish: My four children and my four grandchildren have taught me everything I know: I love to see life with the innocence of a child. My wish is that our society places greater value on love, human relationships and pregnant women.

“WHEN YOU GET UP FROM THE GROUND AFTER A FALL, YOU COME OUT STRONGER”

LLUIS SERRA-MAJEM, PRESIDENT OF THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET FOUNDATION

The essentials: Family and personal harmony.
How I take care of myself: With my diet, rest, exercise, a constructive attitude and nature.
An experience or wish: The best lessons come from the ability to rebuild from the ashes. When getting up from the ground after a fall, one comes out stronger. I experienced the loss of my daughter Yaiza, the worst of losses, and every day of my life that amputation strengthens me and gives me balance. It’s my secret vitamin. I like to sow an idea and see how it grows over time thanks to the efforts of many. In the Canary Islands, this process has left a clear message: what seemed inevitable (diabetes, obesity…) is no longer so! My best wish in this sense is to never lose illusion or hope.

“I TAKE THINGS AS THEY COME”

NAMKA RINPOCHE, TIBETAN LAMA

The Gist: My main goal is to explain to people how to practice patience or forgiveness, teach compassion and meditation.
How I take care of myself: I don’t do anything special to be healthy. I always pray to the Three Jewels so that whatever my past karma may come to me in this life. I take things as they come.
An experience or desire : I have understood that my own well-being must be secondary to that of others; and that, if you pursue your own happiness, you find suffering in this life and the next. My wish is that there are no wars or damage to the 4 elements and that all living beings find peace and happiness.

“I LOVE WORDS: DIALOGUE, A GOOD CONVERSATION, A GOOD BOOK”

ÁLEX ROVIRA, AUTHOR OF THE INNER COMPASS

The essential: Those whom I love and for whom I feel loved. Also nature. And finally, words: dialogue, a good conversation, a good book.
How I take care of myself: The physical dimension, through walking and swimming. The emotional, with psychoanalysis. The intellectual, reading about universes that interest me. The spiritual, generating moments of solitude for reflection and meditation.
An experience or wish: My wish for the future revolves around three elements that necessarily go together: love, awareness and peace. Our challenge is to cultivate these three dimensions to face the challenges through dialogue, cooperation and the systemic and ecological vision of reality.

“BEING HAPPY WITH LITTLE IS DIFFICULT; BEING HAPPY WITH A LOT IS IMPOSSIBLE”

JAUME ROSELLÓ, FIRST EDITOR OF INTEGRAL AND CUERPOMENTE MAGAZINES

The essential: Discover the mystery of the little things and their message. It is good for me to observe and select the thousands of daily thoughts and enjoy more often in the attempt to stop time. And the fight with the four enemies: fear, the clarity that appears after defeating it, the power that this clarity grants, and the temptation to rest after the task. Understanding that being happy with little is difficult, but being happy with a lot is impossible.
How I take care of myself : I follow a vegetarian diet without refined white sugar and with supplements (coenzyme Q-10, wheat germ, zinc, selenium…).
An experience or desire : That people can better handle the desires and images that we constantly create. That, after a bit of learning, everyone who wants to can make the first communion (the real one), because the psychedelic experience can be a good reference to live with more attention. And that we live pain as something inevitable, knowing that suffering is optional.

“HAVING BRAIN CANCER GAVE DEPTH TO MY LIFE”

DAVID SERVAN-SCHREIBER, PSYCHIATRIST AND AUTHOR OF ANTICANCER

The essentials: The deep connection in my relationships: with my partner, with my son, with my brothers, with my friends, with the people I work with. Relationships are what gives my life the most meaning. And I can’t conceive of a meaningless life…
How I take care of myself: I do some yoga and meditation every morning (often when I get up). I pay attention to everything I eat so that it is pleasurable, nourishes me and maintains my health. I bike to all my meetings and appointments, and I try to run or play squash when I can. I make sure my work makes sense to me. I also just breathe often, and deeply!
An experience or wish: At the age of 31 I found out that I had brain cancer. That changed my life forever. It gave it more depth and meaning, made it more exciting, and led me to a strong commitment to love and health. I am now 47 years old and much healthier and happier than before I had cancer…

“HAPPINESS IS NOT FOUND IN WHAT YOU WANT BUT IN WHAT WE HAVE WITH US”

JOAQUÍN MUÑOZ, REFLEX THERAPIST AT THE JOHAN CRUYFF FOUNDATION

The essential: True respect and commitment to oneself, being aware that true happiness is not found in what you want to achieve externally, but in what we have with us.
How I take care of myself: The way we eat and physical activity maintain our health, but the balance also depends on the mental or emotional balance, which can affect our physical fragility. Constructive reading, analytical reflection and personal values are also essential to maintain health.
An experience or wish: I spend a lot of time with children with significant disabilities. Their fragile and dependent lives have made me learn to value each moment of myself with their illusion, confidence, hope and strength. From here I want to say thank you to all of them for what you offer us and can offer today, tomorrow and always.

“LEARNING FROM CRISES TURNS THEM INTO OPPORTUNITIES”

RUEDIGER ÜAHLKE, AUTHOR OF ILLNESS AS A PATH

Bottom Line : First, the health and happiness of my 16-year-old daughter Naomi with Down syndrome. On a personal level, my spiritual development, my relationships and a conscious and healthy life.
How I take care of myself: I meditate daily and fast twice a year. I eat little and in a way adjusted to my nature and, of course, non-denatured foods.
An experience or wish: One day while practicing climbing I rushed and saw my whole life pass before my eyes, until the rope held me. I knew what my true priorities were. My wish is that we can all learn more from personal and collective crises, as they would become real opportunities.

“I WOULD LIKE US TO LEARN TO SEE AGE AS A PRIVILEGE”

MAGDA CARLAS, DOCTOR AND WRITER SPECIALIZING IN DIETETICS

The essentials: Know that you are living your life and not that of others or the one that has been planned for you or the one that should be. We are not taught to have our own criteria about the important things in life, but rather to follow what is established correctly.
How I take care of myself: I try to walk every day, go to the gym at least one or two days a week, eat salads and fruits daily and try to have a positive vision of things. And dance whenever I can…
An experience or wish: I would like all of us to learn, myself included, to know how to see age as a privilege and not as a problem. If we don’t change our perspective on this issue, having achieved such a long-lived society is useless… Of course, wishes, there are many more…

“SINCE I SLOWED DOWN I AM HAPPIER AND MORE PRODUCTIVE”

CARL HONORÉ, AUTHOR OF IN PRAISE OF SLOWNESS, IN PRAISE OF EXPERIENCE, AND UNDER PRESSURE

The essentials: Time to spend with family and friends, cooking and eating well, literature and art. And knowing that my books help some people lead a fuller and happier life.
How I take care of myself: I follow a balanced diet based on fresh products and real food, without caffeine. I run to and from the office (8 km in total); I play ice hockey, soccer and squash. I sleep a lot, I don’t work too much, and I take long, idle vacations.
An experience or wish: Since I slowed down my health has improved a lot, I feel much happier and I am much more productive.

“LOVE AND AFFECTION NOURISH ME PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY”

DANIEL MENÉ, ACUPUNCTURIST AND PRESIDENT OF THE NGO ACUPUNCTURE FOR THE WORLD

The essential: Try to move away from my certainties to keep myself open to the world and to others. This allows us to live harmoniously in the present and consider all human beings and all the moments of life as a gift.
How I take care of myself : I try to listen to what my body asks of me and treat it gently. I am convinced that the love and affection of my environment nourish me physically and psychologically. The yoga teacher and the meditation teacher accompany me on this path.
An experience or wish: Working as a doctor for an NGO during a civil war, I saw that hate and anger lead to the worst atrocities. These two feelings always generate a lot of suffering. We have to learn to manage them because they prevent us from being tolerant and growing as people.

“HOMEOPATHY PROVIDES PEACE AND BALANCE”

GEORGE VITHOULKAS, HOMEOPATHIC PHYSICIAN AND ALTERNATIVE NOBEL LAUREATE

The essentials: inner or mental peace and outer peace. And freedom, that capacity of internally disciplined people to free themselves from passions and at the same time be full of love, overcome selfishness and wisely and discreetly serve society.
How I take care of myself: At 77 years old I have never taken drugs. I live a simple life on an island and eat organic produce that I grow myself.
An experience or wish: I wish that medical authorities and governments integrate homeopathy, a wonderful science that provides balance and peace to people.

“YOUR OWN FREEDOM IS NOT ENOUGH: YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR EVERYONE’S”

JORGE BUCAY, WRITER, PSYCHOTHERAPIST AND EDITOR OF MENTE SANA

The essential: I choose freedom. Not only because I think it is one of the few things worth giving your life for, but because your own freedom is not enough, it is necessary to work for everyone’s.
How I take care of myself: I try to eat as healthy as I can (quite a challenge being the son of a woman who cooked the best oriental food there is), I stopped smoking 20 years ago and I walk two or three kilometers every day. Not to mention that I live in a small town, where too much never happens and the clock ticks less quickly.
An experience or wish: Two years ago I spoke in Mexico with Rigoberta Menchú. I was telling her how unsettling it is to live on guard in a competitive and hostile world, and she said, “What if, for one day, we all decided not to talk back?”

“THE LESS YOU THINK ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR PROBLEMS, THE BETTER OFF YOU’LL BE”

FRANCESC MIRALLES, SELF-HELP WRITER

The essentials: The things that money can’t buy, especially friends. Well accompanied, you can reach the end of the world.
How I take care of myself: I start the day with a liter of green tea. It’s my fuel while I answer the mail, write an article or the novel I’m working on.
An experience or wish: I am left with a very simple discovery: the less you think about yourself and your problems, the better off you will be. When you sincerely care about other people’s problems, your own traumas and dissatisfaction lose ground.

“FOR ME IT IS ESSENTIAL TO PUT LOVE IN EVERYTHING I DO”

JEAN SHINODA BOLEN, JUNGIAN PSYCHOANALYST AND AUTHOR OF THE GODDESSES OF EVERY WOMAN .

The bottom line: Put love and meaning into everything I do, the people I’m with, the place I live, and the way I manage my time. I laugh easily and often, and every time I see something beautiful I feel privileged, blessed.
How I take care of myself : I enjoy excellent health, perhaps through a combination of heredity and a feeling of gratitude.
An experience or desire : In the last third of my life I like to form women’s circles with a spiritual center. This is how we move towards the metaphorical “millionth circle”, which will create the critical mass for the feminine principle to be integrated into culture as a full-fledged partner of the masculine and put an end to patriarchy.