“Those in our lives who make the most meaningful and enduring contributions to who we are have dared to take their place among equals. The world stares in amazement at the glittering adornments of the ego, but only those who walk beside us in love and equality reach our hearts and transform us.”
–Hugh Prather, The Little Book of Letting Go, p. 20
We release our burdens and cares, and give ourselves the freedom to enjoy life in spite of our unsolved problems. We trust that all is well in spite of the conflicts. We trust that Someone greater than ourselves knows, has ordained, and cares about what is happening. We understand that this Someone can do much more to solve the problem than we can. So we try to stay out of His way and let Him do it. In time, we know that all is well because we see how the strangest (and sometimes most painful) things work out for the best and for the benefit of everyone.”
— Melody Beattie, Codependent No More, p. 57
“There are only three things you need to let go of: judging, controlling, and being right. Release these three, and you will have the whole mind and twinkly heart of a child”
— Hugh Prather, The Little Book of Letting Go, p. 17
“Detachment involves ‘present moment living’ — living in the here and now. We allow life to happen instead of forcing and trying to control it. We relinquish regrets over the past and fears about the future. We make the most of each day.”
— Melody Beattie, Codependent No More, p. 56
“The process of letting go of your more destructive emotions and darker impulses does not require tight control of the subject matter of your thoughts, although most people think it does. In fact, it doesn’t require control of your thoughts or feelings in any way. You are not at war with circumstances, your behavior, other people’s behavior, your feelings, other people’s feelings, your thoughts, or other people’s thoughts. You simply are not at war. It is just the reverse. Letting go is freedom. When you find yourself in a useless battle, you merely walk off the battlefield.”
— Hugh Prather, The Little Book of Letting Go, p. 10
“We try to live happily — focusing heroically on what is good in our lives today, and feeling grateful for that. We learn the magical lesson that making the most of what we have turns it into more.”
— Melody Beattie, Codependent No More, p. 56
“No one has ever been made more sensitive or more thoughtful by being judged, bullied, or frightened. Putting pressure on others doesn’t change their hearts. It merely engages us in a pointless conflict that splits our mind and muddles our emotions.”
— Hugh Prather, The Little Book of Letting Go, p. 9
“Ideally, detachment is releasing, or detaching from, a person or problem in love…. Detachment is based on the premises that each person is responsible for himself, that we can’t solve problems that aren’t ours to solve, and that worrying doesn’t help. We adopt a policy of keeping our hands off other people’s responsibilities and tend to our own instead. If people have created some disasters for themselves, we allow them to face their own proverbial music. We allow people to be who they are. we give them the freedom to be responsible and to grow. And we give ourselves the same freedom.”
— Melody Beattie, Codependent No More, p. 56
“We obviously can’t let go if we are waiting to be saved. Certainly there are real victims, but most of us put ourselves in this role needlessly. And we do it every day.
“When our goal is to maintain our sense of wholeness and connectedness regardless of what the day throws at us, we simply will not become a victim. Nothing is ‘beyond our control’ because we are not interested in control. We let the people and situations we encounter be who and what they are. We are not motivated to reform or remake them. This doesn’t mean we like how everyone behaves, nor does it mean that we fail to protect ourselves and loved ones from destructive people. But if we commit ourselves to changing even pleasant people when they don’t want to change, we instantly become victims of their reactions. Each little response to our efforts pulls at the strings of our emotions.”
— Hugh Prather, The Little Book of Letting Go, p. 8-9.
“Make your state of mind more important than what you are doing.”
— Hugh Prather, The Little Book of Letting Go, p. 7