Benjamin Hoff quotes

Lots of people talk to animals... Not very many listen, though... That's the problem. (Benjamin Hoff)
Cleverness, after all, has its limitations. Its mechanical judgments and clever remarks tend to prove inaccurate with passing time, because it doesn't look very deeply into things to begin with. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
The Christmas presents once opened are Not So Much Fun as they were while we were in the process of examining, lifting, shaking, thinking about, and opening them. Three hundred sixty-five days later, we try again and find that the same thing has happened. Each time the goal is reached, it becomes Not So Much Fun, and we're off to reach the next one, then the next one, then the next. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
Now, scholars can be very useful and necessary, in their own dull and unamusing way. They provide a lot of information. It's just that there is Something more, and that Something More is what life is really all about. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
Unfortunately complaining is one thing Eeyores are not afraid to do. They grudgingly carry their thimbles to the Fountain of Life, then mumble and grumble that they weren't given enough. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
Now one rather annoying thing about scholars is that they are always using Big Words that some of us can't understand...and one sometimes gets the impression that those intimidating words are there to keep us from understanding. That way, the scholars can appear Superior, and will not likely be suspected of Not Knowing Something. After all, from the scholarly point of view, it's practically a crime not to know everything. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
In order to take control of our lives and accomplish something of lasting value, sooner or later we need to Believe. We don't need to shift our responsibilities onto the shoulders of some deified Spiritual Superman, or sit around and wait for Fate to come knocking at the door. We simply need to believe in the power that's within us, and use it. When we do that, and stop imitating others and competing against them, things begin to work for us. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully. "Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever." "And he has Brain." "Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has Brain." There was a long silence. "I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
Things just happen in the right way, at the right time. At least when you let them, when you work with circumstances instead of saying, 'This isn't supposed to be happening this way,' and trying harder to make it happen some other way. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
You'd be surprised how many people violate this simple principle every day of their lives and try to fit square pegs into round holes, ignoring the clear reality that Things Are As They Are. (Benjamin Hoff)
If people were superior to animals, they'd take good care of them," said Pooh. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
A clever mind is not a heart. Knowledge doesn't really care, wisdom does. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
Like silence after noise, or cool, clear water on a hot, stuffy day, Emptiness cleans out the messy mind and charges up the batteries of spiritual energy. Many people are afraid of Emptiness, however, because it reminds them of Loneliness. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
Wisdom, Happiness, and Courage are not waiting somewhere out beyond sight at the end of a straight line; they're part of a continuous cycle that begins right here. They're not only the ending, but the beginning as well. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
The masters of life know the way, for they listen to the voice within them, the voice of wisdom and simplicity, the voice that reasons beyond cleverness and knows beyond knowledge. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
The main problem with this great obsession for saving time is very simple: you can't save time. You can only spend it. But you can spend it wisely or foolishly. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
The surest way to become Tense, Awkward, and Confused is to develop a mind that tries too hard - one that thinks too much. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
Sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet. That is the message of The Vinegar Tasters. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
When you know and respect your Inner Nature, you know where you belong. You also know where you don't belong. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
The play-it-safe pessimists of the world never accomplish much of anything, because they don't look clearly and objectively at situations, they don't recognize or believe in their own abilities to overcome even the smallest amount of risk. (Benjamin Hoff)
Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
No matter how useful we may be, sometimes it takes us a while to recognize our own value. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
The wise know their limitations; the foolish do not. View quote
Benjamin Hoff
A way of life that keeps saying 'Around the next corner, above the next step,' works against the natural order of things and makes it so difficult to be happy and good. View quote
Benjamin Hoff