Anthony De Mellon Top 5 Sayings

Anthony de Mello was born on September 4, 1931 in Mumbai, India, but unlike most of his compatriots, he was Catholic. In fact, he served as a priest in the order of the Jesuits. He then moved to the United States and traveled around the world, making him a well-known figure for his sermons and books on spirituality.

Many of Anthony de Mello’s utterances cannot be tied to a particular culture or belief. Indeed, he has embraced elements of Eastern religions and confused them with the Catholic and at the same time social message. While his way of thinking proved controversial to some, the truth is that millions of people around the world have benefited from his teachings. These are some of his most remembered sayings.

1. One of Anthony de Mello’s most memorable utterances

This is without a doubt one of Anthony de Mello’s most quoted and remembered sentences: “Happiness cannot depend on events. How you react to events makes you suffer. ”

As we can see, Eastern philosophies have a powerful influence on this utterance. It reminds us that realities are not sources of happiness or suffering. This only depends on our own inner world. That is why the most important thing is how we react to these events, not the events themselves.

2. Other people act as our mirrors

Another of Anthony de Mello’s statements is, “You don’t see people and things as they are, but as you are.” This statement reiterates once again that everything depends on each person’s own perception and how they build their world.

This sentence reminds us of something that psychoanalysis also talks about a lot: projection mechanisms. It is our own gaze that gives shape to everything we see.

3. This is enlightenment

Enlightenment is one of those concepts that is repeated over and over again in Anthony de Mello’s utterances. They give it a meaning similar to that which Buddhism has given to enlightenment. Indeed, enlightenment is the awakening of deep consciousness that allows us to be in touch with reality in a much more authentic way.

In this respect, Anthony de Mello has said: “Enlightenment is: absolute cooperation with the inevitable.” It’s a beautiful way to express that the clarity comes from accepting things as they are. In fact, we don’t just have to accept them, we have to “work together” with them. In other words, we let them be and join in their dynamics.

4. Connection to nature

The following statement reflects our current life in cities: “When you are too far from nature, your soul dries up and dies because it is violently separated from its own roots”.

This is a very interesting statement, as one of the main sources of stress in cities is precisely this alienation from nature. Therefore, many modern methods of treatment encourage people to seek contact with other living beings to recover from the disease or symptoms.

5. Modern drugs

This is one of the phrases of Anthony de Mello that describes several evils of our society today. It says, “Acceptance, Success, Praise, and Appreciation are drugs that society has made us drug addicted to, and because we don’t always have them within our reach, our suffering is terrible.”

The clarity of this statement is surprising. Let us remember that Anthony de Mello died in 1987, in other words, he was never able to witness the massive growth of the new technology. In his previous sentence, however, he anticipates the new style adopted by human relations. It also warns us about these new forms of addiction, which ultimately only lead to suffering.

Anthony de Mello was much more than the author of several bestsellers. The clarity and kindness with which he brought forth his teachings have made him one of the greatest guides in our world today. He is inspired by a deep faith in love as the source of everything and a belief that words can also change the world. For this reason, the above 5 great sayings from this Jesuit priest and author can teach us all something about life, happiness, suffering, and relationships, whether we came from any culture or religion.