If you want to have useful thoughts, here’s a rule of thumb: Only think about things you can control. That automatically eliminates about 99% of your thoughts because there’s very little you control in life.

If you tell yourself you don’t want to think a certain thought, that is precisely the first thing your mind will produce! That is the nature of the human mind.

Your mind can only hold one thought at a time. Make it a positive and constructive one.

Most often, the reason something is on your mind is that you want it to be different than it currently is,

Thought creates the space between the thinker and his thoughts, and then tells himself, “I am looking at my thoughts.

On the left: A mush of useless thoughts: Worry, stress, suffering, confusion, not knowing what to do. On the right: ONE straight thought that has a (single) useful purpose. I wanted to start using my mind as a tool.

Would I rather be having this thought now, or would I rather have my peace?

Always remember, child,’ her first teacher had impressed on her, ‘that to think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral you down into ever-increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline — training — is about.

Feelings, and feelings, and feelings. Let me try thinking instead.

Thoughts should serve a useful purpose. If they don’t, they’re useless. That’s straight thinking.

I try not to think too much. Like other things now, thought must be rationed

Always remember, child,’ her first teacher had impressed on her, ‘that to think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral you down into ever-increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort.

My thought is me: that's why I can't stop. I exist because I think...and I can't stop myself from thinking. At this very moment, it's frightful, if I exist, it is because I am horrified at existing. I am the one who pulls myself from the nothingness to which I aspire: the hatred, the disgust of existing, there are as many ways to make myself exist, to thrust myself into existence. Thoughts are born at the back of me, like sudden giddiness, I feel them being born behind my head...if I yield, they're going to come round in front of me, between my eyes, and I always yield, the thought grows and grows and there it is, immense, filling me completely and renewing my existence.

Be discriminating about what images and ideas you permit into your mind. If you yourself don’t choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the highest.