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One Minute Wisdom
In more than two hundred parables and lessons, Anthony de Mello points the way toward new levels of harmony, wisdom, and enlightenment. Rooted in the spirit of the Gospel, de Mello's messages span the mystical traditions of both East and West.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
212 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
196 people are currently reading
929 people want to read
About the author
Anthony de Mello
174 books995 followersAnthony de Mello was a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist who became widely known for his books on spirituality. An internationally acclaimed spiritual guide, writer and public speaker, de Mello hosted many spiritual conferences.
The few talks which he allowed to be filmed, such as "A Rediscovery of Life" and "A Way to God for Today," have inspired many viewers and audiences throughout the United States, Canada, and Central America. De Mello established a prayer center in India. He died suddenly in 1987. His works are readily available and additional writings were published after his death.
In 1998, some of his opinions were condemned by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI, wrote for the Congregation:
"But already in certain passages in [his] early works and to a greater degree in his later publications, one notices a progressive distancing from the essential contents of the Christian faith. ... With the present Notification, in order to protect the good of the Christian faithful, this Congregation declares that the above-mentioned positions are incompatible with the Catholic faith and can cause grave harm."
Some editions of his books have since been supplemented with the insertion of a caution:
"The books of Father Anthony de Mello were written in a multi-religious context to help the followers of other religions, agnostics and atheists in their spiritual search, and they were not intended by the author as manuals of instruction of the Catholic faithful in Christian doctrine or dogma."
The few talks which he allowed to be filmed, such as "A Rediscovery of Life" and "A Way to God for Today," have inspired many viewers and audiences throughout the United States, Canada, and Central America. De Mello established a prayer center in India. He died suddenly in 1987. His works are readily available and additional writings were published after his death.
In 1998, some of his opinions were condemned by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI, wrote for the Congregation:
"But already in certain passages in [his] early works and to a greater degree in his later publications, one notices a progressive distancing from the essential contents of the Christian faith. ... With the present Notification, in order to protect the good of the Christian faithful, this Congregation declares that the above-mentioned positions are incompatible with the Catholic faith and can cause grave harm."
Some editions of his books have since been supplemented with the insertion of a caution:
"The books of Father Anthony de Mello were written in a multi-religious context to help the followers of other religions, agnostics and atheists in their spiritual search, and they were not intended by the author as manuals of instruction of the Catholic faithful in Christian doctrine or dogma."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 6, 2022
Don’t look for God,” the Master said. “Just look—and all will be revealed.”
“But how is one to look?”
“Each time you look at anything, see only what is there and nothing else.”
The disciples were bewildered, so the Master made it simpler: “For instance: When you look at the moon, see the moon and nothing else.”
“What else could one see except the moon when one looks at the moon?”
“A hungry person could see a ball of cheese. A lover, the face of his beloved.”
“But how is one to look?”
“Each time you look at anything, see only what is there and nothing else.”
The disciples were bewildered, so the Master made it simpler: “For instance: When you look at the moon, see the moon and nothing else.”
“What else could one see except the moon when one looks at the moon?”
“A hungry person could see a ball of cheese. A lover, the face of his beloved.”
April 7, 2024
niektóre nie miały dla mnie sensu, z niektórymi się nie zgadzam, inne mnie rozbawiły, większość jednak bardzo mi się podobała, więc ogólnie polecam, jeśli ktoś miałby chęć na nieco filozoficznych rozważań
June 30, 2019
You can read any page more than once and learn something new every time. Another book which awakens you.
Enjoyed it - strongly recommended to all, especially those disappointed with rituals.
Enjoyed it - strongly recommended to all, especially those disappointed with rituals.
October 1, 2019
Super faină cartea. Și super felicitări lui De Mello că a adunat la un loc povestioarele astea atât de scurte și atât de pline de semnificație. E incredibil ce schimbări de perspectivă pot să producă doar 1-2 minute de citit pe zi (că nu ai nevoie de mai mult ca să citești o povestioară din cartea asta). Și super mulțumesc Universului că mi-a trimis-o :)
October 24, 2016
O tyle lepsze od "Potęgi podświadomości" (spójnego wykładu pewnej wątpliwej doktryny), że można tę książkę traktować jako źródło krótkich, inspirujących, momentami naprawdę interesujących myśli/aforyzmów.
February 12, 2008
Small doses of thought-provoking wisdom.
March 22, 2020
Thoughtful, lightly humorous Zen parables by a Jesuit priest.
I certainly wouldn’t pick this as someone's first Anthony de Mello book to read (that would be "Awareness"), and the gimmick wears thin in places, but there's still much genius here. In short, he writes more than 200 short entries that claim to convey the wisdom of a master interacting with his disciples and various visitors.
Here are a couple of quotes I found memorable: "A thought is a screen, not a mirror." And another one that gives a hint at why the Catholic Church had to release a statement saying that his teachings are not in sync with the Church's: "Religion as practiced today deals in punishments and rewards. In other words, it breeds fear and greed—the two things most destructive of spirituality."
Below are two complete "chapters" to give a feel for the book:
MODERATION
Again and again the Master would be seen to discourage his disciples from depending on him, for this would prevent them from contacting the inner Source.
He was often heard to say, “Three things there are that when too close are harmful, when too far are useless and are best kept at middle distance: fire, the government and the guru.”
INVOLVEMENT
The Master, while being gracious to all his disciples, could not conceal his preference for those who lived in the “world”—the married, the merchants, the farmers—over those who lived in the monastery.
When he was confronted about this, he said, “Spirituality practiced in the state of activity is incomparably superior to that practiced in the state of withdrawal.”
Grade: A-
I certainly wouldn’t pick this as someone's first Anthony de Mello book to read (that would be "Awareness"), and the gimmick wears thin in places, but there's still much genius here. In short, he writes more than 200 short entries that claim to convey the wisdom of a master interacting with his disciples and various visitors.
Here are a couple of quotes I found memorable: "A thought is a screen, not a mirror." And another one that gives a hint at why the Catholic Church had to release a statement saying that his teachings are not in sync with the Church's: "Religion as practiced today deals in punishments and rewards. In other words, it breeds fear and greed—the two things most destructive of spirituality."
Below are two complete "chapters" to give a feel for the book:
MODERATION
Again and again the Master would be seen to discourage his disciples from depending on him, for this would prevent them from contacting the inner Source.
He was often heard to say, “Three things there are that when too close are harmful, when too far are useless and are best kept at middle distance: fire, the government and the guru.”
INVOLVEMENT
The Master, while being gracious to all his disciples, could not conceal his preference for those who lived in the “world”—the married, the merchants, the farmers—over those who lived in the monastery.
When he was confronted about this, he said, “Spirituality practiced in the state of activity is incomparably superior to that practiced in the state of withdrawal.”
Grade: A-
April 5, 2020
Imagine you met a sage well-versed in all the religious traditions (Taoism, Christian, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.), knowledgeable of modern psychology and some philosophy, and gave 1 minute nuggets of wisdom. Well, that's this book. Much of the sayings are perplexing, some frustrating. But I found it delightful. Plenty to ponder and discuss. I plan to check out some of his other books.
Here were some of my favorites:
"Wisdom tends to grow in proportion to one's awareness of one's ignorance." -- "When you come to see you are not as wise today as you thought you were yesterday, you are wiser today."
"The divine is only found in the ordinary." -- "Holiness is a mysterious thing: The greater it is, the less it is noticed."
"What action shall I perform to attain God?"
"If you wish to attain God, there are two things you must know. The first is that all efforts to attain him are of no avail."
"And the second?"
"You must act as if you did not know the first."
"Are there ways for gauging one's spiritual strength?"
"Many."
"Give us one."
"Find out how often you become disturbed in the course of a single day."
..."Why is it that the West has material progress and the East has spirituality?"
"Because"... "when provisions for this world were being handed out..., the West had the first choice."
Here were some of my favorites:
"Wisdom tends to grow in proportion to one's awareness of one's ignorance." -- "When you come to see you are not as wise today as you thought you were yesterday, you are wiser today."
"The divine is only found in the ordinary." -- "Holiness is a mysterious thing: The greater it is, the less it is noticed."
"What action shall I perform to attain God?"
"If you wish to attain God, there are two things you must know. The first is that all efforts to attain him are of no avail."
"And the second?"
"You must act as if you did not know the first."
"Are there ways for gauging one's spiritual strength?"
"Many."
"Give us one."
"Find out how often you become disturbed in the course of a single day."
..."Why is it that the West has material progress and the East has spirituality?"
"Because"... "when provisions for this world were being handed out..., the West had the first choice."
January 21, 2023
The book contains less than 300 short stories. The book contains 190 pages to read.
The book was published in 1985 (almost 40 years ago).
Some stories are interesting, and some funny, some more religious oriented, some to me a little bit outdating as the study of the brain in these last 40 years evolved a lot, some already heard on self-help coaching, some very hard for me to understand as there was no in majority explication to what the story was telling us, especially the old religious ones.
Even though the book contains only 190 pages to read, it is very slow to read, as the reader needs to reflect each story after reading it and cannot read a lot of content during a day.
The book was published in 1985 (almost 40 years ago).
Some stories are interesting, and some funny, some more religious oriented, some to me a little bit outdating as the study of the brain in these last 40 years evolved a lot, some already heard on self-help coaching, some very hard for me to understand as there was no in majority explication to what the story was telling us, especially the old religious ones.
Even though the book contains only 190 pages to read, it is very slow to read, as the reader needs to reflect each story after reading it and cannot read a lot of content during a day.
April 30, 2021
Un om a traversat munţii şi mările pentru a se convinge personal de autenticitatea faimosului Maestru.
- Ce miracole a făcut Maestrul tău? l-a întrebat el pe un discipol.
- Ei bine, există miracole şi miracole. În ţara din care vii tu, oamenii consideră un miracol când Dumnezeu împlineşte voinţa cuiva. În ţara noastră, se consideră un miracol atunci când cineva împlineşte voinţa lui Dumnezeu.
- Ce miracole a făcut Maestrul tău? l-a întrebat el pe un discipol.
- Ei bine, există miracole şi miracole. În ţara din care vii tu, oamenii consideră un miracol când Dumnezeu împlineşte voinţa cuiva. În ţara noastră, se consideră un miracol atunci când cineva împlineşte voinţa lui Dumnezeu.
July 16, 2025
This book consists of a few hundred brief snippets of conversation between an unidentified "master" and his followers. While de Mello himself was a Jesuit priest, there are clear currents of Buddhist and Taoist spirituality, I found that they are aligned with Christian thinking. It is a blend of Western and Eastern mystical traditions. Although it must be said that the "master" often sounds opposed to organized religion itself. Delightful read.
November 14, 2020
Thousands of minutes of widom
Anthony De Mello serves up his richest fare ever in this lovely book.
It requires such discipline of me to patiently sit with one brief insight when
I so want to read Pell mell through the whole text non-stop. Yes, this book
will be a mainstay of my meditation sources. Thanks, Tony.
Anthony De Mello serves up his richest fare ever in this lovely book.
It requires such discipline of me to patiently sit with one brief insight when
I so want to read Pell mell through the whole text non-stop. Yes, this book
will be a mainstay of my meditation sources. Thanks, Tony.
March 30, 2021
Perfect for those very full days
My "go to" book for days that are filled to the brim. It helps settle my being and allows me to continue with the tasks of the day with a sense of the presence of the Devine .
My "go to" book that fulfilled my neede Spritual
I
My "go to" book for days that are filled to the brim. It helps settle my being and allows me to continue with the tasks of the day with a sense of the presence of the Devine .
My "go to" book that fulfilled my neede Spritual
I
January 10, 2026
Dieses Buch habe ich vor einigen Jahren von meiner Oma geschenkt bekommen. Es enthält alte Weisheiten aus denen man im jeden Alter etwas lernen kann. Da ich Jiu jitsu betreibe, interessiert mich auch die japanische Zen Kultur in der viele dieser Meister-Schüler Geschichten beheimatet sind. In kleinen Portionen genießen und drüber nachdenken/sich austauschen.
November 9, 2018
Te ilumina
Al leerlo me cayeron muchos veintes de cosas que he vivido, encontrando errores y aciertos y definitivamente detonando una búsqueda pafa vivir mejor y compartirlo con otros.
Al leerlo me cayeron muchos veintes de cosas que he vivido, encontrando errores y aciertos y definitivamente detonando una búsqueda pafa vivir mejor y compartirlo con otros.
October 17, 2023
Deep one-page long life parables. Tinder for self-reflection.
That said, if you’re new to Anthony de Mello, I’d suggest starting with one of his other books, e.g. “Awareness” or “Stop Fixing Yourself”. If you’re convinced, you can come back to this book.
That said, if you’re new to Anthony de Mello, I’d suggest starting with one of his other books, e.g. “Awareness” or “Stop Fixing Yourself”. If you’re convinced, you can come back to this book.
December 28, 2024
It somehow did not work for me. I like his stories but here it felt a bit repetitive and not really making me think or making me try to change something about my life.
It does not necessarily mean the book is bad, it just did not work for me so I wanted to be honest in my review.
It does not necessarily mean the book is bad, it just did not work for me so I wanted to be honest in my review.
July 1, 2018
Finally finished reading the book, though I wished it to be impossibly never-ending. Each page is illuminating, beautiful and close to the Heart.
March 30, 2019
Wonderful
May 17, 2019
Incredibly beautiful, filled with humble and easy to understand parables oriented towards enlightment.
August 16, 2019
Maravillosos cuentos cortos para reflexionar y valorar lo sencillo.
August 1, 2020
Thought-provoking, very brief gems appropriate for daily meditation.
August 10, 2020
Unexpected and delightful book
Read about it on the Tim Ferris newsletter
Read about it on the Tim Ferris newsletter
May 20, 2023
I enjoy reading a passage only to be struck with the perception that I never thought of it that way.
July 5, 2023
Soul enriching.
The best thing I’ve read in a while.
The best thing I’ve read in a while.
November 24, 2023
inaspettatamente mi è piaciuto molto!
March 15, 2024
Too “ minute”
April 6, 2024
Interesante los diferentes consejos que el autor brinda....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2019
Wonderful book. Congratulations to the author for putting together these short and meaningful stories. It's amazing what powerful mindset shifts can be achieved by reading only 1-2 minutes per day (because you don't need more time to read one story and you don't need to read more than one story per day).
September 17, 2023
If you take the time to really read the book how it should be, than at the end you'll come to realize how less you know about the world and people and much more you have to learn. That is why i would recommend, if you finished it, reread it but go randomly and in page order. It truly is an enlightening book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews