The act of contemplation creates the thing contemplated. ~ Isaac D'israeli

People who have read a good deal rarely make great discoveries. I do not say this in excuse of laziness, but because invention presupposes an extensive independent contemplation of things. ~ Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Without deep reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people. ~ Albert Einstein

The man incapable of contemplation cannot be an artist, but only a skillful workman. ~ Ananda K. Coomaraswamy

What we plant in the soil of contemplation we shall reap in the harvest of action. ~ Meister Eckhart

There is no art without contemplation. ~ Robert Henri

When the wisest rests his mind in contemplation on our God beyond time, who invisibly dwells in the mystery of things and the heart of man, then he rises above pleasures and sorrow. ~ The Upanishads

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. ~ Rachel Carson

The only journey is the one within. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

It's so hard when contemplated in advance, and so easy when you do it. ~ Robert M. Pirsig

Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them. ~ David Hume

A Buddhist exercise, called Naikan self-reflection, asks people to ponder daily: "What have I received from…? What have I given to…? and What trouble have I caused…?" ~ Melinda Beck

Do something today that reflects who you are, what you are capable of, what you care about. Give yourself plenty of evidence of what you can do, and you will not doubt your abilities to do anything. ~ David Niven

Too often we elevate the inconsequential into the influential… by reacting without reflecting. ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach