"Everything we do is infused with the energy with which we do it. If we're frantic, life will be frantic. If we're peaceful, life will be peaceful."


Marianne Williamson

"We often figure that other people see the world in the same way we do and overestimate the degree to which they understand our approach and actions. Rather than making assumptions, ask for clarification."


Dr. Linda Tropp, psychologist

"When you spend that much time in [your dorm room], it really is worth it to take a little time and figure out what you can do that is inspirational to you and what is peaceful to you."


Nate Berkus

"I'm searching for calm all the time—that's why people come to me—and life is already a pattern. We create it with the shape of the furniture, the windows, the doors, the pillows, what we wear and the stuff we have. Unless you have a sure hand, adding a print to that can just make for more visual noise."


Barbara Barry, interior designer

"Practice deeply inhaling from your stomach. As you inhale, count to four slowly, thinking calm, peaceful thoughts."


Dr. Janet E. Taylor, LLuminari expert

"As you establish a meditation practice, remind yourself every now and then why you are doing it. It is easy to fall into a rote form of practice or, even worse, to feel self-righteous or trendy just because you take a few minutes out of your day to cultivate a quiet mind and an open heart. Remind yourself that you are practicing so that you can be a peaceful person, so that the truths you discover in meditation become the way you live your life."


Elizabeth Lesser

"Before, I thought uncluttering was just about cleaning your house, but it's so much more than cleaning. … We're sleeping better. We're getting more time to spend together. It's just a much more pleasant, calming, peaceful, sweet place to be that embodies the soul of our family, our marriage and our relationship with each other."


Patty, whose house was made over by Peter Walsh

"If peace is really what you want, then you will choose peace."


Eckhart Tolle

"Simple is hard to do. But when you get there, it's so liberating. It means taking away things to arrive at just the right elements. I have a chaotic brain, but here I feel calm and organized. It's a relief."


Eileen Fisher

"It goes without saying that if you've bitten off more than you can chew in a day, or in a lifetime, you'd better step back and change your circumstances, if at all possible. Let go of a few activities: Peace of mind is more important, and healthier, than those few extra accomplishments."


Norman Fischer, Zen teacher

"We all make mistakes; it's human. But when we hold fast to a grudge it eats away at our sense of peace and serenity. If you aren't willing to forgive, you might ask yourself what habit of ego you're attached to. Do you want to continue life with unresolved issues hanging over you?"


Kathy Freston, spiritual teacher

"It is from your peace of mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises."


A Course in Miracles

"My prayer for myself, my friends and the world is that we become ever more conscious—aware of our meaning and purpose. I pray for peaceful pauses within ourselves to acknowledge our gratitude for life and all its complexities."


Oprah

"If your home doesn't give you the peace and sense of focus you need, then you will definitely be stressed. Declutter and organize your personal spaces so that the home you have reflects the life you want."


Peter Walsh

"In the throes of new romance, our beastie brain is focused on bonding and mating, not food. Emotional eating? Who needs it? Staying active? No problem! ... Peaceful presence triggers the calm brain state that allows permanent weight loss."


Martha Beck

"I wanted to be enough, just me, without accomplishments, without flat abs, without flirting in the frozen food aisle. I wanted to feel —in my bones, my soul, my self—worthy. So I set out on a quest to find my value on the inside, hoping also to find serenity and, at long last, peace."


Janine Latus, author

"I think peace is more than the absence of violence. We can proactively—through the propagation of justice and brotherhood—create a more peaceful world."


Marianne Williamson

"Compassion is the key to tranquility and peace of mind. But how can you be compassionate toward others when you yourself are suffering?"


Oprah

"Because gratitude expresses courage, it spreads calm."


Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk

"Thanks to nearly 48 years at the big dance, a million mistakes, and one extraordinary psychiatrist, I've finally achieved the occasional touch of clarity. I'm getting to be resourceful. I'm getting to be resilient, and I hope that on my better days, I'm getting to be a little more calm, a little more contemplative, a little more compassionate."


Lisa Kogan

"There are lots of ways to bring joy, happiness, peace, laughter, hope and comfort into your life, and they cost absolutely nothing. They are free. There is no charge."


Sandra Magsamen

"Remaining conscious of your breathing, keep it slow and steady—that will go a long way in helping you stay calm."


Kathryn Matthews, writer for O, The Oprah Magazine

"Cool colors are serene and peaceful."


Nate Berkus

"A truthful explanation is your best shot at rebuilding a strong, peaceful relationship."


Martha Beck

"People think of conflict resolution as just finding the right compromise; but from our work, we know you can make it a win-win situation."


Dr. Linda Woolf, pyschologist

"[When renovating], select neutral colors and natural fibers. They consistently feel clean and will help create a peaceful environment."


Vatleen Van Roost, who renovated her Hamptons home

"Sustaining a happy domestic life requires a resilient support system. And maintaining that network is imperative, by either spending a few minutes every day in peaceful solitude or having coffee with friends. You'll be in a much better position to handle a career crisis, the death of your goldfish or a near-lethal PMS attack without stressing your new roomie beyond all human endurance."


Martha Beck

"Pay attention to what you are thinking, and then decide if those are thoughts that are creating the kind of life you want created. And if it's not, then change your thoughts. It's really that easy."

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, brain scientist and author

"We have to make peace an attitude. Then we have to make it a habit. Finally, we must decide to live peace, to share it around the world—not just talk about it. ... Nobody ever got anywhere by sitting around, right?"

Mattie Stepanek, poet and philosopher

"We must teach people that when they've been wronged, they must talk to their enemies and resolve their differences for the sake of peace."


Nelson Mandela

"If I can quiet down my natural mind—which wants, needs and has judgments—I can start to understand that it's not me, but it's there to serve me through meditation and contemplation. … You can't start to change unless you really know the nature of your mind."


Peter Rhodes, spiritualist