89 Reality Quotes To Be More Rational And Grounded

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.

Here are 89 of the best reality quotes I could find. What’s the goal? To make you more serene and make you realize that reality can be your best teacher. You’ll discover quotes by Plato, Nietzsche, Alan Watts, and more. Enjoy!

reality quotes clear thinkers take feedback society naval ravikant wisdom

Clear thinkers take feedback from reality, not society. Naval Ravikant

reality quotes created mind can change changing mind plato wisdom

Reality is created by the mind, we can change our reality by changing our mind. Plato

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The only reality is in front of you. All else is an illusion. Maxime Lagacé

When we stop opposing reality, action becomes simple, fluid, kind, and fearless. Byron Katie

Everything’s exactly as it should be and cannot, in fact, be otherwise. Jed McKenna

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When I didn’t resist, I could see the world. Pema Chödrön

We don’t see things as they are – we see them as we expect them to be. Adam Grant

It all depends on you. You can go on sleeping forever, or you can wake up right this moment. Osho

Be silent and watch the world of delusions melt away. B. D. Schiers

Your consciousness is actually experiencing your mental model of reality, not reality itself. Michael A. Singer (The Untethered Soul)

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Within the stillness of meditation we see the unreality of thought. Jack Kornfield

Only the present moment is real. Thich Nhat Hanh

If you wanna hear the truth you’ve got to be prepared to be hurt a little bit. Naval Ravikant

Reality can be brutal, but it’s also the best teacher. Maxime Lagacé

It cannot be simpler; you are asleep and you can wake up. Jed McKenna

Related

A few thoughts on reality…

Have you heard the following quote before?

“People will do more to avoid pain than they will do to gain pleasure.” -Tony Robbins

Now,

do you have an idea why we do this?

The answer is simple: it’s because most of us are lazy.

It’s also because most of us hate change so we prefer to play defensive.

But it’s a dangerous game.

When we avoid facing reality and facing things for what they truly are, we simply delay what we will inevitably have to deal with later.

Sometimes it even makes our future circumstances worse.

That’s why we must face reality as it is, good or bad, right now. That’s why it’s vital to be responsible and courageous human beings.

Escaping is the easy route that leads nowhere. Facing reality, facing life, is what will ultimately make you free.

Those who told you life would be easy and without challenges lied to you.

Be brave and take things as they are.

Deal?

The Best Reality Quotes

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Wisdom starts when you realize reality is not against you. Maxime Lagacé

There are 7.8 billion versions of reality. Brian Norgard

One idea I try to dispel right off the bat with people […], is this idea that life can be roses all the time. In my opinion, that’s both an unrealistic and immature view. We evolved to survive, not to feel good all the time. Mark Manson

There is nothing more important than understanding how reality works and how to deal with it. Ray Dalio

So long as you can be persuaded that there is something more that you ought to be than you are, you have divided yourself from reality. Alan Watts

Recognize reality even when you don’t like it – especially when you don’t like it. Charlie Munger

If you see the world accurately, it’s bound to be humorous, because it’s ridiculous. Charlie Munger

Reality is that which, when you stop believing it, doesn’t go away. Philip K. Dick

The reality is great highs, terrible lows and unrelenting stress. Don’t think people want to hear about the last two. Elon Musk

You are always wrong to think you deserve anything. The reality is not fair. The reality simply is. @orangebook_

Reality doesn’t care about your plans. @orangebook_

To see the world for what it is, not what it was, is a superpower. Brian Norgard

Acceptance of reality is better than delusional positivity. @dailyzen

Loneliness is not cured by human company. Loneliness is cured by contact with reality. Anthony de Mello

Those who try for bold things must perpetually occupy a cognitive dichotomy: to observe reality ruthlessly, but to never accept it. Angela Jiang

It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane. Philip K. Dick

People who are scared of themselves escape through stimulation and illusions. Maxime Lagacé

At the heart of every frustration lies a basic structure: the collision of a wish with an unyielding reality. Alain de Botton

Life will never conform to all of our desires. Ever. Mark Manson

The longer we wait to deal with reality the bigger the price tag. Shane Parrish

Our plans never turn out as tasty as reality. Ram Dass

Part 2. Reality Quotes That Are…

The Most Famous Reality Quotes

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Searching for a famous reality quote or author? Check out those by Nietzsche, George Orwell, Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hanh, etc.

Reality is not neat, not obvious, not what you expect. C.S. Lewis

If we choose, we can live in a world of comforting illusion. Noam Chomsky

The past gives you an identity and the future holds the promise of salvation, of fulfillment in whatever form. Both are illusions. Eckhart Tolle

If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place. Primary reality is within; secondary reality without. Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now, Amazon book)

At a certain point, you can become so enchanted with the symbols that you entirely confuse them with the reality. The menu is not the meal. Alan Watts

Plato is a coward before reality, consequently he flees into the ideal. Friedrich Nietzsche

To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle. George Orwell

As long as you have certain desires about how it ought to be you can’t see how it is. Ram Dass

Life is transient and the material world is but an illusion; only love is real. Russell Brand

The contemplation of things as they are, without substitution or imposture, without error or confusion, is in itself a nobler thing than a whole harvest of invention. Francis Bacon

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Since the past is unreal and the future is unreal, all your thoughts are about nothing. Byron Katie

We form mental concepts of our home, trees, other people, the electricity that flows from wall sockets, atoms, molecules, and other universes. These mental concepts are the only reality we can know. Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow (The Grand Design)

I came to embrace reality with all my heart. Byron Katie

The ego‘s job is to trick “you” out of touch with reality. Byron Katie

It is very important that we do not try to run away from our painful feelings. We can recognize, accept, embrace, and look deeply. Thich Nhat Hanh

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is. Thich Nhat Hanh

Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality. Ralph Marston

Inspirational Reality Quotes

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Surround yourself with more people who have the reality you want. Gal Shapira

The art of meditation is a way of getting into touch with reality. And the reason for it is that most civilized people are out of touch with reality because they confuse the world as it is with the world as they think about it, and talk about it, and describe it. Alan Watts

Amateurs believe that the world should work the way they want it to. Professionals realize that they have to work with the world as they find it. Shane Parrish

I want to make sure that everything I feel is real. David Goggins

Our beliefs are what create our experiences. As we change our beliefs, we alter our perception, our version of reality. Iyanla Vanzant

Don’t cling to whatever plane of reality you’re in, including this one, because a free being is not bound by any plane of reality whatsoever. Ram Dass

Wherever you are, be it at the beginning of the journey, well on your way, or resting comfortably at some height, you must acknowledge where you are, for that is the key to further growth. Ram Dass

We have to continue to learn. We have to be open. And we have to be ready to release our knowledge in order to come to a higher understanding of reality. Thich Nhat Hanh

Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality. Nikos Kazantsakis

The best persuaders modify the story in real time to overtake your reality. And they never look like persuaders. Angela Jiang

Often the object of a desire, when desire is transformed into hope, becomes more real than reality itself. Umberto Eco

The difference between the expert and the average in any field is the speed at which they adapt to reality. Shane Parrish

Reality is only available to the one who does not reject it. James Pierce

Wise Reality Quotes

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Inner peace comes once you stop rejecting reality. Maxime Lagacé

You are a hostage to your own perception. Shane Parrish

Problems only exist in your mind, not in reality. Dan Koe

We perceive reality based on how our brain is wired. Joe Dispenza

You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality. Ayn Rand

Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. George Orwell

When there is an observation and thought interferes with that observation as image, there is distortion and illusion. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Reality is just a dream that one can never awaken from. Thibaut

The image of perfection is what keeps you from seeing it. Naval Ravikant

The world just reflects your own feelings back at you. Reality is neutral. Reality has no judgments. To a tree, there is no concept of right or wrong, good or bad. You’re born, you have a whole set of sensory experiences and stimulations (lights, colors, and sounds), and then you die. How you choose to interpret them is up to you — you have that choice. Naval Ravikant

You will never write a perfect book. You will never build a perfect product. You will never meet a perfect partner. You will never lead a perfect life. Throw away your ideals. Perfect only exists in your mind. Reality is imperfect. And it’s perfect as it is. @orangebook_

Once our delusions are destroyed they are unable to cause us any more harm. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Recognize and adapt to the true nature of the world around you; don’t expect it to adapt to you. Charlie Munger

We live in illusion, but there is a reality and we are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That’s all there is. Kalu Rinpoche