Meditation is not about building walls against thought Meaning Factcheck Usage

Meditation is not about building walls against thought… it’s actually the complete opposite. This quote flips the common misconception on its head, revealing that true meditation is about developing a relaxed awareness where thoughts simply come and go.

Share Image Quote:

Table of Contents

• Meaning
• Explanation
• Origin & Factcheck
• Context
• Usage Examples
• FAQ

Meaning

The core message is that meditation isn’t a battle to empty your mind, but a practice of observing your thoughts with detachment, letting them flow by without getting tangled up in them.

Explanation

Look, here’s the thing most people get wrong when they start. They sit down, try to “not think,” and when a thought inevitably pops in, they see it as a failure. They build this wall of concentration, trying to block everything out. And it’s exhausting.

What Goleman is pointing to is a much more subtle, and honestly, more powerful skill. It’s about shifting from being in the thought to being the awareness behind the thought. You notice the thought—”oh, I need to buy milk”—and instead of following that thread to your shopping list, you just gently let it dissolve. You don’t push it away. You don’t invite it in for coffee. You just acknowledge it and return to your anchor, your breath. That’s the real practice. It’s mental fitness.

Quote Summary

Context	Attributes
Original Language	English (3681)
Category	Spiritual (229)
Topics	acceptance (73), awareness (126), thoughts (29)
Literary Style	minimalist (443)
Emotion / Mood	calm (492), reflective (382)
Overall Quote Score	71 (55)

Origin & Factcheck

This gem comes directly from Daniel Goleman’s 1988 book, The Meditative Mind: The Varieties of Meditative Experience. It’s a key text where he was synthesizing scientific research with meditative traditions long before his work on Emotional Intelligence blew up. You sometimes see this idea misattributed to random spiritual influencers, but the core articulation here is firmly Goleman’s.

Attribution Summary

Context	Attributes
Author	Daniel Goleman (125)
Source Type	Book (4043)
Source/Book Name	The Meditative Mind: The Varieties of Meditative Experience (60)
Origin Timeperiod	Modern (540)
Original Language	English (3681)
Authenticity	Verified (4043)

Where is this quotation located?

Quotation	Meditation is not about building walls against thought but about learning to let thoughts pass without holding on to them
Book Details	Publication Year/Date: 1977 (originally as The Varieties of Meditative Experience, revised 1988 as The Meditative Mind); ISBN: 9780874778335; Last Edition: Tarcher/Putnam 1988; Number of pages: 320.
Where is it?	Approximate page from 1988 edition, Chapter 2: The Psychology of Meditation

Context

Goleman was writing this book as a kind of grand tour of meditation practices across different cultures—from Buddhist Vipassana to Christian contemplative prayer. He was making the point that beneath the surface-level differences, there’s a common thread: the cultivation of mindful awareness, not thought suppression. This quote is him cutting straight to the heart of that universal mechanism.

Usage Examples

I use this concept all the time, not just on the cushion. It’s a life skill.

• For the Stressed-Out Professional: In a high-pressure meeting, instead of getting hijacked by a panicked thought (“This project is going to fail!”), you learn to see it as a passing mental event. You note the anxiety, let it be, and re-engage with the conversation from a clearer place.
• For Anyone with a Busy Mind: When you’re trying to sleep and your brain won’t shut up. You stop fighting it. You just watch the thoughts drift by like clouds, without latching on. That’s often the very thing that allows the mind to finally settle.
• For Creative Blocks: When you’re stuck, the pressure to *think* of an idea creates more walls. Letting thoughts pass creates the mental space where a truly novel idea can suddenly appear.

To whom it appeals?

Context	Attributes
Theme	Wisdom (1755)
Audiences	leaders (2624), mindfulness coaches (5), seekers (406), students (3118), therapists (555), writers (364)
Usage Context/Scenario	daily affirmations (39), meditation classes (6), mindfulness training (27), psychology lectures (34), self-reflection journaling (1), spiritual retreats (54)

Share This Quote Image & Motivate

FAQ

Question: So if I’m having thoughts, I’m not doing it wrong?

Answer: Exactly! Having thoughts is the default state of the human brain. The “doing” of meditation is the gentle returning of your attention, again and again. The thought isn’t the problem; your entanglement with it is.

Question: How is this different from just zoning out?

Answer: Great question. Zoning out is a lack of awareness—you’re lost in thought. This is hyper-awareness. You’re fully present and consciously choosing not to follow the thought. It’s active, not passive.

Question: What if the thoughts are really intense or negative?

Answer: The principle is the same, but it’s definitely harder. The practice isn’t to become a robot. It’s to create a tiny bit of space between you and the intense emotion, so you’re not completely identified with it. That space is where your freedom of choice lies.