“The path of meditation is the art…” is a beautiful reminder that meditation isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s the gentle, ongoing practice of coming back to who you’ve always been, beneath the noise and the daily hustle.
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Meaning
At its heart, this quote means that meditation isn’t an escape from yourself. It’s the ultimate homecoming. It’s about rediscovering the calm, aware, and authentic self that was there all along.
Explanation
Look, here’s the thing I’ve seen time and again, both in my own practice and with others. We often approach self-improvement like we’re a fixer-upper project, right? We’re trying to add something we lack or strip away something we don’t want. Goleman flips that entirely. He’s saying the core of meditation isn’t construction; it’s recollection. You’re not building a new home; you’re just clearing away the clutter and remembering how to live in the one you already have. The “art” he mentions is so crucial—it’s not a brute-force effort. It’s a gentle, patient, and sometimes messy process of returning, again and again, to the present moment and to the awareness that is your true nature. It’s the art of coming home.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3669) |
| Category | Spiritual (229) |
| Topics | home (5), path (5), self (15) |
| Literary Style | poetic (635) |
| Emotion / Mood | peaceful (147) |
| Overall Quote Score | 87 (185) |
Origin & Factcheck
This gem comes straight from Daniel Goleman’s 1988 book, The Meditative Mind: The Varieties of Meditative Experience. It’s a key work from before he became a household name with Emotional Intelligence. You won’t find this quote rightly attributed to ancient scriptures or other teachers; it’s pure Goleman, synthesizing his deep dive into comparative meditation practices.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Daniel Goleman (125) |
| Source Type | Book (4032) |
| Source/Book Name | The Meditative Mind: The Varieties of Meditative Experience (60) |
| Origin Timeperiod | Modern (528) |
| Original Language | English (3669) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4032) |
Author Bio
Daniel Goleman is a psychologist and bestselling author whose journalism at The New York Times brought brain and behavior science to a wide audience. He earned a BA from Amherst and a PhD in psychology from Harvard, and studied in India on a Harvard fellowship. Goleman’s research and writing helped mainstream emotional intelligence, leadership competencies, attention, and contemplative science. He co-founded CASEL and a leading research consortium on EI at work. The Daniel Goleman book list includes Emotional Intelligence, Working with Emotional Intelligence, Primal Leadership, Social Intelligence, Focus, and Altered Traits.
| Official Website
Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | The path of meditation is the art of returning home to oneself |
| 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 7: Paths and Goals |