Fear and anxiety are the dominant psychological states of the human mind. Behind the fear lies a constant longing to be certain. We are afraid of the unknown. The mind’s craving for confirmation is rooted in our fear of impermanence.
Fearlessness is generated when you can appreciate uncertainty, when you have faith in the impossibility of these interconnected components remaining static and permanent. You will find yourself, in a very true sense, preparing for the worst while allowing for the best.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book What Makes You Not a Buddhist
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Further quotes from the book What Makes You Not a Buddhist:
- The Self
- The habit of self
- Pride and pity
- Emotionally not possible
- Change is inevitable
- Beyond nonviolence and meditation
- Eventually we are disappointed
- Like a child at the cinema
- Four seals
- Enjoying the bliss of ignorance
- The impossible is possible
- The real source of fear is not knowing
- Happily ever after
- Like moths to the flame
- Shielding ourselves and others from the truth
- Driven by ambitions
- Understanding the nature of enlightenment
- Corrosion begins as soon as creation begins
- Nonviolence