“Of the two witnesses, hold the principal one,” is saying that one witness is everybody else giving you their feedback and opinions (which is worth listening to, there’s some truth in what people say) but the principal witness is yourself. You’re the only one who knows when you’re using things to protect yourself and keep your ego together and when you’re opening and letting things fall apart, letting the world come as it is—working with it rather than struggling against it. You’re the only one who knows.
– Pema Chödrön, from Start Where You Are
This concept, so wonderfully stated by Chödrön, is anthemic for anyone who makes art. A mantra to keep right at hand, at the front of the feeling mind.
And for finding this quote, thank you to the river that just keeps giving—Whiskey River.