# Anthony de Mello ![[50 Resources/51 Attachments/51.03 Public/2025-08-23_Anthony_de_Mello.jpg|400]] Anthony "Tony" de Mello (September 4, 1931 – June 2, 1987) was an Indian Jesuit priest, psychotherapist, and spiritual teacher. Born in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, into a Catholic family, he became widely known for his integration of Eastern and Western spirituality. De Mello wrote several influential books on spirituality, including the bestselling "Awareness" and "The Way to Love," which have been translated into 21 languages and sold over 2 million copies worldwide. As a teacher and public speaker, de Mello hosted numerous spiritual retreats and conferences around the world. He served as director of the Sadhana Institute of Pastoral Counselling in Pune, India, and was a member of the Jesuit province of Bombay. His teachings emphasized awakening from the "sleep" of unconscious living and freedom from attachments that cause suffering. He had a profound influence on many contemporary spiritual teachers, including Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti, and Paulo Coelho. De Mello died suddenly of a heart attack on June 2, 1987, in New York City at the age of 55, while conducting a retreat. In 1998, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a notification regarding some of his writings, though his books continue to be popular worldwide. ## Quotes <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Anthony de Mello]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> <!-- SerializedQuery: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Anthony de Mello]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> - [[If it is peace you want, seek to change yourself, not other people. It is easier to protect your feet with slippers than to carpet the whole of the earth]] <!-- SerializedQuery END --> ## Books <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #books AND [[Anthony de Mello]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC -->