"Investigate yourself. Question everything. Take nothing for granted. Don't believe anything because it sounds wise an pious and some holy men said it. See for yourself. That does not mean that you should be cynical, impudent, or irreverent. It means you should be empirical. Subject all statements to the actual test of your own experience, and let the results be your guide to truth. Insight meditation evolves out of an inner longing to wake up to what is real and to gain liberating insight into the true structure of existence. The entire practice hinges upon this desire to be awake to the truth. Without it , the practice is superficial."
B. H. Gunaratana in Mindfulness in plain English
"You have to be careful not to criticize or fight the mind, since it is normal to think, hear sounds, and feel sensations. The trick is not to grasp or reject them. Just leave them alone and let them come and go lightly."
M. Batchelor in Meditation for life
"An act of meditation is actually an act of faith - of faith in your spirit, in your own potential. Faith is the basis of meditation. Not of faith in something outside you - a metaphysical buddha, an unattainable ideal, or someone else's words. The faith is in yourself, in your own "buddha-nature". You too can be a buddha, an awakened being that lives and responds in a wise, creative, and compassionate way."
Martine Batchelor in Meditation for life
"In meditation, don't expect anything. Just sit back and see what happens. Treat the whole thing as an experiment. Take an active interest in the test itself, but don't get distracted by your expectations about the results. For that matter, don't' be anxious for any result whatsoever."
B. H. Gunaratana in Mindfulness in plain English