Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything.

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

Silence is essential. We need silence just as much as we need air, just as much as plants need light. If our minds are crowded with words and thoughts, there is no space for us.

Around us, life bursts with miracles, a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops.

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.

It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible.

The quality of our life depends on the quality of the seeds that lie deep in our consciousness.

Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.

The seed of every sin known to man is in my heart”.

If you never stop trying you'll never give up. If you never give up you'll never stop trying.

I'm a novelist, that's how I make my livelihood, and I concentrate on the novels.

Is there anything more anti-American than McCarthyism?

I definitely have some kind of mental problem and I haven't pinpointed what it is.

I had something to do, which most kids really need. Something they can look forward to - a goal, a purpose to work towards. Something to achieve. Keeps them out of trouble.

The biggest shock of your life is when you first make a record and go to a show and then people start singing the words. Because it occurs to you that they've listened to it!

Gifts are not favors. If you expect something in return, it's not a gift.

I journey to the east, where I have been told, there are men who have taught death some manners.

What is down will go up. At the same time, you have to be prepared for what is up to go down.