Put in an honest day's work. It is the building block of a spiritual life.

If you find your feet dragging, check your path. You are probably on the wrong one.

A student might ask, how long will it take to learn guitar..., the answer is, as long as you live - that short.

The only time and place to find enlightenment is in this moment. No need to check your watch. The time is now.

When in doubt, initiate. Say yes—to love, to life, to joining in with others. That is how we stay on the right path and, at the same time, elevate humanity.

All things reflect the divine energy of nature—every flower, every rock, every sound, every sight. Once we realize that truth, we cannot help but smile.

Return to the beginning. Enter by form. Clean your dojo. As you have every day, tie on the white belt and empty your cup. Pick up your guitar, tune, then play.

Each moment is new. We have never lived it before and will never live it again. It is familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

Do not analyze things to death. Sometimes the best strategy is, "Ready, fire, aim." Do it first , then make adjustments. The answer lies in action-not in words.

A final word on self-criticism: Do not beat up on yourself. Even if you think you know your flaws, there is no need to advertise them. Most people won't have noticed.

Stop thinking about the audience and what they may be thinking of your music. Just play the music.

Be knowledgeable but humble. Be wise and simple.

An effective follow-up system is the key to an effective coaching process, which will lead to significant behavioral changes. True success is in the follow-up.

It is simply this: do not tire, never lose interest, never grow indifferent—lose your invaluable curiosity and you let yourself die. It's as simple as that.

Every society gets the kind of criminal it deserves. What is equally true is that every community gets the kind of law enforcement it insists on.

The gift of literature is that, in some lucky cases, reading a novel or a story makes the reader more curious, more open-minded.

The things I carry closest to my heart are things I can't own.

You don't get real reform by pandering to every special interest. With cap and trade we wound up with a bill that didn't accomplish much, was enormously complicated and expensive.

Stories are medicine. They have such power; they do not require that we do, be, act anything - we need only listen.

Be careful with whom you associate, especially when you feel emotionally vulnerable, because negative people can steal the dream right out of your heart.

A lot of writers that I know have told me that the first book you write, you write about your childhood, whether you want to or not. It calls you back.