What is essential is not the answer but the questions; the answers indeed are the death of the life that is in the questions.

If all men lead mechanical, unpoetical lives, this is the real nihilism, the real undoing of the world.

The object of our lives is to look at, listen to, touch, taste things. Without them, - these sticks, stones, feathers, shells, - there is no Deity.

There is no greater difference between men than between grateful and ungrateful people.

Think of Zen, of the Void, of Good and Evil and you are bound hand and foot. Think only and entirely and completely of what you are doing at the moment and you are free as a bird.

A haiku is the expression of a temporary enlightenment, in which we see into the life of things.

I myself think that to have a cat is more important than to have a Bible.

Zen is the unsymbolization of the world.

The love of nature is religion, and that religion is poetry; these three things are one thing. This is the unspoken creed of haiku poets.

Regarding R. H. Blyth: Blyth is sometimes perilous, naturally, since he's a high-handed old poem himself, but he's also sublime - and who goes to poetry for safety anyway.

Regarding R. H. Blyth: For translations, the best books are still those by R. H. Blyth. . . .

Yes. I rememb

Don't ask whether it's going to be easy. Ask whether it's going to be worth it.

I like connecting with people through technology.

The surest way to learn is by doing it, but often, the lesson is: Don't do it!

People have already dirtied my name too much.

Bad music is often the result of an attempt by the untrained, something that takes for granted that you're very highly trained.

I can't know everything, pretend you're an orphan.

Look around—there's only one thing of danger for you here—poetry.

As an improvising musician, I am not in the music business, I am not in the creativity business; I am in the surrender business.

She's the ulimate heroine, strong-willed and independent, intelligent, loyal, but at the same time, she's not flawless, she's not above mistakes, or falling in love.