“All ideologies are idiotic, whether religious or political, for it is conceptual thinking, the conceptual word, which has so unfortunately divided man.”

Be a light unto oneself,

Discipline does not mean suppression and control, nor is it adjustment to a pattern or ideology. It means a mind that sees ‘what is’ and learns from ‘what was’.

No book can teach you about yourself, no psychologist, none of the professors or philosophers. What they can teach you is what they think you are or what they think you should be.

One is never afraid of the unknown; one is afraid of the known coming to an end.

To ask the ‘right’ question is far more important than to receive the answer. The solution of a problem lies in the understanding of the problem; the answer is not outside the problem, it is in the problem.

To meditate is to observe yourself, for you are totally responsible for your body, mind, thought.

Throughout life, from childhood, from school until we die, we are taught to compare ourselves with another; yet when I compare myself with another I am destroying myself.

What you believe you experience.

The fundamental factor of self-deception is this constant desire to be something in this world and in the world hereafter.

The moment I am aware that I am aware, I am not aware. Awareness means the observer is not.

From innumerable complexities we must grow to simplicity; we must become simple in our inward life and in our outward needs.

The more you know yourself, the more clarity there is. Self-knowledge has no end – you don’t come to an achievement, you don’t come to a conclusion. It is an endless river.

Change in society is of secondary importance; that will come about naturally, inevitably, when you as a human being bring about the change in yourself.

Enlightenment is an accident, but some activities make you accident-prone.

The constant assertion of belief is an indication of fear.

Merely to stuff the child with a lot of information, making him pass examinations, is the most unintelligent form of education.

When you put your life in a good place, good things follow.

I believe in living life the way that you want to live it every day, and if you do that, you don’t really need to have New Year’s resolutions.

In mid-life the man wants to see how irresistible he still is to younger women. How they turn their hearts to stone and more or less commit a murder of their marriage I just don’t know, but they do.

I love my life so much. I wouldn’t change anything.

Acting has helped me understand people, not only because you are acting as a character, but also because you are watching other actors work. That really helps you identify in life when someone is acting, not being true.

Just like life, a true champion in sports is one that comes back stronger from a setback.

Every day that is born into the world comes like a burst of music and rings the whole day through, and you make of it a dance, a dirge, or a life march, as you will.

There are no bystanders in life. Our humanity makes us each a part of something greater than ourselves.