“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.”

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.

Contentment is not happiness. Contentment is stagnation and decay, whereas happiness is life and growth.

The very desire to be certain, to be secure, is the beginning of bondage.It’s only when the mind is not caught in the net of certainty, and is not seeking certainty, that it is in a state of discovery.

The function of education is to help you from childhood not to imitate anybody, but be yourself all the time.

It’s no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.

Knowledge is an addiction, as drink; knowledge does not bring understanding. Knowledge can be taught, but not wisdom; there must be freedom from knowledge for the coming of wisdom.

Transformation can only take place immediately; the revolution is now, not tomorrow.

Meditation is not a withdrawal from life. Meditation is a process of understanding oneself.

If you come across fear, stare it in its eyes. Face it and you will notice that fear fades away.

Despair exists only when there is hope.

The primary cause of disorder in ourselves is the seeking of reality promised by another.

Do not pursue what should be, but understand what is.

My mother gave me this book called Feature Films at Used Car Prices by a guy named Rick Schmidt. I gotta credit the guy, cuz he gave me the most practical advice. It empowers you.

Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.

Every beginning is only a sequel, after all, and the book of events is always open halfway through.

I have three kids who like Harry Potter so I was sort of aware of it. You can’t really move from it: it’s on buses, in stores, it’s everywhere. One of my kids has read the books; the other two are too small but they like the movies.

I tried to make sense of the Four Books, until love arrived, and it all became a single syllable.

During the Depression, or back when we were fighting Hitler, people didn’t have time to sue a company if the coffee was too hot. There were urgent, pressing problems. If you think you have it tough, read history books.

If you think you have it tough, read history books.

In the book of life every page has two sides: we human beings fill the upper side with our plans, hopes and wishes, but providence writes on the other side, and what it ordains is seldom our goal.