Eventually I saw that the path of the heart requires a full gesture, a degree of abandon that can be terrifying. Only then is it possible to achieve a sparkling metamorphosis.

Our normal expectations about reality are created by a social consensus. We are taught how to see and understand the world. The trick of socialization is to convince us that the descriptions we agree upon define the limits of the real world. What we call reality is only one way of seeing the world, a way that is supported by social consensus.

Man lives only to learn. And if he learns it is because it is the nature of his lot, for good or bad.

It is best to erase all personal history because that would make us free from the encumbering thoughts of other people

When a warrior has put an end to his routines, when he doesn't care anymore whether he has company or is alone, because he has heard the silent whisper of the spirit; then you can say that, truly, he has died. From that point on, even the simplest things in life become extraordinary for him.

The only thing that is real is the being in you that is going to die.

My benefactor used to say the seeds are the 'sober head' -- the only part that could fortify the heart of man.