The mastery of any subject requires that one identify himself with the particular state of consciousness appropriate to that subject.

The secret of happiness is the determination to be happy always, rather than wait for outer circumstances to make one happy.

Maturity is the ability to relate appropriately to other realities than one's own.

Realize that to have friends one must first be a friend. Make friendship a priority in your life.

Sociologically, I think it is the most important thing going on in the world today. Because you can't change people by force. Communism made a great mistake in trying to inflict its beliefs on everybody. People have to find their own understanding, and if you can offer them an example that will inspire, they will come naturally to it. Ananda tries to offer this inspiring example.

I had always been very rational, but I'd always used reason in such a way as to convince myself that reasoning alone would not solve anything, really. Reasoning is theoretical. Until you feel with your heart, you don't know if a thing is true. I found that book was absolutely authentic. I absolutely knew it was the truth. My whole heart accepted it.

The "kingdom of heaven" to which he referred was the state of God-consciousness, not the beautiful astral heavens that most people visualize, where virtuous souls go after death.