We need faith, not because there are beings who will punish us or reward us, but because gods are a wonderful way of describing things that are happening to us.

It is said that if one chooses to pray to a rock with enough devotion, even that rock will come alive.

Money is never more important than your body and mind, but you must work and support yourself. Never depend on others for your livelihood.

Only when peace lives within each of us, will it live outside of us. We must be the wombs for a new harmony. When it is small, peace is fragile. Like a baby, it needs nurturing attention. We must protect peace from violence and perversion if it is to grow. We must be strong to do this. But force, even in the name of honor, is always tragic. Instead, we must use the strength of wisdom and conscience. Only that power can nurture peace in this difficult time.

The appreciation of life does not require wealth or plenty. It requires only gratitude for the beauty of the world.

We may be floating on Tao, but there is nothing wrong with steering. If Tao is like a river, it is certainly good to know where the rocks are.

An ancient gnarled tree: Too fibrous for a logger's saw, Too twisted to fit a carpenter's square, Outlasts the whole forest.