In the middle of the world, make one positive step. In the center of chaos, make one definitive act. Just write.

Anything we fully do is an alone journey.

I think talent is like a water table under the earth—you tap it with your effort and it comes through you.

Actually, every time we begin, we wonder how we did it before, Each time is a new journey with no maps.

That daydreaming seemed important at the time, but when I asked my teacher Katagiri Roshi about it, he said, "Oh, it's just laziness. Get to work." But as for discipline, I don't even use that word. I think more about passion or love. What I've really learned is the way the mind moves, and how the mind works. Rather than discipline, I know how to seduce my mind.

Indefinite plans get dubious results.

Choose your tools carefully, but not so carefully that you get uptight or spend more time at the stationery store than at your writing table.