1.

Dying with a Smile on my Face—that is what I want.

2.

Free from desire, we can know the great mystery.

3.

Ambition is foolish, but without it, many of our days would be lost to contemplation.

4.

There is a satisfying feeling

that one is in good health, has enough money, has plenty of time, has little interest in fame

and knows that friends, family, reputation, career, God, and what else

will let him down.

He doesn’t need anything.

5.

Those men who live bigger and bigger lives, don’t know why.

6.

Men are confused by the female. They desire her, but she brings them new problems. Show me a man who is content by himself at the age of 50, and I will show you a man who is completely unattached.

There are still ways to attach him, but he is seldom content under these conditions.

The most common are: debt, religion, taxes, comfort, and feeling a need to belong.

7.

I have been on the go for too long. It’s better to stay in one place.

8.

The library is full of people who don’t read books.

9.

The only reason why I would want fame is to ignore people more than I already do.

10.

If you indulge in a spiritual practice, it can be easy to think in terms of absolutes. This may come from a belief in God, but you aren’t him. Know that when good things happen to you and bad things happen to you, all that is happening is that you are labeling them as good and bad. People don’t want bad things in their lives. What they should do, is totally accept the good and the bad. Rejecting half of your life is a mistake.

11.

Somebody is always trying to make a difference in the world, and they can, but in the grand scheme of human history, people remain the same. Be sure that when you sacrifice your time on the altar of world peace, that you recognize that the world has never been peaceful.

12.

If I can love myself on my worst day, my soul is a ship tossed by the storm, and that’s what ships are supposed to do.

13.

When challenged, shamed, and disrespected—if I can look at my accusers with a smile on my face—I am rehearsing for death.