The way of the peaceful warrior

"If you have enough money to satisfy your desires, Dan, you are rich. But there are two ways to be rich: You can earn, inherit, borrow, beg, or steal enough money to meet expensive desires; or, you can cultivate a simple lifestyle of few desires; that way you always have more than enough money.

"Stay in the present. You can do nothing to change the past, and the future will never come exactly as you plan or hope for.

"Haven't I got the message across to you yet? Smoking is not disgusting; the habit is. I may smoke one cigarette a day, then not smoke again for six months; I may enjoy one cigarette a day, or one a week, without any unmanageable urges to have another. And when I do smoke, I don't pretend that my lungs won't pay a price; I follow appropriate action afterward to help counterbalance the negative effects."

“It’s better to make a mistake with the full force of your being then to carefully avoid mistakes with a trembling spirit. Responsibility means recognizing both pleasure and price, making a choice based on that recognition, and then living with that choice without concern."

The brain can be a tool. It can recall phone numbers, solve math puzzles, or create poetry. In this way, it works for the rest of the body, like a tractor. But when you can't stop thinking of that math problem or phone number, or when troubling thoughts and memories arise without your intent, it's not your brain working, but your mind wandering. Then the mind controls you; then the tractor has run wild."

,"It is better for you to take responsibility for your life as it is, instead of blaming others, or circumstances, for your predicament. As your eyes open, you'll see that your state of health, happiness, and every circumstance of your life has been, in large part, arranged by you--consciously or unconsciously."

"Use whatever knowledge you have but see its limitations. Knowledge alone does not suffice; it has no heart. No amount of knowledge will nourish or sustain your spirit; it can never bring you ultimate happiness or peace. Life requires more than knowledge; it requires intense feeling and constant energy. Life demands right action if knowledge is to come alive."

“You understand many things but have realized practically nothing.”

You hold many facts and opinions, yet know little of yourself.

“No, Dan, you don't know about it yet, but you will. And you will go that far and beyond; I can assure you.”