The longer I live, the more I feel that true repose consists in ‚renouncing‘ one’s own self, by which I mean making up one’s mind to admit that there is no importance whatever in being ‚happy‘ or ‚unhappy‘ in the usual meaning of the words.

The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection.

There’s something which impels us to show our inner souls. The more courageous we are, the more we succeed in explaining what we know.

Any of us can be happy and have a good attitude when everything is going our way. But I believe it’s the real test of your character and of your faith to say, ‚Things are not going our way, but I’m still being good to people; I’m still attending church; I still have a good attitude.‘

Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend – or a meaningful day.

In so far as the mind is stronger than the body, so are the ills contracted by the mind more severe than those contracted by the body.

A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.

It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.

We know what we are, but know not what we may be.

Everything that exists is in a manner the seed of that which will be.

It is more fitting for a man to laugh at life than to lament over it.

If all our happiness is bound up entirely in our personal circumstances it is difficult not to demand of life more than it has to give.

No man can reveal to you nothing but that which already lies half-asleep in the dawning of your knowledge.

As a human being, anger is a part of our mind. Irritation also part of our mind. But you can do – anger come, go. Never keep in your sort of – your inner world, then create a lot of suspicion, a lot of distrust, a lot of negative things, more worry.

I’ve done the bad-boy thing. It was fun for a good three months. But the thing about bad boys is, you have to keep in mind, you’re never gonna marry a bad boy.

Listening to and understanding our inner sufferings will resolve most of the problems we encounter.

One of the things I definitely think of as a driver of me is fear. And it’s fear of failure, fear of being overtaken.

Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so.

From my close observation of writers… they fall into two groups: 1) those who bleed copiously and visibly at any bad review, and 2) those who bleed copiously and secretly at any bad review.

Nothing exists from whose nature some effect does not follow.

Sports are such a great teacher. I think of everything they’ve taught me: camaraderie, humility, how to resolve differences.

Little by little, not by making big promises, I need to be calmer, read more, spend more time with my loved ones, and be more mindful about nature and environment.

Know that any and all thoughts that you have regarding your own skills, interests, and inclinations are valid. To reinforce the validity of your thoughts, keep them private. Tell yourself that they’re between you and God.

I always say this about my music, and music in general: Music is like a time capsule. Each album reflects what I’m going through or what’s going on in my life at that moment.

It is beyond a doubt that all our knowledge begins with experience.

We are here and it is now. Further than that, all human knowledge is moonshine.

Control and surrender have to be kept in balance. That’s what surfers do – take control of the situation, then be carried, then take control. In the last few thousand years, we’ve become incredibly adept technically. We’ve treasured the controlling part of ourselves and neglected the surrendering part.

We are wiser than we know.

Certainly the best works, and of greatest merit for the public, have proceeded from the unmarried, or childless men.

In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.

Being is. Being is in-itself. Being is what it is.

I think that a man should not live beyond the age when he begins to deteriorate, when the flame that lighted the brightest moment of his life has weakened.

I think the brain is essentially a computer and consciousness is like a computer program. It will cease to run when the computer is turned off. Theoretically, it could be re-created on a neural network, but that would be very difficult, as it would require all one’s memories.

I’m working at trying to be a Christian, and that’s serious business. It’s like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a good Buddhist, a good Shintoist, a good Zoroastrian, a good friend, a good lover, a good mother, a good buddy – it’s serious business.

Enjoyment is an incredible energizer to the human spirit.

You know how advice is. You only want it if it agrees with what you wanted to do anyway.

When I was making the early stuff, I never expected it to be so big. I was in my own kind of bubble. I never wanted to tour; I just wanted to create music and make a diary I could put out into the world. And sometimes, I became the characters.

The misfortune of the wise is better than the prosperity of the fool.

Association with human beings lures one into self-observation.

All of us are mentors. You’re mentors right here and now. And one of the things I’ve always done throughout my life, I have always found that person, that group of people that I was going to reach my hand out and help bring them along with me.

As long as your body is healthy and under control and death is distant, try to save your soul; when death is immanent what can you do?

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

I wash my hands of those who imagine chattering to be knowledge, silence to be ignorance, and affection to be art.

Nature puts no question and answers none which we mortals ask. She has long ago taken her resolution.

Experience is the child of thought, and thought is the child of action.

Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.

Many a man thinks he is patient when, in reality, he is indifferent.

Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.

Falsehood is a perennial spring.

Take time to gather up the past so that you will be able to draw from your experience and invest them in the future.

Americans are far more remarkable than we give ourselves credit for. We’ve been so busy damning ourselves for years. We’ve done it all, and yet we don’t take credit for it.

He who gives away shall have real gain. He who subdues himself shall be free; he shall cease to be a slave of passions. The righteous man casts off evil, and by rooting out lust, bitterness, and illusion do we reach Nirvana.

I can’t jump the highest. I’m obviously not the biggest, not the strongest.

I resigned from the Marine Corps and flying in 1974, even though I loved them both. I quit because I no longer wanted to fight for peace. Instead, I believe we can build a more sustainable peace by working for prosperity.

It’s amazing: I am a New Yorker. It’s strange; I never thought I would be.

A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world.

I draw from the Absurd three consequences: my revolt, my liberty, my passion.

I think that when you’re making your way up in the music industry, you have all these heroes and the reasons why they are your heroes. As soon as you get into the industry, your guidelines change a little bit. For me, my heroes now are great people first and great artists second.

One who does not know when to die, does not know how to live.

Suspicion is far more to be wrong than right; more often unjust than just. It is no friend to virtue, and always an enemy to happiness.

Life, if well lived, is long enough.