But for the first time, I had a religious identity. I had come home. And so I called myself a Zen Buddhist at the age of 18.

Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.

Emotional sickness is avoiding reality at any cost. Emotional health is facing reality at any cost.

Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the making of action in spite of fear.

Mental health is an ongoing process of dedication to reality at all costs

The quickest way to change your attitude toward pain is to accept the fact that everything that happens to us has been designed for our spiritual growth.

Human beings are poor examiners, subject to superstition, bias, prejudice, and a PROFOUND tendency to see what they want to see rather than what is really there.

All my life I used to wonder what I would become when I grew up. Then, about seven years ago, I realized that I was never going to grow up--that growing is an ever ongoing process.

Share our similarities, celebrate our differences.

The key to community is the acceptance, in fact the celebration of our individual and cultural differences. It is also the key to world peace

We cannot even let the other person into our hearts or minds unless we empty ourselves. We can truly listen to him or truly hear her only out of emptiness.

Caine was a murderer. A liar. A cad. A skulker in shadows and a heartless wretch. What sort of woman or God would love someone like him?

Negative thoughts crashed the spirit, weaken the soul and make the body sick.

Children make prayers so thoughtlessly, building them up like sand castles—and they are always surprised when suddenly the castle becomes real, and the iron gate grinds shut.

Keep out of this, " Lucian said. "I'm not smiting anybody.""You're showing mercy." Catch-a-Tick nodded. "That's heroic, too. But not as good as smiting.

It sweetens every bit of work to think that I am doing it in humble, far-off, yet real imitation of Jesus.

We don't grow on accident, we grow on purpose.

Record companies are not necessarily interested in you realizing your artistic dream. The bottom line is that they got to sell records.

Once you have a history together, it's just another love for life. Everything is easier. It is just easier to live.

Inductee in the Vintner's Hall of Fame