Act happy, be happy, without a reason in the world. Then you can love, and do what you will.”

“Neither resolutions nor understanding will ever make you strong. Resolutions have sincerity, logic has clarity; but neither has the energy you will need. Let anger strengthen your resolve. See you next month.”

“Dan,” he said, “you’ve achieved a high level of skill. You’re an expert gymnast.” “Why thank you, Socrates.” “It wasn’t a compliment.” He turned to face me more directly. “An expert dedicates his life to his training with the purpose of winning competitions. Someday, you may become a master gymnast. The master dedicates his training to life.”

“A warrior is not something you become, Dan. It is something you either are, in this moment, or something you are not. The Way itself creates the warrior.

“Soc, I’ve been battling illusions my whole life, preoccupied with every petty personal problem. I’ve dedicated my life to self-improvement without grasping

“There is a saying: ‘When you sit, sit; when you stand, stand; whatever you do, don’t wobble.’ Once you make your choice, do it with all your spirit. Don’t be like the preacher who thought about praying while making love to his wife, and thought about making love to his wife while praying.”

“To rid yourself of old patterns, focus all your energy not on struggling with the old, but on building the new.”

“I can imagine,” he said lightly as he walked into the garage to resurrect an old VW transmission. “You’re making progress — right on schedule.” “Delighted to hear it,” I answered without enthusiasm. “But on schedule to where?” “To the gate! To unreasonable happiness! To the one and only goal you’ve ever had but didn’t know it. And now it’s time to

Soc. Beneath all our apparent differences we share the same human needs and fears; we’re all on the same path together, guiding one another. And this understanding brings compassion.”