“Those who hope for purity and righteousness always try and destroy that which disturbs them. They think the disturbance comes from outside themselves. This is a serious problem. Wars, suicide bombings, and all sorts of other nasty things start from the premise that we can destroy "evil" outside ourselves without dealing with the evil within.”

“You can always improve your situation. But you do so by facing it, not by running away.”

“Faith keeps you going, but doubt keeps you from going off the deep end.”

“This world is better than Utopia because - and follow this point carefully - you can never live in Utopia. Utopia is always somewhere else. That's the very definition of Utopia.”

“You won’t understand life and death until you’re ready to set aside any hope of understanding life and death and just live your life until you die.”

“The thinking brain influences the body’s responses and it makes a neat little loop.”

“As for enlightenment, that's just for people who can't face reality.”