Carlos Castaneda

“We hardly ever realize that we can cut anything out of our lives, anytime, in the blink of an eye.”

“Forget the self and you will fear nothing, in whatever level of awareness you find yourself to be.”

“A warrior must learn to make every act count, since he is going to be here in this world for only a short while.”

“The trouble with us is that we are attached to our own personal history. We are attached to our own way of doing things, to our own likes and dislikes.”

“A warrior considers himself already dead, so there is nothing for him to lose. The worst has already happened to him, therefore he's clear and calm.”

“The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge, while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse.”

“A man of knowledge is one who has followed truthfully the hardships of learning.”

“For a sorcerer, reality, or the world we all know, is only a description.”

“Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn't, it is of no use.”

“A warrior accepts the responsibility for his acts, for the most trivial of his acts.”

“A warrior must learn to make every act count, since he is going to be here in this world for only a short while.”

“To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one. It is rather an endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives.”

“We either make ourselves <strong class="highlight">miserablestrong>, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”

“A path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you.”

“The aim is to balance the terror of being alive with the wonder of being alive.”

“The world is a mystery. What we watch is not what is there.”

“Self-importance is our greatest enemy. Think about it—what weakens us is feeling offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our fellow men. Our self-importance requires that we spend most of our lives offended by someone.”

“The most difficult thing in the world is to assume the mood of a warrior.”

“Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question... Does this path have a heart?”

“For me the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable; my interest has been to convince you that you must assume responsibility for being here.”