We have a word for that in Japanese. It’s called ma. Emptiness. It’s there intentionally. (claps hands) The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it’s just busyness. But if you take a moment, then the tension building…can grow into a wider dimension. If you just have constant tension all the time you just get numb… What really matters is the underlying emotions…that you never let go of those.

Recommended reading: Starting Point, 1979-1996

In this world there are only two tragedies: One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.

Recommended reading: The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde: Stories, Plays, Poems & Essays

Love is the quality of attention we pay to things.

Recommended reading: Love Speaks Its Name

It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.

Recommended reading: F. Scott Fitzgerald: Classic Works

I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.

Recommended reading: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.

Always remember that to argue, and win, is to break down the reality of the person you are arguing against. It is painful to lose your reality, so be kind, even if you are right.

Recommended reading: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.

An easy life fashions a mind that can only handle ease. A challenging life builds a mind that can handle challenge. Like a muscle that atrophies without use, mental strength fades unless it is tested. When life doesn’t challenge you, challenge yourself.

Recommended reading: Atomic Habits.

The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing which stands in the way… As a man is, so he is.

Recommended reading: William Blake: The Complete Illuminated Books.

Anger is often what pain looks like when it shows itself in public.

Recommended reading: Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living.