Location 45:

Instead, it’s easier to dismiss what I say and persist in thinking that what you recognize as your life is “real” and that it somehow simply “happened.” You had nothing—or very little—to do with it. And THAT, I am here to tell you, is the source, the root cause of ALL of your problems. Knowing that you are living in a dreamworld is actually very liberating, because it gives you the option of waking up.



Location 76:

Immersed in these books I would feel the peace and the ineffable sense of well-being I sought. But the mundane demands of the world would inevitably come creeping back, and they were wonderfully effective at suffocating the freedom I experienced during such reading.



Location 155:

Read this book with the expectation that it will change your life. Profoundly change your life. Utterly transform it in myriad large and small ways. Expect it to have an impact on your career, your relationships, your health, your financial well-being, your spiritual development, and every other part of your existence. It can do this. The workshop on which it is based has done it for many already. The only question is—are YOU ready?



Location 221:

1. The author says this book can dramatically change my life. I will be open to this because I want this change in my life. 2. I will read this book carefully, using my highlighter to mark passages that strike me. Every time I come across an idea that really excites me, I will stop reading. 3. I will ponder that idea and explore its ramifications. I will keep bringing it to mind at odd moments until I feel completely comfortable with it. 4. I will start a journal as recommended and make entries regularly and frequently. 5. I will practice the exercises in the order presented. I will invest considerable emotional and psychic energy in each exercise. I will carefully observe my reactions, the reactions of others with whom I am interacting, and any results and note them in my journal. 6. I will be particularly aware of my emotional state—despondent or happy? Anxious or at ease? Angry or peaceful? I will write down these states and see how they change over time as I continue to do the exercises and ponder the ideas and concepts presented. 7. I will not talk about this journey to all and sundry. I will talk about this to selected friends or relatives who are sympathetic and may have useful insights. I will encourage them to read the book as well and do the exercises so that we have more in common to discuss. 8. I recognize that this book is merely a starting point. I am launching myself onto a path of awareness and growth that will take years, decades, maybe the rest of my life. I am comfortable with this. This is what I want.



Location 266:

It is a beautiful spring morning. It is radiantly sunny and warm, not hot. There is a cooling breeze and fluffy white clouds drift lazily by. A little girl skips down a path in a green, green meadow. She pauses by a fence to pet a cow. She reaches out to catch a beautiful orange butterfly but it flits out of reach. A rabbit, startled by her approach, drops the carrot it was eating and scampers away. The girl laughs, the happy sounds completely filling the air with the tinkling laughter of innocence and gaiety. Stop right now and evaluate your life. Is it filled with that effortless pleasure? Or drudgery? I want you to feel that effervescent joy. Ask yourself, are there great dollops of that in your life? If not, WHY not? Probably, many answers come to mind—work, financial obligations, family responsibilities. If you are like many of the thousands of students I have taught, you probably feel somewhat trapped—in a job you dislike, in a relationship you have outgrown, in responsibilities that feel onerous, in surroundings that suffocate.



Location 286:

Life is short. And uncertain. It is like a drop of water skittering around on a lotus leaf. You never know when it will drop off the edge and disappear. So each day is far too precious to waste. And each day that you are not radiantly alive and brimming with cheer is a day wasted. This book will help you stop wasting your days. It will help you discover the joy of effortless action.



Location 295:

IS THIS BOOK RIGHT FOR YOU? Do you sometimes wonder what you would like to do with your life or whether the career path you are charting is the right one for you? Are you troubled by ethical conflicts in the workplace and in your personal life? Do you have the nagging sense that there is a great deal you have to accomplish and that, somehow, you are not living up to even a fraction of your potential? At odd moments, does a train of thought along the lines of “Is this all there is to life?” spring up unbidden in your mind?