carlos castaneda

“ Life in itself is sufficient, self-explanatory, and complete. ”

“ I would say that the best of us always comes out when we are against the wall when we feel the sword dangling overhead. ”

“ Nothing can temper the spirit of the warrior as much as the challenge of dealing with impossible people in positions of power. Only under those conditions can warriors acquire the sobriety and serenity to withstand the pressure of the unknowable. ”

“ For an instant, I think I saw. I saw the loneliness of a man as a gigantic wave which had frozen in front of me, held back by the invisible wall of a metaphor. ”

“ If one must succeed in anything, the success must come gently, with a great deal of effort but with no stress or obsession. ”

“ To seek the perfection of the warrior's spirit is the only task worthy of our temporariness, our manhood. ”

“ A man goes to knowledge as he goes to war, wide awake, with fear, with respect, and with absolute assurance. ”

“ The dying sun will glow on you without burning, as it has done today....and then your death will point to the south. To the vastness. ”

“ We are men and our lot in life is to learn and to be hurled into inconceivable new worlds. ”

“ 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. ”