The young student sits with his head bent over his books, and his mind straying in youth's dreamland; where prose is prowling on the desk and poetry hiding in the heart.

To live in the Great Way is neither easy nor difficult, but those with limited views are fearful and irresolute: the faster they hurry, the slower they go, and clinging cannot be limited: even to be attached to the idea of enlightenment is to go astray. Just let things be in their own way and there will be neither coming nor going. Obey the nature of things (your own nature), and you will walk freely and undisturbed.

To deny the reality of things is to miss their reality; to assert the emptiness of things is to miss their reality. The more you talk and think about it, the further astray you wander from the truth. Stop talking and thinking and there is nothing you will not be able to know.

Hardest of all, as one becomes older, is to accept that sapient remarks can be drawn from the most unwelcome or seemingly improbable sources, and that the apparently more trustworthy sources can lead one astray.

Imagine a very long time passing - and I find my way out, following someone who already knows how to leave Hell. And God says to me on Earth for the first time, "Xas!" in a tone of discovery, as if I'm a misplaced pair of spectacles or a stray dog. And he puts it to me that he wants me in Heaven. But Lucifer has doubled back - it was him I followed - to find me, where I am, in a forest, smitten, because the Lord has noticed me, and I'm overcome, as hopeless as your dog Josie whom you got rid of because she loved me.' Xas glared at Sobran. Then he drew a breath - all had been said on only three. He went on: 'Lucifer says to God the He can't have me. And at this I sit up and tell Lucifer that I didn't even think he knew my name, then say to God no thank you - very insolent this - and that Hell is endurable so long as the books keep appearing.

"He is your Father, and His role is to protect you; He will comfort you and guide you. He will feed you; He will carry you when you are weak. He will seek you out when you go astray; He will help you in times of trouble. He will not let your enemies go unpunished; He will cherish you like a father cherishes his daughter. When you fall, He will pick you up; when you don't understand, He will always understand.

Every day people are straying away from the church and going back to God.

Now we're going to save a bunch of dirty meatsacks from a bunch of dirty cannibals? Why don't we rescue some orphaned kittens and put food out for stray puppies while we're at it?

Did you ever want to set someone's head on fire, just to see what it looked like? Did you ever stand in the street and think to yourself, I could make that nun go blind just by giving her a kiss? Did you ever lay out plans for stitching babies and stray cats into a Perfect New Human? Did you ever stand naked surrounded by people who want your gleaming sperm, squirting frankincense, soma and testosterone from every pore? If so, then you're the bastard who stole my drugs Friday night. And I'll find you. Oh, yes.

Guilt reminds me of a stray cat. You chase it away and yet, it comes back when you least expect it. If you let yourself feel pity for it and feed the thing, it parks its ugly, puny, lonely-for-attention butt on your doormat and won't go away. Scat kitty cat, scat. I don't need you sitting around here like that.

My wife and I have so much fun when we travel and find anything... like stray cats and squirrels.

When I find myself in the company of scientists I feel like a shabby curate who has strayed by mistake into a room full of dukes.

With the other fellow actors who have gone astray I think it's sad that society wants to label the business as doing this to people. It's really not true.

All men want to be treated like kings in a relationship and I think if women don't indulge that sometimes their men are likely to stray and look for someone who can give that to them.

If a line of poetry strays into my memory my skin bristles so that the razor ceases to act.

From paying off friends' tax bills to rescuing stray dogs and stuffing £20 notes into the hands of homeless people I can't get rid of my money fast enough.

I was for civil unions and believed strongly that the flow of benefits and protections that would be provided in a civil union for same-sex couples the decisions that have to be made when health hardships are faced when economic hardships are faced I wanted all of those protections. I never strayed from them.

Every day people are straying away from the church and going back to God.

A sublime faith in human imbecility has seldom led those who cherish it astray.

To reach something good it is very useful to have gone astray and thus acquire experience.

Experience has taught me when I am shaving of a morning to keep watch over my thoughts because if a line of poetry strays into my memory my skin bristles so that the razor ceases to act.

The very fact that we are having a national conversation about what we should eat that we are struggling with the question about what the best diet is is symptomatic of how far we have strayed from the natural conditions that gave rise to our species from the simple act of eating real whole fresh food.

Our nation is being led astray by ungodly judges mayors and governors who are given to change defying the Constitution and substituting their own wicked agendas.

I have a new little stray dog that I've had for about a month now. His name is Mikey Mohawk - he's this little terrier with a natural Mohawk. My friend found him hit by a car on Pico Boulevard.