You are a cosmic flower. Om chanting is the process of opening the psychic petals of that flower.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love ? for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you from misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Life is, in fact, a battle. Evil is insolent and strong; beauty enchanting, but rare; goodness very apt to be weak; folly very apt to be defiant; wickedness to carry the day; imbeciles to be in great places, people of sense in small, and mankind generally unhappy. But the world as it stands is no narrow illusion, no phantasm, no evil dream of the night; we wake up to it, forever and ever; and we can neither forget it nor deny it nor dispense with it.

We'd read about sirens in English this fall; Greek mythology bullshit about women so beautiful, their voices so enchanting, that men did anything for them. Turned out that mythology crap was real because every time I saw her, I lost my mind.

No man ever got very high by pulling other people down. The intelligent merchant does not knock his competitors. The sensible worker does not work those who work with him. Don't knock your friends. Don't knock your enemies. Don't knock yourself.

I myself have never been enchanted by the dream of the white wedding and heaven help us the expectation that this exquisitely catered event should be 'the happiest moment' of one's life.

The great dream merchant Disney was a success because make-believe was what everyone seemed to need in a spiritually empty land.

No one is so completely disenchanted with the world or knows it so thoroughly or is so utterly disgusted with it that when it begins to smile upon him he does not become partially reconciled to it.

I never close a door on any other religion. Most of the time some part of it makes sense to me. I don't believe everyone has to chant just because I chant. I believe all religion is about touching something inside of yourself.

Boxing is a celebration of the lost religion of masculinity all the more trenchant for its being lost.

In the past poetry came in the form of spells and chants used to effect change.

I never really liked poetry readings I liked to read poetry by myself but I liked singing chanting my lyrics to this jazz group.

Habit is a second nature which prevents us from knowing the first of which it has neither the cruelties nor the enchantments.

I get up at sunrise. I'm a Buddhist so I chant in the morning. My wife and I sit and have coffee together but then it's list-making time. I have carpentry projects. We have roads we keep in repair. It's not back-breaking but it's certainly aerobic and mildly strenuous.

When I wrote the song I had the sea near Bombay in mind. We stayed at a hotel by the sea and the fishermen come up at five in the morning and they were all chanting. And we went on the beach and we got chased by a mad dog - big as a donkey.

Whatever deceives men seems to produce a magical enchantment.

This is one of the miracles of love: It gives a power of seeing through its own enchantments and yet not being disenchanted.

He is the true enchanter whose spell operates not upon the senses but upon the imagination and the heart.

So I started chanting when I was nineteen which was about twelve years ago and it really had a huge impact on my outlook happiness and general creativity.

Inside every adult there's still a child that lingers. We're happiness merchants - giving people the opportunity to dream like children.

For the merchant even honesty is a financial speculation.

You know this idea of going around the world imposing democracy by growing a middle-class a trading merchant class that is independent of your faith is a good notion but we're all partially different - it's no good imposing systems on people that it doesn't suit.

How is it possible that a being with such sensitive jewels as the eyes such enchanted musical instruments as the ears and such fabulous arabesque of nerves as the brain can experience itself anything less than a god.

We are selling dreams. We are merchants of happiness.