"A path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you . . . All paths are the same: they lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't. One makes you strong on a joyful journey; the other weakens you. Ask yourself one question . . . Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't it is of no use."

"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. The average man is hooked to his fellow men, while the warrior is hooked only to infinity."

"A man of knowledge lives by acting, not by thinking about acting. Upon learning to see a man becomes everything by becoming nothing. To seek freedom is the only driving force I know. Freedom to fly off into that infinity out there. Freedom to dissolve; to lift off; to be like the flame of a candle, which, in spite of being up against the light of a billion stars, remains intact, because it never pretended to be more than what it is: a mere candle."

"Death is the only wise advisor that we have. Your death will tell you that you're wrong; that nothing really matters outside its touch. Your death will tell you, 'I haven't touched you yet."

"Before you embark on any path ask the question: Does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path. The trouble is nobody asks the question; and when a man finally realizes that he has taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill him. At that point very few men can stop to deliberate, and leave the path. A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it."

"The passageway into the world of shamans opens up after the warrior has learned to shut off his internal dialogue. The average man is hooked to his fellow men, while the warrior is hooked only to infinity. To be a warrior a man has to be, first of all, and rightfully so, keenly aware of his own death. Therefore, one may say without being presumptuous that the experience of experiences is being alive."