"All lovers know this, but refuse to accept it. They think they can seduce Love through submission, power, beauty, wealth, tears and smiles. True Love, however, is the love that seduces and will never allow itself to be seduced."

"In order to hear Love’s words, you must allow Love to approach. However, when it does draw near, we fear what it might say to us, because Love is free and is not ruled by our will or by what we do."

"Those who ignore the question, those who answer it and those who understand that the only way to confront it is to take action will all meet the same obstacles and be made happy by the same things, but only the person who accepts God’s plan with humility and courage knows that he is on the right road."

"They use their intuition when they can and resort to discipline when intuition fails them... And sometimes they behave like mad people, but they are not mad. They have discovered true Love and Will. And those two things reveal the goal and the direction that they should follow."

"They slowly discover that their actions are linked to a mysterious impulse beyond human knowledge. And they bow their head as a sign of respect for that mystery and pray that they will not be diverted from a path they do not know, but which they have chosen to travel because of the flame burning in their hearts."

"They go back to their childhood and look for what filled them with enthusiasm then and disregarding the advice of their elders - devote their life to it. Because Enthusiasm is the Sacred Fire."

"Like the sun, life spreads its light in all directions."

"Pity those who think: ‘I am not beautiful. That’s why Love has not knocked at my door.’ In fact, Love did knock, but when they opened the door, they weren’t prepared to welcome Love in.’ ... They were trying to reflect what came from outside, forgetting that the brightest light comes from within."

"When the camel crosses the desert and takes us to the place we want to reach, we never say: ‘He’s humpbacked and has ugly teeth.’ We think: ‘He deserves my love for his loyalty and help. Without him, I would never be able to explore the world.’"

"Love passes by and says: ‘I never noticed you before.’ And our soul responds: ‘Well, pay more attention, because here I am. It took a breeze to blow the dust from your eyes, but now that you have recognised me, don’t leave me again, because all of us desire beauty.’"

"If we resist the temptation to allow other people to define who we are, then we will gradually be able to let the sun inside our own soul shine forth."

"According to that false wisdom, we should not be concerned about beauty because it is superficial and ephemeral. That isn’t true. All the beings created under the sun, from birds to mountains, from flowers to rivers, reflect the miracle of creation."

"One day, someone said: ‘You are ugly.’ Or: ‘She is pretty.’ With those three simple words, they stole away all our self-confidence. And we become ugly and embittered."

"Beauty is present in all creation, but the danger lies in the fact that, because we human beings are often cut off from the Divine Energy, we allow ourselves to be influenced by what other people think. We deny our own beauty because others can’t or won’t recognise it."

"Outer beauty is inner beauty made visible, and it manifests itself in the light that flows from our eyes."

"People always say: ‘It’s inner beauty that matters, not outer beauty.’ Well, that’s not true. If it were, why would flowers put so much energy into attracting bees? And why would raindrops transform themselves into a rainbow when they encounter the sun? Because nature longs for beauty, and is only satisfied when beauty can be exalted."

"And to those who believe that adventures are dangerous, I say, try routine: that kills you far more quickly."

"The Unwanted Visitor visits those who don’t change and those who do. But those who did change can say: 'My life was an interesting one. I didn’t squander my blessing.’"

"What continues to trouble him is not what happens, but a fear that he won’t know how to deal with it. Once he has decided to follow his path and has no alternative, he discovers that he has great will power and that events bend to his decisions."

"When they are lying in their tents, unable to sleep and overwhelmed by sadness and regret, they say to themselves: Tomorrow, and only tomorrow, will I take another step. Besides, I can always turn back, because I know the road, but one more step won’t make much difference.’ Until one day, without warning, the road stops testing the traveller and begins to treat him generously. The traveller’s troubled spirit takes pleasure in the beauties and the challenges of the new landscape."

"One question persists as we take our first steps along the path: ‘Will my decision to change make other people suffer?’ But if you love someone, then you want your beloved to be happy. You might feel frightened for him initially, but that feeling soon gives way to pride at seeing him doing what he wants to do and going where he always dreamed of going."

"Fear gradually ebbs away, because it wasn’t given what it felt was its due importance."

"Joy. That is one of the main blessings of the All-Powerful. If we are happy, we are on the right road."

"Those who think that the mountains don’t change are wrong: they were born out of earthquakes, are eroded by wind and rain, and each day they are slightly different, even though we do not notice that change."

"Our neighbours expect us to teach everyone the virtue of perseverance, to struggle against adversity and overcome obstacles.’ And we feel proud of ourselves. And we are praised because we refuse to change, continuing, instead, in the direction Fate has chosen for us. Wrong. Because the correct path is the path of nature, which is constantly changing, like the dunes in the desert."

"But the day will come when Fate knocks on our door. It might be the gentle tapping of the Angel of Good Fortune or the unmistakable rat-a-tat-tat of the Unwanted Visitor. They both say: ‘Change now!’ Not next week, not next month, not next year. The angels say: ‘Now!’ We always listen to the Unwanted Visitor. And we change everything because he scares us: we change village, habits, shoes, food, behaviour. We can’t convince the Unwanted Visitor to allow us to stay as we are. There is no discussion."

"Dreaming carries no risks. The dangerous thing is trying to transform your dreams into reality."

"We are afraid to change because we think that, after much effort and sacrifice, we know our present world. And even though that world might not be the best of all worlds... When necessary, we will make a few minor adjustments so that everything continues the same."

"Do one thing: live the life you always wanted to live. Avoid criticising others and concentrate on fulfilling your dreams. This may not seem very important to you, but God, who sees all, knows that the example you give is helping Him to improve the world. And each day, He will bestow more blessings upon it."

"The people who really help others are not trying to be useful, but are simply leading a useful life. They rarely give advice, but serve as an example."

"Don’t try to be useful. Try to be yourself: that is enough, and that makes all the difference... A life is never useless. Each soul that came down to Earth is here for a reason."

"Nothing in this world is useless in the eyes of God. Not a leaf from a tree falls, not a hair from your head, not even an insect dies because it was of no use. Everything has a reason to exist."

"Ask a flower in the field: ‘Do you feel useful? After all, you do nothing but produce the same flowers over and over?’ And the flower will answer: ‘I am beautiful, and beauty is my reason for living.’ ... Ask the river: ‘Do you feel useful, given that all you do is to keep flowing in the same direction?’ And the river will answer: ‘I’m not trying to be useful, I’m trying to be a river.’"

"In a desperate attempt to give meaning to life, many turn to religion, because a struggle in the name of a faith is always a justification for some grand action, which could transform the world. ‘We are doing God’s work,’ they tell themselves. And they become devout followers, then evangelists, and finally, fanatics. They don’t understand that religion was created in order to share the mystery and to worship, not to oppress or convert others."

"The poet writes a few lines, then throws them away, thinking: ‘Nobody’s going to be interested in that.’ .. The employee arrives for work and merely repeats the same tasks he did yesterday. He believes that, if he was ever dismissed, no one would even notice his absence... That feeling of uselessness is no respecter of age and never asks permission, but corrodes people’s souls, repeating over and over: ‘No one is interested in you, you’re nothing, the world doesn’t need your presence.’"

"There are those who wake each morning with a heavy heart. They are not seekers after love, recognition or work. They say to themselves: ‘I’m useless. I live because I have to survive, but no one, absolutely no one, is interested in what I’m doing.’"

"Just as Love is the divine condition, so solitude is the human condition. And for those who understand the miracle of life, those two states peacefully coexist."

"The Divine Energy is listening to us when we speak to other people, but also when we are still and silent and able to accept solitude as a blessing."

"In solitude, they will discover the love that might otherwise arrive unnoticed. In solitude, they will understand and respect the love that left them... In solitude, they will be able to decide whether it is worth asking that lost love to come back or if they should simply let it go and set off along a new path... In solitude, they will learn that saying ‘No’ does not always show a lack of generosity and that saying ‘Yes’ is not always a virtue..."

"For those who are not frightened by the solitude that reveals all mysteries, everything will have a different taste."

"And blessed be those who say: I’m not brave enough.’ Because they know that it is not someone else’s fault. And sooner or later, they will find the necessary faith to confront solitude and its mysteries."

"And if you do not know yourself, you will begin to fear the void. But the void does no*ecause with each day that passes, they will sink deeper into the well of their own limitations, and the time will come when they will lack the strength to climb out and rediscover the bright light shining in the opening above their head."

"If you are never alone, you cannot know yourself."

"Therefore, blessed are those who do not fear solitude, who are not afraid of their own company, who are not always desperately looking for something to do, something to amuse themselves with, something to judge."

"Solitude is not the absence of Love, but its complement... Solitude is not the absence of company, but the moment when our soul is free to speak to us and help us decide what to do with our life."

"Without solitude, Love will not stay long by your side... Without solitude, no plant or animal can survive, no soil can remain productive for any length of time, no child can learn about life, no artist can create, no work can grow and be transformed."

"Woe to those who were never beaten! They will never be winners in this life."

"They teach their children: ‘Don’t get involved in conflicts, you’ll only lose."

"Those who were never defeated seem happy and superior, masters of a truth they never had to lift a finger to achieve. They are always on the side of the strong. They’re like hyenas, who only eat the leavings of lions."

"Not that they care. They live in a universe in which they believe they are invulnerable; they close their eyes to injustices and to suffering; they feel safe because they do not have to deal with the daily challenges faced by those who risk stepping out beyond their own boundaries."