Alan Watts, a renowned philosopher and author of ‘The Wisdom of Insecurity,’ offers profound insights into the human condition and the nature of reality. Through his eloquent words and unique perspective, Watts challenges conventional wisdom and invites us to embrace the inherent uncertainties of life. In this article, we delve into some of his most compelling quotes, exploring themes of existence, identity, and the pursuit of inner peace.
Best Alan Watts Quotes
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
“We seldom realize, for example, that our most private thoughts and emotions are not actually our own. For we think in terms of languages and images which we did not invent, but which were given to us by our society.”
“No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.”
“The art of living… is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.”
“The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.”
“Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.”
“You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.”
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“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.”
“Problems that remain persistently insoluble should always be suspected as questions asked in the wrong way.”
“This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”
“We do not ‘come into’ this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean ‘waves,’ the universe ‘peoples.’ Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe.”
“Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.”
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
“To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don’t grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead, you relax, and float.”
“Man’s main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is.”
“Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.”
“You are a function of what the whole universe is doing in the same way that a wave is a function of what the whole ocean is doing.”
“This is the real secret of life—to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”
“The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention.”
“Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.”
“The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.”
“Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.”
“The menu is not the meal.”
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“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.”
“The truth is a pathless land.”
“I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.”
“No work or love will flourish out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart, just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.”
“The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.”
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
“Hospitals should be arranged in such a way as to make being sick an interesting experience. One learns a great deal sometimes from being sick.”
“Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.”
“Every individual is a unique manifestation of the whole; each is in a constant dynamic exchange with the universe.”
“We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.”
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
“You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.”
“To travel is to be alive, but to get somewhere is to be dead, for as our own proverb says, ‘To travel well is better than to arrive.'”
“If you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you’ll spend your life completely wasting your time. You’ll be doing things you don’t like doing in order to go on living, that is to go on doing things you don’t like doing, which is stupid.”
“You are a function of what the whole universe is doing in the same way that a wave is a function of what the whole ocean is doing.”
“The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.”
“We do not ‘come into’ this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean ‘waves,’ the universe ‘peoples.’ Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe.”
“The art of living… is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.”
“Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.”
“We are living in a culture entirely hypnotized by the illusion of time, in which the so-called present moment is felt as nothing but an infinitesimal hairline between an all-powerfully causative past and an absorbingly important future. We have no present. Our consciousness is almost completely preoccupied with memory and expectation. We do not realize that there never was, is, nor will be any other experience than present experience. We are therefore out of touch with reality.”
“Man is a little germ that lives on an unimportant rock ball that revolves about a small star at the outskirts of an ordinary galaxy. Yet we think ourselves to be the center of the universe.”
“The more we struggle for life (as pleasure), the more we are actually killing what we love.”
“The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.”
“The menu is not the meal.”
“Waking up to who you are requires letting go of who you imagine yourself to be.”
“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.”
“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”
“This is the real secret of life—to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”
“You are a function of what the whole universe is doing in the same way that a wave is a function of what the whole ocean is doing.”
“To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don’t grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead, you relax, and float.”
“We seldom realize, for example, that our most private thoughts and emotions are not actually our own. For we think in terms of languages and images which we did not invent, but which were given to us by our society.”
“The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.”
“The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention.”
“The truth is a pathless land.”
“Man’s main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is.”
“Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.”
“This is the real secret of life—to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”
“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.”
“You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.”
“I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.”
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
“The only thing that we require to be extraordinary artists is the capacity to see the ordinary as extraordinary.”
“We are living in a culture entirely hypnotized by the illusion of time, in which the so-called present moment is felt as nothing but an infinitesimal hairline between an all-powerfully causative past and an absorbingly important future.”
“We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.”
“The future is a concept, it doesn’t exist. There is no such thing as tomorrow. There never will be because time is always now.”
“To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don’t grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead, you relax, and float.”
“The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.”
“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.”
“The existence, the physical universe is basically playful. There is no necessity for it whatsoever. It isn’t going anywhere. It doesn’t have a destination that it ought to arrive at.”
“You are a function of what the whole universe is doing in the same way that a wave is a function of what the whole ocean is doing.”
“No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.”
“What I am really saying is that you don’t need to do anything, because if you see yourself in the correct way, you are all as much extraordinary phenomena of nature as trees, clouds, the patterns in running water, the flickering of fire, the arrangement of the stars, and the form of a galaxy. You are all just like that, and there is nothing wrong with you at all.”
“Life exists only at this very moment, and in this moment, it is infinite and eternal, for the present moment is infinitely small; before we can measure it, it has gone, and yet it exists forever.”
“The art of living… is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.”
“Advice? I don’t have advice. Stop aspiring and start writing. If you’re writing, you’re a writer. Write like you’re a goddamn death row inmate and the governor is out of the country and there’s no chance for a pardon. Write like you’re clinging to the edge of a cliff, white knuckles, on your last breath, and you’ve got just one last thing to say, like you’re a bird flying over us and you can see everything, and please, for God’s sake, tell us something that will save us from ourselves. Take a deep breath and tell us your deepest, darkest secret, so we can wipe our brow and know that we’re not alone.”
“The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.”
“The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.”
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Alan Watts’ quotes offer profound insights into the human experience, encouraging us to embrace the present moment, navigate the uncertainties of life, and find meaning in our existence. Through his timeless wisdom, Watts challenges conventional thinking and invites us to explore the depths of consciousness and reality. His words resonate with a universal truth that transcends time and culture, reminding us to live fully, authentically, and with an open mind. As we reflect on his teachings, we are inspired to approach life with curiosity, wonder, and a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness with the universe.