At fifteen my heart was set on learning; at thirty I stood firm; at forty I had no more doubts; at fifty I knew the will of heaven; at sixty my ear was obedient; at seventy I could follow my heart's desire without overstepping the boundaries of what was right.

What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil, envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil.

Desire of having is the sin of covetousness.

Brute force, no matter how strongly applied, can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom.

The fundamental desire of life is the desire to exist.

Fame is ultimately about the cycles of desire and how to do away with them or manage them well.