WAY OF THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR: A Book That Changes Lives

by Dan Millman

“There are no accidents, Danny. Everything is a lesson. Trust your life. Everything has a purpose, a purpose, a purpose,” she repeated, whispering in my ear.

“This is your training. Let the pain purify your mind and body. It will burn through many obstructions.” She saw the questioning look in my eyes, and added, “A warrior doesn’t seek pain, but if pain comes, he uses it.

“Fear and sorrow inhibit action; anger generates it. When you learn to make proper use of your anger, you can change fear and sorrow to anger, then turn anger to action. That’s the body’s secret of internal alchemy.”

“How can I control my habits if I can’t even seem to control my emotions?” “You don’t need to control emotion,” he said. “Emotions are natural, like passing weather. Sometimes it’s fear, sometimes sorrow or anger. Emotions are not the problem. The key is to transform the energy of emotion into constructive action.”

‘When you sit, sit; when you stand, stand; whatever you do, don’t wobble.’

Once you make your choice, do it with all your spirit. Don’t be like the preacher who thought about praying while making love to his wife, and thought about making love to his wife while praying.”

“Moderation? It’s mediocrity, fear, and confusion in disguise. It’s the devil’s dilemma. It’s neither doing nor not doing. It’s the wobbling compromise that makes no one happy. Moderation is for the bland, the apologetic, for the fencesitters of the world afraid to take a stand. It’s for those afraid to laugh or cry, for those afraid to live or die. Moderation” — he took a deep breath, getting ready for his final condemnation — “is lukewarm tea, the devil’s own brew!”

Old urges continue to arise, but urges do not matter; only actions do. A warrior is as a warrior does.

“Death is not sad; the sad thing is that most people don’t really live at all.”

Socrates had simply not met my expectations. I saw the futility of trying to live up to anyone else’s expectations, including my own. I would, as a peaceful warrior, choose when, where, and how I would behave. With that commitment, I began to live the life of a warrior.