Fame or Integrity?

Fame or integrity: which is more important?
Money or happiness: which is more valuable?
Success or failure: which is more destructive?

If you look to others for fulfillment,
you will never truly be fulfilled.
If your happiness depends on money,
you will never be happy with yourself.

Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.
-- The Book of Tao

Stop Thinking, and End Your Problems...

Stop thinking, and end your problems.
What difference between yes and no?
What difference between success and failure?
Must you value what others value,
avoid what others avoid?
How ridiculous!
-- The Book of Tao

When People See Some Things As Beautiful...

When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.
-- The Book of Tao

Cold Spots

Ralph found himself remembering times in his life when he'd hit the emotional equivalent of a cold spot while swimming or clear air turbulence while flying. You'd be cruising along through your day, sometimes feeling great, sometimes feeling just okay, but getting along and getting it done ... and then, for no apparent reason at all, you'd go down in flames and crash. A sense of What the hell's the use would slide over you - unconnected to any real event in your life at that moment but incredibly powerful all the same - and you felt like simply creeping back to bed and pulling the covers up over your head.
- From Insomnia by Stephen King

PURSUIT

Each thing I do I rush through so I can do
something else. In such a way do the days pass -
a blend of stock car racing and the never
ending building of a gothic cathedral.
Through the windows of my speeding car, I see
all that I love falling away: books unread,
jokes untold, landscapes unvisited ...
- From Insomnia by Stephen King

I recently read Insomnia again after a long time and was completely bowled over by this little piece of wisdom. All true things sound terrible and I guess the thought above is one of them.

It's a long walk back to Eden, sweetheart, so don't sweat the small stuff. - Insomnia by Stephen King