Richard Bach's Illusions

"What if somebody came along who could teach me how my world works and how to control it? ... What if a Siddhartha came to our time, with power over the illusions of the world because he knew the reality behind them? And what if I could meet him in person, if he was flying a biplane, for instance, and landed in the same meadow with me?"

This book inspired me when I most needed it while in Thailand, it sent me soaring, it also sent me crashing back down... hard. But that's the fault of my own limitations which I'm still working on. 

“This is a test to see if your mission in this life is complete, if you are alive, it isn't.” 

“You're never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it however.”

“I do not exist to impress the world. I exist to live my life in a way that will make me happy. ”

“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.”

“Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself.”

“Remember where you came from, where you're going, and why you created this mess you got yourself into in the first place.”

“We teach best what we most need to learn.”

“If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats.”

“Believe you know all the answers, and you know all the answers. Believe you're a master, and you are.”

“The best way to avoid responsibility is to say, 'I've got responsibilities.”

“The original sin is to limit the Is. Don't.”

“Live never to be ashamed if anything you do or say is published around the world -- even if what is published is not true.” 

“There is no such thing as a problem with out a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts.”

“How easy it is to be compassionate when it's yourself you see in trouble.” 

“You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self. Don't turn away from possible futures before you're certain you don't have anything to learn from them. You're always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past.” 

“The world is a dream, you say, and it’s lovely, sometimes. Sunset. Clouds. Sky.”
“No. The image is a dream. The beauty is real. Can you see the difference?” 

“Remember where you came from, where you’re going, and why you created the mess you got yourself into in the first place. You're going to die a horrible death, remember. It's all good training, and you'll enjoy it more if you keep the facts in mind. Take your dying with some seriousness, however. Laughing on the way to your execution is not generally understood by less-advanced life-forms, and they'll call you crazy.” 

“Nothing good is a miracle, nothing lovely is a dream.”

“If your happiness depends on what somebody else does, I guess you have a problem.”