Alan Watts Quotes

A collection of quotes by Alan Watts.

Alan Watts was a British philosopher, writer, and speaker known for popularizing Eastern philosophy and spirituality in the Western world. He was born on January 6, 1915, in Chislehurst, Kent, England. Watts developed an early interest in philosophy and spirituality, studying Buddhism and Taoism.

In the 1930s, he moved to the United States and started teaching at the American Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco. Watts gained popularity through his radio talks and began delivering lectures on Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, and other Eastern philosophies. He often blended these teachings with concepts from Western psychology, science, and comparative religion.

Watts wrote numerous books discussing the nature of reality, the meaning of life, and the human experience. Some of his notable works include "The Wisdom of Insecurity," "The Way of Zen," and "The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are." His lucid writing style and ability to convey complex ideas in a relatable manner attracted a wide audience.

Throughout his career, Watts challenged traditional beliefs and encouraged people to seek their own spiritual paths. He emphasized the importance of living in the present moment and finding joy in the here and now. His profound insights and ability to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western thought left a lasting impact on spiritual seekers and intellectuals alike.

Alan Watts passed away on November 16, 1973, but his writings and recorded lectures continue to inspire and influence individuals across the globe.

We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more s

We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.

Really, the fundamental, ultimate mystery -- the only thing

Really, the fundamental, ultimate mystery -- the only thing you need to know to understand the deepest metaphysical secrets -- is this: that for every outside there is an inside and for every inside there is an outside, and although they are different, they go together.

Wisdom Life Philosophy Meaning Universe

The more we struggle for life (as pleasure), the more we are

The more we struggle for life (as pleasure), the more we are actually killing what we love.

If you say that getting the money is the most important thin

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 thing you don't like doing, which is stupid.

Life Time Money Work Dream Career Wasting

I have realized that the past and future are real illusions,

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 hollown

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.

Fear Future Work Love

The reason we have poverty is that we have no imagination. T

The reason we have poverty is that we have no imagination. There are a great many people accumulating what they think is vast wealth, but it's only money... they don't know how to enjoy it, because they have no imagination.

And the attitude of faith is the very opposite of clinging t

And the attitude of faith is the very opposite of clinging to belief, of holding on.

But to me nothing - the negative, the empty - is exceedingly

But to me nothing - the negative, the empty - is exceedingly powerful.

If you go and talk to most people, they mean well but they d

If you go and talk to most people, they mean well but they don't have much of a breadth on education, of knowledge of understanding what the real issues are and therefore they listen to pundits on television who tell them what they are supposed to think and they keep repeating that until pretty soon they say, 'Oh, well that must be true.'

Benjamin Carson

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own te

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

To be angry about trifles is mean and childish; to rage and

To be angry about trifles is mean and childish; to rage and be furious is brutish; and to maintain perpetual wrath is akin to the practice and temper of devils; but to prevent and suppress rising resentment is wise and glorious, is manly and divine.

We are sick with fascination for the useful tools of names a

We are sick with fascination for the useful tools of names and numbers, of symbols, signs, conceptions and ideas. Meditation is therefore the art of suspending verbal and symbolic thinking for a time, somewhat as a courteous audience will stop talking when a concert is about to begin.

Some believe all that parents, tutors, and kindred believe.

Some believe all that parents, tutors, and kindred believe. They take their principles by inheritance, and defend them as they would their estates, because they are born heirs to them.

Things are as they are. Looking out into it the universe at

Things are as they are. Looking out into it the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God wh

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.

Technology is destructive only in the hands of people who do

Technology is destructive only in the hands of people who do not realize that they are one and the same process as the universe.

The religious idea of God cannot do full duty for the metaph

The religious idea of God cannot do full duty for the metaphysical infinity.

Faith is a state of openness or trust.

Faith is a state of openness or trust.

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into i

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.