Quotes by Alan Watts
Last Updated: 24 Feb 2025
“All that is required to realize the truth is to let go of everything else.”
“As soon as we find out that we are the entire universe, the entire universe is a part of us.”
“Don’t seek for the meaning of life, for it is not something to be found, but something to be experienced.”
“Don’t think, just do. Be fully involved with what you’re doing, and the rest will follow.”
“Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.”
“Everything is connected. You cannot break the chain of life.”
“It’s not that we have to do something to become enlightened; we are enlightened.”
“Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides.”
“Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.”
“Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.”
“No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.”
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than a sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
“Nothing is more certain than that things are constantly changing.”
“The body is simply the instrument of the mind. It is what the mind uses to move around the world.”
“The ego is nothing but an illusion created by the mind.”
“The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention.”
“The greatest barrier to communication is the illusion that it has already taken place.”
“The greatest illusion in the world is the illusion of separateness.”
“The greatest illusion of all is the illusion of separateness.”
“The idea of separation is the fundamental delusion.”
“The idea that you can’t stop the flow of time is the greatest delusion there is.”
“The illusion of control is what causes suffering. Let go and let life flow.”
“The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.”
“The most fundamental reality is that you are one with the whole universe.”
“The only thing that is real is the present. It’s the only thing we have.”
“The only thing you have to control is the way you respond to the world.”
“The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.”
“The past is a memory, and the future is a fantasy. The present moment is all that is real.”
“The present moment is the only place where life exists. Stop seeking outside of it.”
“The secret of the universe is not to gain more but to enjoy more.”
“The world is filled with love-play, from animal lust to sublime compassion.”
“The world you see is not the world. It’s only a reflection of your mind.”
“There is no end to the universe, because there is no separation between you and it.”
“There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.”
“To be free is to be completely awake to the present moment.”
“To live fully is to live with an awareness of the present moment.”
“To seek the truth is to accept that you already have it within you.”
“To understand the full truth, one has to understand both the material and spiritual.”
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
“We are the same awareness as the universe itself.”
“We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.”
“What we are seeking is what is seeking.”
“What we experience as the world is only a dream created by our mind.”
“What we have to do is realize that the world we see around us is a reflection of the inner mind.”
“What you do, you do because you are already what you are. You are not trying to become anything.”
“What you experience as yourself is not an isolated fragment, but a pattern of the whole universe.”
“When you realize that all things change, there is nothing you can hold on to. But that’s the beauty of it.”
“When you realize that the whole universe is your body, there is no fear of the unknown.”
“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
“You and I are all as much continuous with the physical universe as a wave is continuous with the ocean.”
“You are always already the person you are becoming.”
“You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.”
“You are not a stranger in the universe. You are part of it.”
“You are not your thoughts. You are the awareness behind them.”
“You cannot separate yourself from the flow of life. You are always moving with it.”
“You can’t believe in the idea of God and believe in the separation of yourself from everything else.”
“You don’t look out there for God, something in the sky, you look in you.”
“Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.”