Poem by Nhat Hanh - " I am a mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river. And I am the bird that swoops down to swallow the mayfly... I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones, my legs as thin as bamboo sticks... and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving... Please call me by my true names, so I can wake up and the door of my heart could be left open, the door of compassion." Understanding brings compassion."

Nhat Hanh on Happiness: "Holding our suffering, looking deeply into it, we find a way to happiness."

Nhat Hanh on Enlightenment: "If you breathe in and are aware that you are alive - that you can touch the miracle of being alive - then that is a kind of enlightenment. Many people are alive but don't touch the miracle of being alive."