“Do you really want to be happy? You can begin by being appreciative of who you are and what you've got. Do you want to be really miserable? You can begin by being discontented.”

“Every human being has to find their own peace. Peace is within you and me. When you and I can experience who we really are, what life is, and what we are doing here, that’s the day peace will begin in this world.”

“It's a question of attitude. If you really work at something you can do it up to a point. If you really work at being happy you can do it up to a point. But anything more than that you can't. Anything more than that is luck.”

“The best part about being alone is that you really don't have to answer to anybody. You do what you want.”

“Freedom begins way back. It begins not with doing what you want but with doing what you ought - that is, with discipline.”

“You can only build a life from what is real. Unless you know and admit to what you really think, really feel, really want, really need and actually do, you are working with illusion and you are going nowhere.”

“You can’t just decide to be happy.”

“No, you can’t. But you can sure as hell decide to be miserable. Is that what you want?”

“If you want to innovate at scale, you have to get really clear about your values. What do you really want in your company? What is really important to you?”

“Do not judge but love and be loved, if you want to be really happy.”

“To [aunt] Marie Hill,
Dearest
Why do you tempt me? I really cannot. It's impossible! Be happy? The only thought I have in my mind is to immerse myself in my art, to merge completely with it until I can begin to express what I really feel – and after that to be consumed even more by it. Even if I wanted to, I could not leave here [Worpswede]… I want to live here. I want to 'live' – and develop further as a person and as an artist… Can you understand this? I think you can. And do you approve? I hope so. In any case, I can't do any different..”