“Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the soci...”

“In the liquid amber within the ivory porcelain, the initiated may touch the sweet reticence of Confucius, the piquancy of Laotse, and the ethereal aroma of Sakyamuni himself.”

“We are ever brutal to those who love and serve us in silence, but the time may come when, for our cruelty, we shall be deserted by these best friends of ours.”

“People are not taught to be really virtuous, but to behave properly.”

“Fain would we remain barbarians, if our claim to civilization were to be based on the gruesome glory of war.”

“Our standards of morality are begotten of the past needs of society, but is society to remain always the same?”

“There's a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free. Don't miss so many of them.”

“A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books.”

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be aliveto breathe, to think, to enjoy, to lovethen make that day count!”

“Today I want to belong. I want to feel safe and at home. I want to be aware of what it is like simply to be, without defenses or desires. I will appreciate the flow of life for what it is-my own tr...”

“Nature reflects the moods of the wizard.”

“My calling ties me to no office, makes me no man's slave, compels me to no action which my soul condemns. It sets me free from town life, which I loathe; and allows me to breathe clean air, to exer...”

“Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending t...”

“Have tea, might write, Laura returned.”

“Pour, varlet, pour the waterThe water steaming hot!A spoonful for each man of usAnother for the pot!”