Anna Vesna

“One of our favorite examples of the value of Nothing is an incident in the life of the Japanese emperor Hirohito. Now, being emperor in one of the most frantically Confucianist countries in the world is not necessarily all that relaxing. From early morning until late at night, practically every minute of the emperor's time is filled in with meetings, audiences, tours, inspections, and who-knows-what. And through a day so tightly scheduled that it would make a stone wall seem open by comparison, the emperor must glide, like a great ship sailing in a steady breeze.

In the middle of a particularly busy day, the emperor was driven to a meeting hall for an appointment of some kind. But when he arrived, there was no one there. The emperor walked into the middle of the great hall, stood silently for a moment, then bowed to the empty space. He turned to his assistants, a large smile on his face. "We must schedule more appointments like this," he told them. "I haven't enjoyed myself so much in a long time.”
― Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

“Like silence after noise, or cool, clear water on a hot, stuffy day, Emptiness cleans out the messy mind and charges up the batteries of spiritual energy. Many people are afraid of Emptiness, however, because it reminds them of Loneliness.”
― Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

“В каждом из нас живут Сова и Кролик, Иа-Иа и Винни-Пух. Слишком долго ходили мы тропинками, протоптанными Кроликом, и сидели в дупле, засиженном Совой. И вот теперь, подобно Иа-Иа, мы жалуемся на то, что получили в результате. Но жалобы никуда не ведут. Если у нас сохранилась хоть капля здравого смысла, мы пойдем Путем Пуха. В этот путь зовет нас далекий голос детского разума. Возможно, его не так легко услышать, но сделать это необходимо, ибо без него нам никогда не найти дороги из Леса.”
― Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

“You can't save time. You can only spend it, but you can spend it wisely or foolishly.”
― Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh