Table of Contents
Introduction
Alan Watts (1915–1973) was an English writer, speaker, and self-styled “philosophical entertainer”. He is famous for his explanation of Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu philosophy to Western audiences.
Alan Watts’ writings often discuss topics such as the interconnected nature of all things, the illusion of separateness, and the impermanence of life.
Now, what really made Watts stand out from other writers was his charismatic speaking style. He challenged conventional thinking in his books, lectures, and broadcasts which has inspired many to question their beliefs about the universe and existence.
So, in this post, I’ve handpicked 55 Alan Watts quotes on life, love, change, reality, overthinking, time, happiness, and the universe along with a brief explanation of a few of them. Let’s dive in…
10 Best Alan Watts Quotes on Life
Life is not a problem to be solved, nor a question to be answered. Life is a mystery to be experienced.
Alan Watts
This is the real secret of life: to be completely engaged with what you’re doing in the here and now—and instead of calling it work, realize that this is play.
Alan Watts
It’s better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way.
Alan Watts
The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
This Alan Watts quote on life indicates that the real meaning of life is just to be alive. Every breath we take, every step we make, every moment we’re here on this Earth—that’s the meaning of life happening right there.
Well, we’re always worried about what we need to do or where we should go. But he’s saying, just being alive and seeing the world is what life’s about.
We should forget about all the things people expect from us and the stress they cause. Just enjoy how wonderful it is to be alive.
To sum it up, this short saying by Alan Watts shows that life’s real meaning isn’t about achieving big things. It’s about appreciating just being alive. When we understand this, we can feel more satisfied.
Also Read: Sigmund Freud Quotes on Life, Love, Dreams & Psychology (Explained)
To play so as to be relaxed and refreshed for work is not to play, and no work is well and finely done unless it, too, is a form of play.
Alan Watts
The art of living … is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.
Alan Watts
What do you desire? What makes you itch? … If you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you will spend your life completely wasting your time. You’ll be doing things you don’t like doing in order to go on living, that is, to go on doing things you don’t like doing.
Alan Watts
The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
As humans, we’re naturally attracted to things that have a sense of movement and energy. These things may not last forever, but they’re full of life and energy, and that’s what makes them special to us.
You see, things which are meant to last a long time often lack energy or liveliness as this Alan Watts quote about life shows. Seeking stability sometimes makes us miss out on the beauty of fleeting moments.
Things that stick around forever, can lack the liveliness and energy that comes with being alive and changing. It’s like they’re frozen in time while living things keep on growing and changing.
In the end, this saying about life shows how we need both lasting things and lively moments in life. We want stability, but we also need to enjoy the short, fun times.
Hospitals should be arranged in such a way as to make being sick an interesting experience. One learns a great deal sometimes from being sick.
Alan Watts
In the more intimate sphere of personal life, the problem is the pain of trying to avoid suffering and the fear of trying not to be afraid.
Alan Watts
10 Alan Watts Quotes on Love
No work or love will flourish out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart, just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
If our hearts feel sad or guilty, the love we give or the work we do won’t be great. We need happy hearts to make love and work really awesome as this quote by Alan Watts on love highlights.
Genuine, meaningful work or love doesn’t come from negative emotions or an empty soul. It just won’t turn out right.
Similarly, if we’re not fully present and engaged in our lives right now, how can we expect to make solid plans for the future? We would be at a loss.
Basically, these words by Alan Watts tell us that our feelings and being in the moment are vitally important for a happy life. We should take care of our hearts, let go of guilt and fear, and enjoy every moment. That way, our love, work, and plans for the future will be awesome.
The problem is to overcome the ingrained disbelief in the power of winning nature by love, in the gentle (ju) way (do) of turning with the skid, of controlling ourselves by cooperating with ourselves.
Alan Watts
If you love a person, you say to that person, “Look, I love you, whatever that may be. I’ve seen quite a bit of it and I know there’s lots that I haven’t seen, but still it’s you and I want you to be what you want to be.
Alan Watts
What do you desire? What makes you itch? You’ll be doing things you don’t like doing in order to go on living, that is, to go on doing things you don’t like doing.
Alan Watts
Everyone has love, but it can only come out when he is convinced of the impossibility and the frustration of trying to love himself.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
Each of us has the capacity to love, both others and ourselves. But that love for ourselves might not always be easy to access as this
Sometimes, we reach a moment where we realize that trying to love ourselves by seeking approval from others doesn’t make us happy. It ends up leaving us feeling upset and like something is missing.
But then, we might come to know that true self-love is about accepting ourselves fully and accepting our own unique journey as this Alan Watts love quote portrays. It’s like unlocking a hidden treasure within ourselves.
In short, this inspirational quote by Alan Watts suggests we let go of unrealistic standards and accept our authentic selves, flaws and all. By doing so, we can transform not only our lives but also the way we relate to the world.
Further Reading: Alan Watts on Love
Love is not something that is a sort of rare commodity, everybody has it.
Alan Watts
The world is filled with love-play, from animal lust to sublime compassion.
Alan Watts
Money is an abstraction. It cannot, of itself, buy any pleasure whatsoever. Because all pleasures involve skill and love.
Alan Watts
Life and love generate effort, but effort will not generate them.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
Life and love, they’re like magical forces that constantly push us to do things, to achieve, to grow. But this quote by Alan Watts about love shows that we can’t just put in effort and expect life and love to magically happen.
Life unfolds in its own mysterious way, and sometimes, no matter how hard we try, things just don’t go according to plan. The same goes for love. Love blossoms naturally, in its own time, in its own way.
We need to understand that some things in life, like life itself and love, can’t be forced. They come to us when the time is right.
To sum it up, we should be patient and trust that good things will come when the time is right. So, we should keep doing our part and wait for the magic to happen naturally.
You and I are all as much continuous with the physical universe as a wave is continuous with the ocean.
Alan Watts
8 Alan Watts Quotes About Change
Everything is change. Nothing can be held on to. And if you go with the flux, you flow with it. However, if you resist the stream, it fights you.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
The phrase “everything is change” shows that life is constantly in motion. Everything around us is always shifting and evolving. We, as people, are part of this ever-changing world.
We can’t hold onto things forever because stuff always changes. We might want to keep things the same because they’re comfortable or familiar, but that’s just not how life works.
This famous Alan Watts quote indicates that if we accept this constant change, we flow smoothly along with the current of life. But if we try to resist change, it’s tough, and we’ll probably end up tired and frustrated.
So basically, this saying about change is telling us to accept that things change. Instead of struggling against it, we should go with the flow, adjust, and get better along the way. It would be helpful for a smooth and calm life.
The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.
Alan Watts
Everything is perpetually becoming new.
Alan Watts
When you get free from certain fixed concepts of the way the world is, you find it is far more subtle, and far more miraculous, than you thought it was.
Alan Watts
To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don’t grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
When we swim, have you ever noticed that if you try to grab onto the water too tightly, you actually start to sink? It’s because water is fluid and constantly moving, just like life.
So, if we try to control every little aspect of our lives, we’ll end up feeling overwhelmed. We’ll weigh down, just like sinking in the water.
This quote by Alan Watts about change indicates that when we relax and let ourselves float, we find that perfect balance where we’re in harmony with the water. It’s like trusting ourselves and the world to support us, even when life gets hard.
In essence, having faith is about trusting ourselves to loosen our grip and go with the flow, instead of trying to control everything. We should realize that we’re strong enough to handle whatever happens.
Also Read: 75 Brene Brown Quotes on Vulnerability, Courage, Love, Shame, Connection & Change
Whether we like it or not, change comes, and the greater the resistance, the greater the pain.
Alan Watts
Problems that remain persistently insoluble should always be suspected as questions asked in the wrong way.
Alan Watts
To resist change, to try to cling to life, is therefore like holding your breath: if you persist you kill yourself.
Alan Watts
10 Alan Watts Quotes About Reality
There is no other reality than present reality, so that, even if one were to live for endless ages, to live for the future would be to miss the point everlastingly.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
This Alan Watts quote on reality portrays that the only thing that’s real and happening right now is this moment. We can’t skip ahead or rewind to another time.
Whatever we’re experiencing right now, that’s our reality. Even if we could live forever, just thinking about what’s coming next all the time would mean we’re missing most of life.
Like if we spend all our time daydreaming about tomorrow, we’re not fully enjoying today. So, we should appreciate the present, to really enjoy the beauty of this moment.
So, in conclusion, these words by Alan Watts encourage us to shift our focus from the uncertainties of the future to the beauty and wonder of the present. By doing so, we can find fulfillment, joy, and meaning in each passing moment.
Life and Reality are not things you can have for yourself unless you accord them to all others. They do not belong to particular persons any more than the sun, moon and stars.
Alan Watts
Increasingly, we’re developing all kinds of systems for verifying reality by echoing it.
Alan Watts
Time is a social institution and not a physical reality. There is no such thing as time in the natural world – the world of stars and waters, clouds, mountains and living organisms.
Alan Watts
A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. So he loses touch with Reality, and lives in a world of illusion.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
When we spend all our time thinking and pondering over things, we can get stuck in the loop of our own thoughts. And then, we start to lose touch with what’s really going on around us, with reality as this short Alan Watts quote suggests.
We start to believe that our thoughts are the only things that matter. But in reality, there’s so much more out there beyond just what we think.
Thinking all the time can make us forget what’s really happening around us. But we should pay attention to the world beyond our thoughts.
In short, if we want to truly experience life to the fullest, we need to have a balance between our thoughts and the reality around us. Otherwise, we might find ourselves lost in a maze of illusions, missing out on the beauty and wonder of the world.
Also Read: Ayn Rand Quotes on Society, Individualism, Government & Freedom
Reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.
Alan Watts
The clash between science and religion has not shown that religion is false and science is true. It has shown that all systems of definition are relative to various purposes, and that none of them actually “grasp” reality.
Alan Watts
Everybody is fundamentally the ultimate reality.
Alan Watts
The past and the future are abstractions without any concrete reality.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
Even though we think about the past and the future a lot, they’re not as real as the present moment. They’re like ideas in our heads, not things we can touch or feel right now.
So, when the quote says that the past and the future are “abstractions without any concrete reality,” it means that they’re illusions. They’re real in our minds and in our thoughts, but they don’t have the same existence as the present moment.
In short, we should live the present moment, because it’s where life truly happens.
While we think about the past and the future a lot, they’re not as real as what’s going on right now. So, we should in the moment and make the most of it.
Life is not a problem to be solved, but an experience to be had.
Alan Watts
4 Alan Watts Quotes About Overthinking
There will always be suffering. But we must not suffer over the suffering.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
In this grand adventure called life, there will always be moments of difficulty, pain, and suffering. It’s full of twists and turns.
This Alan Watts saying advises not to make things worse by feeling even more upset about the pain we’re already experiencing. We shouldn’t let our minds dive into the pain.
Instead, we can choose a different approach. We can acknowledge the pain, recognize it as part of the human experience, and then let it pass.
So, in essence, while suffering may be unavoidable at times, we can choose to face it with courage, compassion, and a sense of inner peace. In doing so, we reclaim our power over our own experiences and cultivate a deeper sense of joy in the face of harsh life.
Also Read: Thomas Hobbes Quotes on Life, War, Government & Philosophy (Analyzed)
Life exists only at this very moment, and in this moment it is infinite and eternal, for the present moment is infinitely small; before we can measure it.
Alan Watts
To be free from convention is not to spurn it but not to be deceived by it.
Alan Watts
The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.
Alan Watts
4 Alan Watts Quotes About Time
I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
This Alan Watts quote on time highlights that the past and future are like magic tricks. They seem real, but they’re actually just in our minds. We can’t control or change them.
The only thing that’s truly real is the present moment. This moment, right here, right now, is all there really is.
The present moment is where we can truly experience joy, love, and fulfillment. And by understanding that the past and future are just illusions, we can let go of unnecessary worries and enjoy the beauty of now.
This Alan Watts short quote suggests that the past and future might seem important, but actually, the only thing that’s real is right now. So, we should forget about stressing over what’s already happened or worrying about what’s to come.
Time is money,” we say. “I don’t have enough time.” “Time flies.” “Time drags.”
Alan Watts
This present moment never comes to be and it never ceases to be, it is simply our minds that construct the continuity of thoughts we call time.
Alan Watts
We know that from time to time there arise among human beings people who seem to exude love as naturally as the sun gives out heat.
Alan Watts
5 Alan Watts Quotes About the Universe
We do not come into this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
When we’re born, it’s not like we just come into existence out of nowhere. Instead, it’s more like we’re born out of the world itself, just like how leaves grow from a tree as this short quote by Alan Watts about the universe portrays.
Each of us is like a special leaf on that tree. We might look different and have our own styles, but we’re all connected to the same tree, the same source. That source is nature, the entire universe.
We are the embodiment of the universe’s ongoing story. And just like leaves on a tree, we’re constantly changing and evolving.
In conclusion, this inspirational saying by Alan Watts reminds us of our deep connection to the universe and the natural world. So, we should appreciate how special we are as parts of the universe and try to live peacefully with nature.
If the universe is meaningless, so is the statement that it is so. If this world is a vicious trap, so is its accuser, and the pot is calling the kettle black.
Alan Watts
We’re living in a fluid universe, in which the art of faith is not in taking one’s stand, but in learning to swim.
Alan Watts
You are a function of what the whole universe is doing in the same way that a wave is a function of what the whole ocean is doing.
Alan Watts
You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
When we look around, think, feel, or do anything, it’s like the universe is doing those things through us. We’re a way for the universe to explore and understand itself.
Each time we experience something, it’s like we’re helping the universe put itself together. Our thoughts, feelings, and actions are all showing the universe more about itself.
It’s like we’re not just passive observers in this world: we’re active participants. We’re playing a role in the ongoing exploration and understanding of the universe itself.
To put it simply, we’re not just living our life for ourselves. We’re also helping the universe learn and grow. We’re all connected in this amazing way, making the universe a little wiser with every moment.
4 Alan Watts Quotes on Happiness
Our pleasures are not material pleasures, but symbols of pleasure – attractively packaged but inferior in content.
Alan Watts
Brief Analysis
Material pleasures are the joys we get from physical things. These are the kinds of pleasures that we can touch, see, smell, taste, or hear.
These words by Alan Watts show that the fun and happiness we think we’re getting from all these material things isn’t really about the things themselves. It’s about what these things stand for, the ideas or dreams they represent.
They might give us a quick feeling of joy, but that feeling doesn’t last. They don’t have the depth or meaning to truly satisfy the deeper parts of us that strive for genuine happiness.
Basically, this Alan Watts quote on happiness is an invitation to seek out deeper, more meaningful pleasures that fill our hearts. It’s about finding real joy in a world that too often settles for the shiny surface of things.
We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.
Alan Watts
The problem before us is how to find such a center of relaxed balance and poise … a center whose happiness is unshaken by the whirl that goes on around it.
Alan Watts
The meaning of happiness consists in three elements — freedom, gratitude, and the sense of wonder.
Alan Watts
Read ‘Become What You Are’ by Alan Watts
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