“Girl Playing Guitar by Firelight” | Anthony Satori
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes ‘Awww!'”
— Jack Kerouac
“Portrait of a Street Musician” (triptych) | Anthony Satori
“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.”
— Osho
“Enjoy the Journey” | Anthony Satori
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”
— Jawaharlal Nehru
“Awake” | Anthony Satori
“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”
— Buddha
“Water Droplets in Sunlight” | Anthony Satori
“Why hurry over beautiful things? Why not linger and enjoy them?”
— Clara Schumann
“The Ideal of Happiness” | Anthony Satori
“Life in common among people who love each other is the ideal of happiness.”
— George Sand
So often we look outward for the things that will make us happy. We look to that vacation that we’ve been dreaming about, those designer clothes that will set us apart, the expensive food, cars, and toys that we’re sure will fulfill our perceived need for such things. And don’t get me wrong, I do not, in the slightest, discount the potential pleasure that material objects and experiences can bring. Not at all. In fact, I have a highly cultivated appreciation for quality and aesthetics, in every aspect of life. But it is equally important to realize that such things are not the essence of what truly makes a person happy. It is a cliche, I’m sure, but it is true: material wealth cannot buy happiness, friends, contentment, or love. And, in contrast, when you are with the right people, doing just about anything, even the most mundane of activities, can be the very best of times. Indulging in a meandering conversation on a warm summer afternoon, watching an old movie (or binge-ing on a new TV show) late into the night, going to an art gallery, visiting the beach, or playing a few hands of poker for toothpicks and matches… any of these things can truly constitute the ideal of happiness. So, yes… well done, Ms. Sand. I do believe that you have hit the nail on the head. Whether it is at a five-star hotel in the South of France, or around a second-hand card table in your friend’s garage, it is the sharing of life in common among people who love each other that is, ultimately, the essence of a happy life.
“The Warm Glow of Evening” | Anthony Satori
“You have to enjoy life. Always be surrounded by people that you like, people who have good conversation. There are so many positive things to think about.”
— Sophia Loren
“Sun Kissed” | Anthony Satori
“Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
— Henry James
“Cabin on the Lake” | Anthony Satori
Surround yourself with beauty, goodness, compassion, light. The more thoroughly you infuse these qualities into the substance of your everyday life, the more you will come to see the world as a living reflection of the infinite wonder of the universe.
