The recipe to an unhappy life in Japan is to want to be Japanese if you are not. Anyone who wants to penetrate the country is setting themselves up for tears and disappointment. Pico Iyer countrydisappointmentjapan Change image and share on social
I suppose even when I was growing up, I noticed I was most happy when I was absorbed in something, lost in the moment and forgot the time, whether was conversation, movie, or a game I was playing. That was my definition of happiness. And I was least happy when I was all over the place, distracted and restless. Pico Iyer absorbconversationdefinition share on social
More and more of us feel like emergency-room physicians, permanently on call, required to heal ourselves but unable to find the prescription for all the clutter on our desk. Pico Iyer callclutterdesk Change image and share on social
Like any traveler, I'm always looking for those experiences that are almost unique to any place, and watching films around Alaska of the skies in winter made me want to taste those unworldly showers of light in person. Pico Iyer alaskaexperiencefilm share on social
It takes courage, of course, to step out of the fray, as it takes courage to do anything that's necessary, whether tending to a loved one on her deathbed or turning away from that sugarcoated doughnut. Pico Iyer couragedeathbeddoughnut share on social
In Japan, I live in a little neighborhood in the middle of nowhere. I don't have a bicycle or a car or anything, so my only movement is within the boundaries of my feet. I feel there's a need for that kind of conscientious objection to the momentum of the world. Pico Iyer bicycleboundarycar share on social
I'm no Buddhist monk, and I can't say I'm in love with renunciation in itself, or traveling an hour or more to print out an article I've written, or missing out on the N.B.A. Finals. But at some point, I decided that, for me at least, happiness arose out of all I didn't want or need, not all I did. Pico Iyer arisearticlebuddhist share on social
Contractions, 'U' for 'you' and the like are wonderful to make communication brief and efficient - but we wouldn't want all our talk to be only brief and efficient. Taking pauses out of language would be like taking the net away from a tennis game. Where would all the fun go? Pico Iyer communicationcontractionefficient share on social
Places have charisma, in short, as much as people do. Pico Iyer charismapeopleplace Change image and share on social
Though I knew that poverty certainly didn't buy happiness, I wasn't convinced that money did, either. Pico Iyer buyconvincehappiness Change image and share on social