“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't planted.” ~ Amish Proverb

 "My life may appear melancholy,

But travelling through this world
I have entrusted myself to Heaven.
In my sack, three measures of rice;
By the hearth, a bundle of firewood.
If someone asks what is the mark of enlightenment
or illusion,
I cannot say - wealth and honour are nothing but dust.
As the evening rain falls I sit in my hermitage
And stretch out both feet in answer.

• Ryokan