Robert C. Solomon - Philosophy Professor — Waking Life

"The worst mistake that you can make is to think youre alive when really youre asleep in lifes waiting room."

"Creation seems to come out of imperfection. It seems to come out of a striving and a frustration. This is where, I think, language came from. I mean, it came from our desire to transcend our isolation and have some sort of connection with one another. It had to be easy when it was just simple survival. “Water.” We came up with a sound for that. “Sabretooth tiger right behind you!” We came up with a sound for that. But when it gets really interesting, I think, is when we use that same system of symbols to communicate all the abstract and intangible things that we’re experiencing. What is “frustration”? Or, what is “anger” or “love”? When I say “love” - the sound comes out of my mouth and it hits the other person’s ear, travels through this byzantine conduit in their brain, through their memories of love or lack of love, and they register what Im saying... and they say yes they understand, but how do I know? Because words are inert. They’re just symbols. They’re dead - you know? And so much of our experience is intangible. So much of what we perceive cannot be expressed, it’s unspeakable. And yet, you know, when we communicate with one another and we feel that we have connected - and we think we’re understood, I think we have a feeling of almost spiritual communion... and that feeling may be transient, but I think it’s what we live for."

"Anchors aweigh! So what do you think of my little vessel? Shes what we call a see-worthy. S-E-E, see with your eyes. I feel like my transport should be an extension of my personality. Voila. And this, this is like my little window to the world, and every minutes a different show. Now I may not understand it. I may not even necessarily agree with it. But Ill tell you what, I accept it and just sort of glide along. You want to keep things on an even keel, I guess is what Im saying. You want to go with the flow. The sea refuses no river. The idea is to remain in a state of constant departure while always arriving. It saves on introductions and goodbyes. The ride does not require an explanation - just occupants. Thats where you guys come in. Its like you come onto this planet with a crayon box. Now you may get the eight-pack, you may get the sixteen-pack, but its all in what you do with the crayons, the colors, that youre given. And dont worry about drawing within the lines or coloring outside the lines. I say color outside the lines, you know what I mean? Color right off the page. Dont box me in! Were in motion to the ocean. We are not land-locked, Ill tell you that. So where do you want out?"

"There are two kinds of sufferers in this world: those who suffer from a lack of life and those who suffer from an overabundance of life. I’ve always found myself in the second category. When you come to think of it, almost all human behavior and activity is not essentially any different from animal behavior. The most advanced technologies and craftsmanship bring us, at best, up to the super-chimpanzee level. Actually, the gap between, say, Plato or Nietzsche and the average human is greater than the gap between that chimpanzee and the average human. The realm of the real spirit, the true artist, the saint, the philosopher, is rarely achieved."

"The trick is to combine your waking rational abilities with the infinite possibilities of your dreams. Because, if you can do that, you can do anything."

"Alex Jones - Man in Car with P.A."