Way of the Peaceful Warrior Dreams, Hopes, and Plans Quotes

When the story starts, Dan is totally full of goals. Look at all the things he wants to accomplish. Socrates is going to send him in the exact opposite direction, but the idea of having no goals, hopes, or plans is so foreign to Dan that it seems like a fantasy world. Anyone who has been through a conversion, say from one religion to another, is familiar with just how much another philosophy can seem unreal.

This key passage, from one of the early visions Socrates gives Dan, shows up in multiple of our Themes. The point in this case is that unhappy people chase their dreams, and according to Socrates' philosophy, that never works. You have to give up seeking achievements or reasons or meaning in order to be truly happy.

You might be familiar with this lesson from Buddhism or Zen. The basic gist is that we get our hearts set on (attached to) things turning out a certain way. And that's why we suffer, since we start saying, for example, "I'll be happy if only I get into that college or graduate school", or "I'll be happy if I win this contest"—but even if the dream comes true, happiness never seems to stay for very long. The way out of the dilemma is to give up goals entirely, according to Socrates.

After his cafe burns down, Joseph, a former student of Socrates, says it doesn't matter where he goes next. This might seem like wisdom, or it might seem amoral or selfish; however it seems to you, it's a philosophical view that has been around for thousands of years in different flavors… so it deserves a fair hearing.

Even if you aren't Zen Buddhist, it's pretty well accepted that the positive feelings that come when you ace a test or win a trophy are short-lived, and that the key to real, long-lasting happiness lies elsewhere. Dan, as taught by Socrates, goes much further than this, however, to the point of happily saying (elsewhere in the book) such things as, "Nothing could possibly matter."

This is Socrates' advice to Dan when he's picking a career after graduation. It stands in stark contrast to those in history, such as the abolitionists, who have believed what you decide to do in life can actually make a big difference. Socrates says a very few things about practicing kindness, but he never much emphasizes it at all, and he certainly doesn't advocate getting stressed out about other people's plights. It's all about gaining your own happiness by accepting reality pretty much as it is, doing your best, and letting go of dreams, hopes, and plans.

For all its emphasis on letting go of purpose and meaning and goals, Socrates shows Dan that the way of the peaceful warrior still requires effort. You have to develop the discipline to hone your awareness, eat in a healthy way, and so on in order to stay content in the present moment. This passage shows that Dan feels he has betrayed something by beginning a conventional life, perhaps by forgetting Joy or letting his training begin to slip.

Whew! Nothing matters. What a relief! After witnessing his body decompose and thousands of years of history pass, Dan realizes individuals don't add up to all that much in the grand scheme of things. So why worry about anything?

Dan concludes that all goals are equally enjoyable and equally unnecessary. For example, according to him and his teacher, it doesn't matter if you work for a draft resistance movement or a weapons manufacturer. It makes no difference, as Joseph says a few quotes back. Just do your best, be kind, and enjoy the little things in life. We're all going to die anyway. This perspective opens the gate to unreasonable happiness, according to Dan.

This short passage near the very end of the story is a good quick summary of the book's message. We think you've probably got the novel's point by now!