Alan Wilson Watts was a British philosopher, writer, and speaker, best known as an interpreter and popularizer of Eastern philosophy for a Western audience.

Below is a list of his top 5 books with some of his greatest quotes scattered throughout the page, enjoy!

InThe Book,Alan Watts provides us with a much-needed answer to the problem of personal identity, distilling and adapting the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta.

At the root of human conflict is our fundamental misunderstanding of who we are. The illusion that we are isolated beings, unconnected to the rest of the universe, has led us to view the outside world with hostility, and has fueled our misuse of technology and our violent and hostile subjugation of the natural world. To help us understand that the self is in fact the root and ground of the universe, Watts has crafted a revelatory primer on what it means to be humanand a mind-opening manual of initiation into the central mystery of existence.

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No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

~ ALAN WATTS

In his definitive introduction to Zen Buddhism, Alan Watts explains the principles and practices of this ancient religion to Western readers. With a rare combination of freshness and lucidity, he delves into the origins and history of Zen to explain what it means for the world today with incredible clarity. Watts saw Zen as one of the most precious gifts of Asia to the world, and inThe Way of Zenhe gives this gift to readers everywhere.

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The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

~ ALAN WATTS

Life exists only at this very moment, and in this moment it is infinite and eternal. For the present moment is infinitely small; before we can measure it, it has gone, and yet it exists forever. . . . You may believe yourself out of harmony with life and its eternal Now; but you cannot be, for you are life and exist Now.fromBecome What You Are

In this collection of writings, including nine new chapters never before available in book form, Watts displays the intelligence, playfulness of thought, and simplicity of language that has made him so perennially popular as an interpreter of Eastern thought for Westerners. He draws on a variety of religious traditions, and covers topics such as the challenge of seeing ones life just as it is, the Taoist approach to harmonious living, the limits of language in the face of ineffable spiritual truth, and the psychological symbolism of Christian thought.

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But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be.

~ ALAN WATTS

Six revolutionary essays exploring the relationship between spiritual experience and ordinary lifeand the need for them to coexist within each of us.

With essays on cosmic consciousness (including Alan Watts account of his own ventures into this inward realm); the paradoxes of self-consciousness; LSD and consciousness; and the false opposition of spirit and matter,This Is It and Other Essays on Zen and Spiritual Experienceis a truly mind-opening collection.

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Technology is destructive only in the hands of people who do not realize that they are one and the same process as the universe.

~ ALAN WATTS

We live in an age of unprecedented anxiety. Spending all our time trying to anticipate and plan for the future and to lamenting the past, we forget to embrace the here and now. We are so concerned with tomorrow that we forget to enjoy today. Drawing from Eastern philosophy and religion, Alan Watts shows that it is only by acknowledging what we do notand cannotknow that we can learn anything truly worth knowing. InThe Wisdom of Insecurity,he shows us how, in order to lead a fulfilling life, we must embrace the presentand live fully in the now. Featuring an Introduction by Deepak Chopra.

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Best of Alan Watts Quotes:

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

~ ALAN WATTS

I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.

~ ALAN WATTS

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.

~ ALAN WATTS

Never pretend to a love which you do not actually feel, for love is not ours to command.

~ ALAN WATTS

But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be.

~ ALAN WATTS

You and I are all as much continuous with the physical universe as a wave is continuous with the ocean.

~ ALAN WATTS

But Ill tell you what hermits realize. If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, youll come to understand that youre connected with everything.

~ ALAN WATTS

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5 Best Alan Watts Books Learned Mastery