For all the times we take ourselves too damn seriously...

"Ask yourself: Is there joy, ease, and lightness in what I am doing?" (Eckhart Tolle)

"What you have to do, you do with play. The universe is God's play." (Joseph Campbell)

"I think seriousness is a mask of self-importance and self-importance in turn is a mask for self-pity. So if you're really going to pursue a spiritual way of living in the world, you must be lighthearted and carefree, have humor, be able to tolerate ambiguity and embrace uncertainty, and be forgiving of yourself and everybody else." (Deepak Chopra)

"I have some difficulty in conveying this idea because most people take anything to do with religion seriously -- and you must understand that I am not a serious person. I may be sincere, but never serious, because I don't think the universe is serious." (Alan Watts)

"Humor and paradox are often the only ways to respond to life's sorrows with grace. Humor, too, seems built into the fabric of the universe, so filled with paradox and surprise and uncanny combinations." (Matthew Fox)

"Tokusan was studying Zen under Ryutan. One night he came to Ryutan and asked many questions. The teacher said: `The night is getting old. Why don't you retire?' So Tukusan bowed and opened the screen to go out, observing: `It is very dark outside.' Ryutan offered Tokusan a lighted candle to find his way. Just as Tokusan received it, Ryutan blew it out." (Zen story)