This novel by Hermann Hesse deals with the spiritual journey of an Indian man named Siddhartha during the time of the Buddha.

The story begins as Siddhartha, the son of a Kshatriya, leaves his home to join the ascetics with his companion Govinda. The two set out in the search of enlightenment. Siddhartha goes from asceticism, to a very worldly life as a trader with a lover, and back to asceticism as he attempts to achieve this goal. The story takes place in ancient India around the time of Gotama Buddha (likely between the fourth and seventh centuries BC).

The quotes from this eBook:

- "Wisdom is not communicable. The wisdom which a wise man tries to communicate always sounds foolish... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it."

- "Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal."

- "Therefore, it seems to me that everything that exists is good - death as well as life, sin as well as holiness, wisdom as well as folly. Everything is necessary, everything needs only my agreement, my assent, my loving understanding; then all is well with me and nothing can harm me."

- "Your soul is the whole world."

- "And here is a doctrine at which you will laugh. It seems to me, Govinda, that love is the most important thing in the world." 

Look inside

(Instructions: Click on the right edge - next page, click on the left edge  - previous page, click on the title top left  - table of contents, click on the aA top right  - change text size, click on the title of the chapter down left - slider that moves you throught the titles of the chapters, make the browser window smaller - see the full Cover.)