A lot of the problems we are facing are our own creation, like war and violence. Unlike a natural disaster, these problems are created by humans ourselves.
-- The Dalai Lama (chapter 2 paragraph 2)

Importance: Very early in the book, the Dalai Lama is making a point to distinguish between problems that one has control over versus those that are not.

Everyone seeks happiness, joyfulness, but from outside - from money, power, from big car, from big house. Most people never pay much attention to the ultimate source of a happy life, which is inside, not outside. Even the source of physical health is inside, not outside.
-- The Dalai Lama (chapter 2 paragraph 6)

Importance: This quote represents a criticism, albeit a light criticism, of humanity's obsession with seeking happiness from material possessions.

The goal is not just to create joy for ourselves but, as the Archbishop poetically phrased it, ‘to be a reservoir of joy, an oasis of peace, a pool of serenity that can...
-- Douglas Abrams (chapter 5 paragraph 2)