Here’s a collection of truisms I’ve observed over the years on life, love, truth, humanity and other inconsequential matters. In no particular order, here they are.

1. There are only 4 things that matter- faith, hope, love and a win over Pakistan in cricket.
2. When there is no such thing as truth, there can be no such thing as blasphemy.
3. Fair doesn’t mean equal.
4. We all have our inner demons.
5. Humans are suited for many things. Democracy is not one of them.
6. A cursory Google search for ‘the greatest country in the world’ yields 8,50,000 results.
7. Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels. Media is the first.
8. I have arrived. According to Google Maps, this happened last weekend.
9. I know I can’t change anyone. But I’ve built a list, just in case.
10. A midlife crisis starts with “Is this all?” and ends with “This is quite good.”
11. No man is an island. But I’ve seen a few archipelagos in my time.
12. If you want to get to the source, you must swim against the current.
13. Destiny is what’s left when we’ve exercised our will and made our choices.
14. Being logical is not the same as being intelligent. Trained circus animals use IF-THEN rules all the time.
15. We succeed, fail or get lucky. It’s hard to tell which it is, at any given time.
16. Experts can better predict what can go wrong than what will go well.
17. All is flux. Everything changes.
18. Meditation is better than sitting around.
19. I like being a vegetarian. My relationship with a chicken is restricted to questioning its motives for crossing the road.
20. It’s hard to do the right thing when it involves dessert.
21. If you give laptops and Twitter accounts to millions of monkeys, it’s only a matter of time before they begin correcting your typos.
22. I often can’t tell if a misspelled word is a typo or the name of a rapper.
23. The only thing I know about your future is that you are in it.
24. The leading cause of cancer in rats is research.
25. The Whole is part of the One. If you don’t watch out on Indian roads, one will become part of the hole.
26. Indians can handle anything. Except standing in a queue.
27. Passion is over-rated by those who have it, and misunderstood by those who don’t.
28. Love is the soul of genius. Without love, there can be no genius.
29. I’d like for religion to be a parent: to pick us up when we stumble, guide us when we ask and set us free when we’re ready to leave.
30. Kids say the darnedest, most wonderful things. Unless they are someone else’s kids.
31. A happy marriage is the greatest gift of all.
32. Some look great because of their colleges. Some make their colleges look great. It is better to be in the latter category.
33. Each of us is unique. But, deep down we all have the same hopes and fears.
34. There is the truth as you see it. And then, there’s the truth.
35. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Everything is small stuff.
36. I love India not because I was born on her soil but because there’s something inspiring about the way she’s tolerant of the human condition.
37. Read more than you write.
38. When the crowd zigs, it’s time to zag.
39. Answers are worthless if the questions are useless.
40. There are no mistakes. There are only experiences.
41. It doesn’t really matter if God exists or not.
42. We must not lose faith in faith itself.
43. A good society appreciates the science of uncertainty and the art of compromise.
44. There’s not enough darkness in this world that can put out even the smallest of lamps.
45. The path has a way of appearing when you begin walking.
46. Que sera, sera. What will be, will be.
47. Let go, be happy.