Editor Bonnie Louise Kuchler has gathered more than 800 quotations from the scriptures of seven of the world's religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Taoism) in this paperback. She identifies 65 principles common to all of them, including love people; don't harm others; judge yourself, not others; live in harmony with everyone; purify your heart; live without fear of death; seek and you will find; accept that you reap what you sow; control yourself; don’t be greedy; and don't let anger take over.

One of our favorite practices is contentment. Here are three slants on it:

"Contentment leads to victory of the spirit."
(Hinduism, Tirukkural 180)

"Who are called rich?
Those who are content with their own portion,"
(Judaism, Tamid 32a)

"Those who are contented are not disappointed."
(Taosim, Tao Te Ching 44)

Multifaith pioneer Andrew Harvey has written short essays as introductions to sections of the book. Here is a teaching story about humility as demonstrated by the Sufi mystic Jelaluddin Rumi:

"A young man had heard of Rumi's mystical power and walked from Constantinople to Konya (about three hundred miles) to meet him. Coming into Konya, he saw an old man walking toward him whom he immediately recognized as the Great One. Immediately he prostrated himself before Rumi in the dust. When he got up, he saw that Rumi, oo, had prostrated himself before him. This went on thirty-two times until the young man cried out, 'What on Earth are you doing? I am no one and you are the king of Mystics. How can you prostrate yourself before me?'

"Rumi answered, 'Why shouldn't I prostrate myself before a servant of my Beloved? Didn't the Prophet say, "Blessed is who is chaste in his beauty and humble in his honor?" ' Then, Rumi added softly, 'And if I had not shown you my nothingness, what would I be useful for?' "