Here are a number of my favorite quotes from Buddhism.
The expanse of spontaneous presence is the ground of all. Empty in essence, continuous by nature, it has never existed as anything whatsoever, yet arises as everything.
Table of Contents
My Favorite quotes from Buddhism
- Things are not as they seem. Nor are they otherwise. Buddha
- The warrior with a broken heart can never be corrupted. Dorje Dradul
- Domane trolwe ziji lha – the confidence that is primordially free.
- All thoughts, good and bad, happy and sad, vanish like the imprint of a bird in the sky – Sadhana of Mahamudra, Trungpa Rinpoche
- Love is an ember that can never be extinguished. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
- Perceiver and perceived, when purified, are the body of the deity, clear emptiness. Padmasambhava
- Making mistake after mistake, I walk an unmistaken path. Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtse, Rinpoche
- The stages of outer, inner and other are united within the one wisdom. This is the root of Vajrayana. It summarizes all. Guyhagharba Tantra.
- Like a dream, like an illusions, like a city of ghosts – that’s how birth and that’s how living, that’s how dying are taught to be. Buddha
- What need have I of gold? All the world is gold to me. Naropa to Marpa.
- Like the King of the birds that wings his way on high, the yogi who gains command of the view knows bliss. Milarepa.
Quotes of Gautama Buddha
- “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” – Buddha
- “The root of suffering is attachment.” – Buddha
- “Nothing is forever except change.” – Buddha
- “Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except yourself.” – Buddha
- “If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone.” – Buddha
- “All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” – Buddha
- “Radiate boundless love towards the entire world.” – Buddha
- “May all beings have happy minds.” – Buddha
- “True love is born from understanding.” – Buddha
- “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” – Buddha
- “It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.” – Buddha
- “Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” – Buddha
- “Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth.” – Buddha
- “The mind is everything. What you think you become.” – Buddha
- “The past is gone. The future is not yet here. We only have the present moment. Live in the now.” – Buddha
- “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” – Buddha
- “A disciplined mind brings happiness.” – Buddha
- “Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.” – Buddha
- “Pain is certain; suffering is optional.” – Buddha
- “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness can be shared without diminishing one’s own.” – Buddha
- “What we think, we become. What we feel, we attract. What we do, we create.” – Buddha
- “Let go of everything you fear to lose.” – Buddha 23. “Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own thoughts, unguarded.” – Buddha
- “Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service to others.” – Buddha
- “It is better to travel well than to arrive.” – Buddha
How to meditate like a yogi
and enter profound samadhi
Quotes from Buddhism: Mindfulness and Meditation:
- “The only true wealth is time.” – Buddha
- “The purpose of meditation is not to control your thoughts. It is to watch them pass by and recognize yourself as the observer of your thoughts.” – Buddha
- “An uncontrolled mind is like a wild elephant. A tamed mind is a trained elephant.” – Buddha
- “Meditation is the path to inner peace.” – Buddha
- “When you practice gratitude, you attract more things to be grateful for.” – Buddha
Quotes from Buddhism: On Compassion and Loving-Kindness
- “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal law.” – Buddha
- “A single act of kindness throws out a million years of bad karma.” – Buddha
- “Compassion is the highest form of human consciousness.” – Dalai Lama
- “When we cultivate loving-kindness, we don’t just cultivate it for ourselves, we cultivate it for all beings.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
- “真正的快樂來自於利他之心 (Zhēn zhèng de kuàilè lái zì lì tā zhī xīn) – True happiness comes from a heart of altruism.” – Buddha (Chinese proverb)
On Forgiveness and Letting Go: Quotes from Buddhism
- “Holding on to anger is like holding a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” – Buddha
- “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes
- “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” – Buddha
- “The fool who knows he is a fool is wise compared to the fool who thinks he is wise“
- “The only true mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” – Buddha
- “Letting go does not mean giving up. It means accepting that things are what they are, and what they are will change.” – Buddha
On Living in the Present Moment: Quotes from Buddhism
- “The past is already gone. The future is not yet here. We only have the present moment. Live in the now.” – Buddha
- “Don’t dwell in the past, don’t dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha
- “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only one day, let us live it.” – Gandhi
- “Wherever you go, go all the way.” – Confucius
On Gratitude and Appreciation: Quotes from Buddhism
- “As long as we practice gratitude, we cannot be unhappy.” – Dalai Lama
- “If you want to find happiness, focus on the blessings you have, not the misfortunes you lost.” – Buddha
- “An attitude of gratitude is the foundation for all happiness.” – Dalai Lama
- “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie
- “There is nothing more beautiful than gratitude.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
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On Dealing with Difficulties: Quotes from Buddhism
- “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
- “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela
- “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let life flow naturally and peacefully.” – Lao Tzu
- “The obstacle in the path becomes the way.” – Zen Proverb
- “You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying overhead, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.” – Chinese Proverb
On Death and Change: Quotes from Buddhism
- “Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.” – Haruki Murakami
- “The only thing that is permanent is change.” – Heraclitus
- “Don’t be afraid of death. Be afraid of not living.” – Dalai Lama
- “Life and death are one thread, the same thing.” – Lao Tzu
- “There is no death, only a change of worlds.” – Seneca
On the Importance of Teachers and Practice: Quotes from Buddhism
- “A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others.” – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
- “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
- “Without a teacher, there is no learning.” – Chinese Proverb
- “Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Leonardo da Vinci
- “Practice makes perfect.” – English Proverb
On Finding Your Purpose: Quotes from Buddhism
- “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman
- “You were born with the potential to be something great, and it’s your duty to become that.” – Maya Angelou
- “Find a cause you care about and devote yourself to it.” – Emma Watson
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
On Inner Peace and Happiness: Quotes from Buddhism
- “Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.” – Wayne Dyer
- “Happiness is not having what you want, it is wanting what you have.” – Voltaire
- “No one has ever become poor by giving.” – Anne Frank
- “True happiness is not achieved through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” – Helen Keller
- “Happiness is a journey, not a destination.” – Confucius
- “You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your own love and affection.” – Buddha
- “A calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence. So take a moment to compose yourself when you feel stressed or overwhelmed.” – Dalai Lama
- “The mind is everything. What you think you become.” – Buddha
- “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” – Edmund Hillary
- “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
On Interdependence and Connection: Quotes from Buddhism
- “No one is an island.” – John Donne
- “We are all connected to each other, in a way that we cannot even understand.” – Neale Donald Walsch
- “If you want to be happy, be compassionate.” – Dalai Lama
- “A single act of kindness throws out a million years of bad karma.” – Buddha
- “None of us are free until all of us are free.” – Emma Watson
On Letting Go of Attachment: Quotes from Buddhism
- “Letting go does not mean giving up. It means accepting that things are what they are, and what they are will change.” – Buddha
- “The root of suffering is attachment.” – Buddha
- “You only lose what you cling to.” – Buddha
- “Clinging to the past is like carrying a heavy backpack. Let go and move forward.” – Buddha
- “The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem.” – Buddha
On the Power of the Present Moment:
- “The past is already gone. The future is not yet here. We only have the present moment. Live in the now.” – Buddha
- “Don’t dwell in the past, don’t dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha
- “Be here now.” – Ram Dass
- “One day at a time.” – Alcoholics Anonymous
- “This moment is all we ever have.” – Tich Nhat Hanh
- On the Importance of Learning and Growth:
- “The fool who knows he is a fool is wise compared to the fool who thinks he is wise.” – Buddha
- “The only true mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” – Buddha
- “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
- “Continuous learning is the key to success in any field.” – Herbert B. Simon
- “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Helen Keller
These 101 quotes from Buddhism offer a glimpse into the wisdom of Buddhist teachings, encouraging reflection on various aspects of life, from cultivating inner peace and compassion to finding purpose and navigating challenges. As you contemplate these quotes, may they inspire you on your own journey towards a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
May all beings be happy
May all beings be peaceful
May all beings be safe
May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature
May all beings be free
