Quotes by Gautama Buddha

He who walks in the eightfold noble path with unswerving determination is sure to reach Nirvana.

You only lose what you cling to.

Whoever sees me sees the teaching, and whoever sees the teaching sees me.

All descriptions of reality are temporary hypotheses.

Just to say 'I believe' or 'I do not doubt' does not mean that you understand and see. To force oneself to see and accept a thing without understanding is political and not spiritual or intellectual.

Those which arise dependently are free of inherent existence.

Victory breeds hatred. The defeated live in pain. Happily the peaceful live,
giving up victory and defeat.

The virtuous man delights in this world and he delights in the next.

Analyzing through special insight and realizing the lack of inherent existence constitute understanding of the signless.

Those which are produced from causes are not produced. they do not have an inherent nature of production. those which depend on causes are said to be empty; those who know emptiness are aware.

Peace comes from within.  Do not seek it without.

To force oneself to believe and to accept a thing without understanding is political, and not spiritual or intellectual.

Conquer the angry one by not getting angry; conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the stingy by generosity, and the liar by speaking the truth.

Verse 223.

The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.

Attention is living; inattention is dying. The attentive never stop. The inattentive are dead already.

The mind that perceives the limitation is the limitation.

Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death, can erase our good deeds.

Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy; while giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful; and having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.

When angry we let others' mistakes punish us. To forgive others is to be kind to yourself.

In a world become blind, I beat the drum of the Deathless.

Our work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.

An insincere friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.

Sitting alone, sleeping alone, acting alone, let the diligent one enjoy the forest, taming the self alone.

The mind is everything. What you think, you become.

To keep the body in good health is a duty -- otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.

Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained and using well-spoken words: this is good luck.

Every human being is the author of his own health and disease.

If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.

He who experiences the unity of life sees his own self in all beings, and all being in his own self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.

Patience is the highest asceticism.

Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men, is he who would conquer just one -- himself.

Of those beings who live in ignorance, shut up and confined, as it were, in an egg, I have first broken the eggshell of ignorance and alone in the universe obtained the most exalted, universal Buddhahood.

Like a beautiful flower that is colorful but has no fragrance, even well spoken words bear no fruit in one who does not put them into practice.

If you let cloudy water settle, it will become clear. If you let your upset mind settle, your course will also become clear.

You throw thorns, falling in my silence they become flowers.

Craving and desire are the cause of all unhappiness. Everything sooner or later must change, so do not become attached to anything. Instead devote.

Let yourself be open and life will be easier.

Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.

Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to others.

Serenity comes when you trade expectations for acceptance.

The greatest prayer is patience.

Mind is everything. What we think, we become.

What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil, envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil.

You have no cause for anything but gratitude and joy.

Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.

We must be diligent today. To wait until tomorrow is too late. Death comes unexpectedly. How can we bargain with it?

The Way is not in the sky; the Way is in the heart.

You should respect each other and refrain from disputes; you should not, like water and oil, repel each other, but should, like milk and water, mingle together.

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

The root of all suffering is attachment.

Those who act with few desires are calm, without worry or fear.

As a bee gathering nectar does not harm or disturb the color and fragrance of the flower; so do the wise move through the world.

Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.

Better than a hundred years of idleness, is one day spent in determination.

No one outside ourselves can rule us inwardly. When we know this, we become free.

When words are both true and kind, they can change the world.

Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.

The moment you see how important it is to love yourself, you will stop making others suffer.

The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world.

Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.

You can only lose what you cling to.

Give, even if you only have a little.

There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind.

What you are is what you have been. What you'll be is what you do now.

Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except yourself.

A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise.

If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.

We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

What is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this world, where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What's the proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?

Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.

The foolish man conceives the idea of 'self.' The wise man sees there is no ground on which to build the idea of 'self;' thus, he has a right conception of the world and well concludes that all compounds amassed by sorrow will be dissolved again, but the truth will remain.

Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.

With fools, there is no companionship. Rather than to live with men who are selfish, vain, quarrelsome, and obstinate, let a man walk alone.

I was born into the world as the king of truth for the salvation of the world.

In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.

To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance.

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.

The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.

It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.

He who gives away shall have real gain. He who subdues himself shall be free; he shall cease to be a slave of passions. The righteous man casts off evil, and by rooting out lust, bitterness, and illusion do we reach Nirvana.

You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.

The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.

However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act upon them?

A woman of the world is anxious to exhibit her form and shape, whether walking, standing, sitting, or sleeping. Even when represented as a picture, she desires to captivate with the charms of her beauty and, thus, to rob men of their steadfast heart.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

What we think, we become.

Better than worshiping gods is obedience to the laws of righteousness.