Buddhist Quotes - Buddhist Sayings

Quotes by The Buddha, the Dalai Lama, and Other Buddhists

Welcome to these comforting and insightful quotes by The Buddha and modern Buddhists, including the Dalai Lama, on the nature of life.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal
with the intent of throwing it at someone else;
you are the one who gets burned.
- The Buddha

Please sign-up for my Free Daily Inspirational Quotes and Insights Email on the form below.

Buddha Quotes

What we think, we become.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts, we make the world.
- The Buddha

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

There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth -
not going all the way and not starting.
- The Buddha

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it,
no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
- The Buddha

I teach one thing and one only:
that is, suffering and the end of suffering.
- The Buddha

Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.
- The Buddha

You will not be punished for your anger,
you will be punished by your anger.
- The Buddha

An insincere and evil 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.
- The Buddha

All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him.
If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him,
like a shadow that never leaves him.
- The Buddha

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.
- The Buddha

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,
and the life of the candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared.
- The Buddha

Dalai Lama Quotes

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Happiness is not something ready made.
It comes from your own actions.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

This is my simple religion.
There is no need for temples;
no need for complicated philosophy.
Our own brain, our own heart is our temple;
the philosophy is kindness.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Through violence, you may 'solve' one problem, but you sow the seeds for another.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others.
And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability,
one can build a better world.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

We can live without religion and meditation,
but we cannot survive without human affection.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest.
I do not judge the universe.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Quotes and Sayings by Other Buddhists

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,
but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
- Thich Nhat Hanh

Be gentle first with yourself - if you wish to be gentle with others.
- Lama Yeshe

If in our daily life we can smile,
if we can be peaceful and happy,
not only we, but everyone will profit from it.
This is the most basic kind of peace work.
- Thich Nhat Hanh

We really have to understand the person we want to love.
If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love.
- Thich Nhat Hanh

When someone has a strong intuitive connection,
Buddhism suggests that it's because of karma, some past connection.
- Richard Gere

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake
is to be continually thrown out of the nest.
- Pema Chodron

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded.
It's a relationship between equals.
Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others.
Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.
- Pema Chodron

The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes.
- Pema Chodron

All materials & writings are copyright ©. You may read about our disclaimer, our privacy policy,
our copyright policy, terms of use, participation in affiliate programs, and the list of all our websites.