Gautam Buddha

“Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts, happiness fol…”

“Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By love and non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is an eternal law.”

“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one beneficial word that brings peace to the hearer.”

“Just as a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, even so the wise remain unmoved by praise or blame.”

“Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.”

“One is not called noble who harms living beings. By not harming living beings one is called noble.”

“From craving arises grief, from craving arises fear. For him who is wholly free from craving there is no grief, much less fear.”

“Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture... When you…”

“By oneself alone is evil done; by oneself is one defiled. By oneself is evil avoided; by oneself alone is one purified. Purity and impurity…”

“Though one may conquer a thousand times a thousand men in battle, yet he indeed is the noblest victor who conquers himself.”

“Be lamps unto yourselves. Be a refuge unto yourselves. Seek no external refuge. Hold fast to the Dhamma as a lamp and as a refuge.”

“Not by birth does one become an outcast; not by birth does one become a Brahmin. By deeds alone does one become an outcast, by deeds alone…”

“To avoid all evil, to cultivate the good, and to purify one's own mind: this is the teaching of all the Buddhas.”

“Conquer anger with non-anger. Conquer wickedness with goodness. Conquer the stingy with generosity. Conquer the liar with truth.”

“Think not lightly of good, saying, 'It will not come near me.' Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise person, gathering i…”

“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, a trusted friend the best relative, and Nibbana the highest bliss.”

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. Today's effort must be made today.”

“Three things shine brightly and cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”

“Even as a mother protects with her life her child, her only child, so with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings.”

“One who is endowed with virtue and insight, who is established in righteousness, who speaks the truth and performs one's own duties — such…”

“You yourself must make the effort; the Buddhas are only teachers who point the way. Those who enter the path and meditate are freed from th…”

“One who drinks deeply of the Dhamma lives happily with a serene mind. The wise person ever delights in the Dhamma revealed by the noble one…”

“Though one should recite a hundred verses composed of meaningless lines, better is a single verse of the Dhamma on hearing which one attain…”

“Happily indeed we live, friendly amidst the hostile. Among those who hate, we dwell free from hatred.”

“'All conditioned things are impermanent' — when one perceives this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purity.”

“One truly is the protector of oneself; who else could the protector be? With oneself fully controlled, one gains a mastery that is hard to…”

“Speak only words that bring benefit, words that cause no remorse, words that bring joy to others. Speak truth and speak with kindness.”

“Victory breeds hatred, for the defeated live in pain. Happily the peaceful live, having given up both victory and defeat.”

“Enduring patience is the highest austerity. 'Nibbana is supreme,' say the Buddhas. One who harms another is no monk; one who oppresses anot…”

“There is no fire like lust, no crime like hatred, no sorrow like the aggregates of clinging, and no happiness higher than inner peace.”

“Just as the great ocean has but one single taste, the taste of salt; even so this Dhamma and discipline has but one taste, the taste of fre…”

“Even as a deep, still lake is clear and unruffled, so the wise become thoroughly serene upon hearing the teachings of Dhamma.”

“One is not wise merely because one talks much. One who is patient, free from hatred and fearless — that person is truly called wise.”

“The wealth of good deeds done in this life is the only true treasure that follows a being into the future, never leaving, like an enduring…”

“Just as a tree, though cut down, can sprout again if its roots remain uninjured, even so this suffering springs up repeatedly if the underl…”

“Let one not despise what one has received, nor envy the gains of others. The one who envies others does not attain peace of mind in meditat…”

“Cease to do evil, learn to do good, and cleanse your own heart: this is the clear and noble path to awakening.”

“Just as the great rivers, on reaching the great ocean, lose their former names and identities and are reckoned simply as the great ocean; e…”

“For one who is energetic, mindful, pure in deed, discerning, self-controlled, living according to the Dhamma and heedful — that person's gl…”

“By oneself is evil done, by oneself is one defiled. By oneself is evil left undone, by oneself is one purified. Purity and impurity depend…”

“The mind is difficult to control, swift, and prone to wander wherever it wishes. But a disciplined and well-governed mind brings true happi…”

“Better than a thousand hollow words is one meaningful word upon hearing which one attains tranquility and peace.”

“Radiate boundless love and goodwill toward the entire world — above, below, and all around — unhindered, without hatred, and free from enmi…”

“Irrigators channel water; fletchers shape the arrow; carpenters fashion wood; the wise discipline and master themselves.”

“Do not associate with unwholesome friends, do not associate with the mean-spirited. Associate with noble and virtuous friends, associate wi…”

“Just as rain penetrates an ill-thatched house, so defiling desires penetrate an uncultivated mind. Just as rain cannot penetrate a well-tha…”

“One who protects oneself protects others; one who protects others protects oneself. By cultivating mindfulness and inner peace, one protect…”

“One who seeks one's own happiness by hurting and oppressing other beings who also desire happiness will never find true peace or happiness.”

“All tremble at violence; life is dear to all. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should neither kill nor cause others to kill.”

“Good is restraint in the eye; good is restraint in the ear; good is restraint in the nose; good is restraint in the tongue. Restraint in ev…”

“There is a taint worse than all other taints: ignorance is the greatest taint. Discarding this taint, be stainless and free.”

“Gain and loss, pleasure and pain, praise and blame, fame and disrepute: these eight conditions revolve around the world. The wise understan…”

“Speech that is factual, true, beneficial, and endearing to others is spoken at the proper time. Even if speech is true, if it is harmful an…”

“Just as a solid rock is not shaken by the storm, even so the wise are not moved by praise or blame.”

“There is no track in the sky, and no true seeker looks outside oneself for liberation. The world delights in worldly attachments, but the T…”

“You yourself are your own protector; you yourself are your own refuge. Therefore, discipline yourself as a noble merchant trains a fine tho…”

“Generosity, kind and gentle speech, purposeful service to others, and treating everyone with equal respect and dignity: these four virtues…”

“Should you find a wise critic who points out your faults and rebukes you, associate with such a wise guide as with one who reveals hidden t…”

“Do not focus on the faults of others, nor on what they have done or left undone. Rather, inspect your own conduct and examine what you your…”

“Like a beautiful flower that is rich in color but devoid of scent, even so fruitless and barren are the fine words of one who does not put…”

“Like a beautiful flower full of vibrant color and rich in sweet fragrance, fruitful and beneficial are the wise words of one who puts them…”

“One who holds back rising anger as one would rein in a rolling chariot, that person I call a true charioteer; others merely hold the reins.”

“Speak the truth; do not yield to anger; give, even if it is only a little, to one who asks. By these three virtues one enters the realm of…”

“Neither in the sky, nor in the depths of the ocean, nor by entering a mountain cave is there any place on earth where one can escape the co…”

“Though one should live a hundred years without wisdom and mental discipline, better indeed is a single day lived with wisdom and contemplat…”

“Heedfulness and awareness is the path to the Deathless (Nibbana); heedlessness is the path to death. The heedful do not die, while the heed…”

“Just as a border city is well-guarded within and without, even so should you guard and protect your mind. Do not let this opportune moment…”

“There is, seekers, an unborn, unbecome, unmade, unconditioned state. If there were not that unborn, unbecome, unmade, unconditioned, there…”

“Victory breeds hatred, for the defeated live in pain. Happily the peaceful live, having renounced both victory and defeat.”

“Whatever living beings there may be — feeble or strong, tall, stout or medium, short, small or large, seen or unseen, dwelling near or far,…”