The Buddha, also known as Siddhārtha Gautama, was born in what is now Nepal around the year 563 BCE.
Siddhartha’s father was the king of a small kingdom near present-day Lumbini. His mother died seven days after his birth, and he was raised by his father’s second wife and sister.
He lived a sheltered life in a palace, with every luxury provided for him. He married and became a father at age 16, but by age 29, he had become aware that there were other realities to be experienced beyond the palace walls.
To find enlightenment, Siddhartha left his family behind and went on many years of self-denial and hardship until one day, he finally sat down beneath the tree.
Here are 100 Inspirational Buddha Quotes On Life, Happiness, Love
“One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life can change the world.”
“Most problems, if you give them enough time and space, will eventually wear themselves out”
“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”
“The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.”
“Your own self is your master; who else could be? With yourself well controlled, you gain a master very hard to find.”
“Whatever is not yours: let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term happiness & benefit.”
“Love is a gift of one’s inner most soul to another so both can be whole.”
“Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.”
“What we think, we become.“
“Stop, stop. Do not speak. The ultimate truth is not even to think.”
“Remember to take care of yourself. You can’t pour from an empty cup.”
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
“Whatever a monk keeps pursuing with his thinking and pondering, that becomes the inclination of his awareness.”
“Purity or impurity depends on oneself, no one can purify another.”
“You only lose what you cling to.”
“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.”
A disciplined mind brings happiness.”
“Give, even if you only have a little.”
“If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.”
“What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.”
“It is better to travel well than to arrive.”
“Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.”
“If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone.”
“Purity and impurity depend on oneself; no one can purify another.”
“The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world.”
“Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.”
“The tongue like a sharp knife… Kills without drawing blood.”
“Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Faith and prayer both are invisible, but they make impossible things possible.”
“If the problem can be solved why worry? If the problem cannot be solved worrying will do you no good.”
“What we think, we become.”
“I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.”
“It is better to do nothing, than to do what is wrong. For whatever you do, you do to yourself.”
“Nothing remains without change.”
“Leave behind confused reactions and become patient as the earth; unmoved by anger, unshaken as a pillar, unperturbed as a clear and quiet pool.”
“Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your life.”
“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.”
“Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.”
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”
“If we fail to look after others when they need help, who will look after us?”
“I do not dispute with the world; rather it is the world that disputes with me.”
“Train your eyes and ears; train your nose and tongue. The senses are good friends when they are trained. Train your body in deeds, train your tongue in words, train your mind in thoughts. This training will take you beyond sorrow.”
“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.”
“Imagine that every person in the world is enlightened but you. They are all your teachers, each doing just the right things to help you.”
“Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.”
“Life is so very difficult. How can we be anything but kind?”
“Good people keep on walking whatever happens. They do not speak vain words and are the same in good fortune and bad. If one desires neither children nor wealth nor power nor success by unfair means, know such a one to be good, wise, and virtuous.”
“Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.”
“With fools, there is no companionship. Rather than to live with men who are selfish, vain, quarrelsome, and obstinate, let a man walk alone.”
“There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind.”
“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 foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.”
“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.”
“Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.”
“If a man going down into a river, swollen and swiftly flowing, is carried away by the current — how can he help others across?”
“Remembering a wrong is like carrying a burden on the mind.”
“If you propose to speak always ask yourself, is it true, is it necessary, is it kind.”
“Doubt everything. Find your own light.”
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.”
“The way to happiness is: keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, give much. Fill your life with love. Do as you would be done by.”
“Health is the greatest gift, contentment is the greatest wealth.”
“You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”
“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”
“To insist on a spiritual practice that served you in the past is to carry the raft on your back after you have crossed the river.”
“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.”
“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”
“Health is the best gift, contentment the best wealth, trust the best kinsman, nirvana the greatest joy. Drink the nectar of the dharma in the depths of meditation, and become free from fear and sin.”
“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”
“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”
“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”
“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
“If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another.”
“You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy.”
“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.”
“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”
“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
“Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.”
“Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth.”
“Understanding is the heartwood of well-spoken words.”
“If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.”
“A jug fills drop by drop.”
“Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.”
“Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to others.”
“A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”
“Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.”
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
“There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.”
“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”
“Love the whole world as a mother loves her only child.”
“Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.”
“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.”
“It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.”
“Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.”
“Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.”
“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.”
“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance.”
“When you attain victory over yourself, not even the gods can turn it into defeat.”
