204 Motivational Quotes from Buddha for Inner Peace and Personal Growth
Last updated on May 2nd, 2024 at 10:05 am
Born as Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha discovered that conditioned experiences couldn’t provide lasting happiness. Through deep meditation, he attained enlightenment – a state of enduring and unconditional happiness, free from disturbing emotions. His teachings center around the pursuit of lasting happiness and a deep understanding of the true nature of existence.
The following quotes from Gautam Buddha serve as a pathway to unlock insights into spirituality, compassion and the pursuit of inner peace, allowing you to easily integrate these teachings into your daily life.
Buddha Quotes on Attaining Mental Mastery
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. – Buddha
Your worst enemy cannot hurt you as much as your own thoughts, when you haven’t mastered them. – Buddha
Be vigilant; guard your mind against negative thoughts. – Buddha
Remembering a wrong is like carrying a burden on the mind. – Buddha
Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded. – Buddha
There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires. – Buddha
It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways. – Buddha
Those who cling to perceptions and views wander the world offending people. – Buddha
All that we are is the result of what we have thought; what we think we become. – Buddha
All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind. – Buddha
Awake. Be the witness of your thoughts. You are what observes, not what you observe. – Buddha
All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed, can wrong-doing remain? – Buddha
What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. And What you imagine, you create. – Buddha
Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are, it solely relies on what you think. – Buddha
If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts, happiness follows them like a never-departing shadow. – Buddha
More than those who hate you, more than all your enemies, an undisciplined mind does greater harm. – Buddha
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. – Buddha
An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea. – Buddha
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind. – Buddha
To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. – Buddha
Whatever a monk keeps pursuing with his thinking and pondering, that becomes the inclination of his awareness. – Buddha
There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind. – Buddha
Your mind is a powerful thing. When you start to filter it with positive thoughts your life will start to change. – Buddha
Your own self is your master; who else could be? With yourself well controlled, you gain a master very hard to find. – Buddha
We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves. – Buddha
Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace. Better than worshiping gods is obedience to the laws of righteousness. – Buddha
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. – Buddha
A mind unruffled by the vagaries of fortune, from sorrow freed, from defilements cleansed, from fear liberated – this is the greatest blessing. – Buddha
What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind. – Buddha
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. – Buddha
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. – Buddha
How blissful it is, for one who has nothing. Attainers-of-wisdom are people with nothing. See him suffering, one who has something, a person bound in mind with people. – Buddha
If a man’s thoughts are muddy, If he is reckless and full of deceit, How can he wear the yellow robe? Whoever is master of his own nature, Bright, clear and true, He may indeed wear the yellow robe. – Buddha
When you dig a well, there’s no sign of water until you reach it, only rocks and dirt to move out of the way. You have removed enough; soon the pure water will flow. Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded. – Buddha
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. – Buddha
Buddha Quotes on Nurturing Spiritual Growth
You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself. – Buddha
Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living. – Buddha
All conditioned things are impermanent—when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. – Buddha
Though one should live a hundred years without wisdom and control, yet better, indeed, is a single day’s life of one who is wise and meditative. – Buddha
How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. – Buddha
Karma grows from our hearts. Karma terminates from our hearts. – Buddha
Purity and impurity depend on oneself; no one can purify another. – Buddha
Stop, stop. Do not speak. The ultimate truth is not even to think. – Buddha
I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done. – Buddha
The virtuous man delights in this world and he delights in the next, he delights in both. He delights and rejoices, when he sees the purity of his own work. The evil-doer suffers in this world, and he suffers in the next; he suffers in both. – Buddha
What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now. – Buddha
Whoever sees me sees the teaching, and whoever sees the teaching sees me. – Buddha
How wonderful! How wonderful! All things are perfect, exactly as they are. – Buddha
Learn this from water: loud splashes the brook but the oceans depth are calm. – Buddha
You are facing in the right direction, all you need to do is keep on walking. – Buddha
Faith and prayer both are invisible, but they make impossible things possible. – Buddha
I was born into the world as the king of truth for the salvation of the world. – Buddha
Delight in meditation and solitude. Compose yourself, be happy. You are a seeker. – Buddha
Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else. – Buddha
Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life. – Buddha
Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well. – Buddha
It is better to do nothing, than to do what is wrong. For whatever you do, you do to yourself. – Buddha
The greatest gift is to give people your enlightenment, to share it. It has to be the greatest. – Buddha
When the Aggregates arise, decay and die, O bhikkhu, every moment you are born, decay, and die. – Buddha
He who walks in the eightfold noble path with unswerving determination is sure to reach Nirvana. – Buddha
One is not called noble who harms living beings. By not harming living beings one is called noble. – Buddha
Looking deeply at life as it is in this very moment, the meditator dwells in stability and freedom. – Buddha
First remove I, that’s Ego, then remove want, that’s Desire. See now you are left with only Happiness. – Buddha
Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let them resolutely pursue a solitary course. – Buddha
Whatever precious jewel there is in the heavenly worlds, there is nothing comparable to one who is Awakened. – Buddha
From craving is born grief, from craving is born fear. For one freed from craving there’s no grief – so how fear? – Buddha
The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups. A good principle was never found solitary in any breast. – Buddha
However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you If you do not act upon them? – Buddha
If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone. There is no companionship with the immature. – Buddha
Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine. – Buddha
Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes. – Buddha
Analyzing through special insight and realizing the lack of inherent existence constitute understanding of the signless. – Buddha
To force oneself to believe and to accept a thing without understanding is political, and not spiritual or intellectual. – Buddha
There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed. – Buddha
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. – Buddha
One should strive to understand what underlies sufferings and diseases – and aim for health and well-being while gaining in the path. – Buddha
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. – Buddha
One who previously made bad karma, but who reforms and creates good karma, brightens the world like the moon appearing from behind a cloud. – Buddha
Not by rituals and resolutions, nor by much learning, nor by celibacy, nor even by meditation can you find the supreme, immortal joy of nirvana until you extinguish your self-will. – Buddha
He has no need for faith who knows the uncreated, who has cut off rebirth, who has destroyed any opportunity for good or evil, and cast away all desire. He is indeed the ultimate man. – Buddha
Offend in neither word nor deed. Eat with moderation. Live in your heart. Seek the highest consciousness. Master yourself according to the law. This is the simple teaching of the awakened. – Buddha
Don’t run after pleasure and neglect the practice of meditation. If you forget the goal of life and get caught in the pleasures of the world, you will come to envy those who put meditation first. – Buddha
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. – Buddha
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 learn perfect patience, perfect wisdom, perfect compassion. – Buddha
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. – Buddha
If you meditate earnestly, pure in mind and kind in deeds, leading a disciplined life in harmony with the dharma, you will grow in glory… If you meditate earnestly, through spiritual disciplines you can make an island for yourself that no flood can overwhelm. – Buddha
Not merely by rules of conduct and religious observances, nor by much learning either, nor even by attainment of concentration, nor by sleeping alone, do I reach the happiness of freedom, to which no worldlings attain. If you have not put an end to compulsions, nurse your faith. – Buddha
Buddha Quotes on Cultivating Love and Compassion in Life
If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete. – Buddha
If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another. – Buddha
Friendship is the only cure for hatred, the only guarantee of peace. – Buddha
He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes. – Buddha
Love is a gift of ones inner most soul to another so both can be whole. – Buddha
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule. – Buddha
We will develop love, we will practice it, we will make it both a way and a basis… – Buddha
For the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world. – Buddha
Ceasing to do evil, Cultivating the good, Purifying the heart: This is the teaching of the Buddhas. – Buddha
In separateness lies the world’s greatest misery; in compassion lies the world’s true strength. – Buddha
A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity. – Buddha
Whatever is not yours: let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term happiness & benefit. – Buddha
You are far from the end of your journey. The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. See how you love. – Buddha
Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal. – Buddha
Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little. – Buddha
As rain falls equally on the just and the unjust, do not burden your heart with judgement but rain your kindness equally on all. – Buddha
As a flower that is lovely and beautiful, but is scentless, even so fruitless is the well-spoken word of one who practices it not. – Buddha
Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity. – Buddha
In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you. – Buddha
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 deserves your love and affection. – Buddha
Eternal Quotes of Buddha about Life
Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace. – Buddha
Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most. – Buddha
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. – Buddha
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading. – Buddha
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. – Buddha
If you want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down. – Buddha
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. – Buddha
One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life can change the world. – Buddha
She who knows life flows, feels no wear or tear, needs no mending or repair. – Buddha
The one who has conquered himself is a far greater hero than he who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men. – Buddha
The tongue like a sharp knife… kills without drawing blood. – Buddha
When it hurts, observe. Life is trying to teach you something. – Buddha
When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky. – Buddha
Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it. – Buddha
Understanding is the heartwood of well-spoken words. – Buddha
Life is so very hard. How can we be anything but kind? – Buddha
Avoid evil deeds as a man who loves life avoids poison. – Buddha
No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again. – Buddha
People with opinions just go around bothering each other. – Buddha
Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals. – Buddha
The ignorant man is an ox. He grows in size, not in wisdom. – Buddha
To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others. – Buddha
You throw thorns, falling in my silence they become flowers. – Buddha
Every human being is the author of his own health or disease. – Buddha
Those which arise dependently are free of inherent existence. – Buddha
Whatever has the nature of arising has the nature of ceasing. – Buddha
Change is never painful. Only resistance to change is painful. – Buddha
Kindness should become the natural way of life, not the exception. – Buddha
Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to others. – Buddha
If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path. – Buddha
Live with no sense of mine, not forming attachment to experiences. – Buddha
The wise man makes an island of himself that no flood can overwhelm. – Buddha
Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence. – Buddha
Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good. – Buddha
The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows. – Buddha
In whom there is no sympathy for living beings: know him as an outcast. – Buddha
Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again. – Buddha
To become vegetarian is to step towards the stream which leads to nirvana. – Buddha
Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care. – Buddha
If we fail to look after others when they need help, who will look after us? – Buddha
It is in a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that leads him to evil ways. – Buddha
It is in the nature of things that joy arises in a person free from remorse. – Buddha
Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have. – Buddha
At the end of the day, I’m at peace because my intentions are good and my heart is pure. – Buddha
Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again and you will be filled with joy. – Buddha
There isn’t enough darkness in all the world to snuff out the light of one little candle. – Buddha
Even as a solid rock is unshaken by the wind, so are the wise unshaken by praise or blame. – Buddha
Most problems, if you give them enough time and space, will eventually wear themselves out. – Buddha
As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise you will miss most of your life. – Buddha
To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance. – Buddha
Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two. – Buddha
Do not give your attention to what others do or fail to do; give it to what you do or fail to do. – Buddha
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship. – Buddha
Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? – Buddha
Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom. – Buddha
Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained and using well-spoken words: this is good luck. – Buddha
If the problem can be solved, why worry? If the problem cannot be solved worrying will do you no good. – Buddha
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. – Buddha
Victory breeds hatred. The defeated live in pain. Happily the peaceful live, giving up victory and defeat. – Buddha
Should you find a wise critic to point out your faults, follow him as you would a guide to hidden treasure. – Buddha
As an elephant in the battlefield withstands arrows shot from bows all around, even so shall I endure abuse. – Buddha
Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world. – Buddha
Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it. – Buddha
Few among men are they who cross to the further shore. The others merely run up and down the bank on this side. – Buddha
My doctrine is not a doctrine but just a vision. I have not given you any set rules, I have not given you a system. – Buddha
As I am, so are these. As are these, so am I. Drawing the parallel to yourself, neither kill nor get others to kill. – Buddha
Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good. – Buddha
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill. – Buddha
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you. – Buddha
Be a lamp for yourselves. Be your own refuge. Seek for no other. All things must pass. Strive on diligently. Don’t give up. – Buddha
Like someone pointing to treasure is the wise person who sees your faults and points them out. Associate with such a sage. – Buddha
Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings. – Buddha
The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There’s only one moment for you to live, and that is the present moment. – Buddha
Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good. – Buddha
Everything that happens to us is the result of what we ourselves have thought, said, or done. We alone are responsible for our lives. – Buddha
Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom. – Buddha
Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes. – Buddha
Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely. – Buddha
Neither fire, nor wind, birth, nor death, can erase our good deeds. – Buddha
Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering – an image of death. – Buddha
The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world. – Buddha
To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life. Foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent. – Buddha
All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.
If you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the universe. You will feel its rhythm. Go with this flow. Happiness lies ahead. Meditation is key. – Buddha
The instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves. – Buddha
You will not be punished for your anger, your anger is the punishment. – Buddha
Anger is the punishment we give ourselves for someone else’s mistake. – Buddha
Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. – Buddha
Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. – Buddha
Once you know the nature of anger and joy is empty and you let them go, you free yourself from karma. – Buddha
Be truthful; do not yield to anger. Give freely, even if you have but little. The gods will bless you. – Buddha
Let him not deceive another nor despise anyone anywhere. In anger or ill will let him not wish another ill. – Buddha
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. – 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
Leave behind confused reactions and become patient as the earth; unmoved by anger, unshaken as a pillar, unperturbed as a clear and quiet pool. – Buddha
Speak the truth do not become angered and give when asked, even be it a little. By these three conditions one goes to the presence of the Gods. – Buddha
Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten. – Buddha