Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention.

The more we understand the nature of our mind, the more we understand the nature of our world.

Self-awareness is the key to freedom. The more we understand ourselves, the more we understand how to be free.

Real peace comes from seeing things as they really are, not as we want them to be.

The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought.

There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.

True happiness is born of letting go of what is unnecessary.

The secret of happiness lies not in getting what we want, but in learning to want what we already have.

When I run from suffering, it follows me. When I face suffering with equanimity, it runs from me.

Our emotions are like waves in the ocean. We can't stop the waves, but we can learn to surf.

The purpose of life is to be happy, to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is not to be well known, cited, or powerful.

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.

The essence of the spiritual journey is the uncovering of what is always already present.

A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure.

Love is not a feeling. It's a capability.

The difference between buddhas and sentient beings is that buddhas recognize their nature while sentient beings fail to recognize it.

The things that matter most in our lives are not fantastic or grand. They are the moments when we touch one another.

Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

The ocean does not reject any water; therefore it is great. The mountain does not select its stones; therefore it is great.

Even if you speak of 'understanding,' this understanding is not a matter of knowledge. It is what fills the entire body and mind.

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

The most important thing in life is to know death is coming and to prepare for it.

The more you understand yourself, the more you understand the world.

No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

You are your own teacher. Looking for teachers can't solve your own doubts. Investigate yourself to find the truth - inside, not outside.

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control.

In the beginning, nothing comes, in the middle nothing stays, in the end nothing goes.

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

Your own treasure house contains everything you need; why search outside?

The essence of Buddhism is not a belief system but a systematic investigation of our experience.

Genuine happiness comes from having developed basic human qualities, such as attention, emotional balance, and generosity.

True peace comes not from controlling the world, but from letting go of control.

Nothing is permanent. Everything is subject to change. Being is always becoming.

Not by hatred is hatred conquered, but by love alone. This is an eternal law.

Enlightenment is not about becoming divine. Instead, it's about becoming more fully human.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

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

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.

Meditation is like catching a fish. If you try to catch it quickly, you'll miss it. If you have patience and know how to wait, the fish will come.

The way to change the world is to change your own mind.

The Buddha's teaching is a teaching of self-reliance, of being one's own master, one's own refuge.

Zen is a way of life, not a theory or a piece of knowledge to be stored away in our minds.

The art of living... is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.

In my youth I studied, in my prime I practiced, now all my doubts are cleared.

If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top.

When mindfulness and concentration are strong, insight into the three characteristics naturally unfolds.

The more you understand, the more you love; the more you love, the more you understand.

Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.

The menu is not the meal.

Faith is not a commodity that you either have or don't have - it is an inner quality that unfolds as we learn to trust our own deepest experience.

We practice to learn how to let go, not how to increase our holding on to things.

The Dhamma unfolds in accordance with a definite sequence: faith, virtue, learning, generosity, wisdom, and insight.

The biggest prison is the one we build in our own mind.