When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways - either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.

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

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.

Anxiety and excitement are the same emotion. The only difference is our attitude toward the experience.

Mindfulness is the key to the present moment. Without it we cannot see the world clearly, and we cannot make the wisest choices in our lives.

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

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

Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.

When we attempt to exercise power or control over someone else, we cannot avoid giving that person the very same power or control over us.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.

We deal with our mind from morning until evening, and it can be our best friend or our worst enemy.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

If you want to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be miserable, expect something in return.

We can learn to be present with whatever is happening in our lives, and in this way, we can begin to transform our relationship to difficulty.

Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment.

Altruism is not a luxury, it is a necessity for the survival of humanity.

Liberation is found in the practice, not in the theory.

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves.

The path of awakening is not about becoming who we think we should be, but about unbecoming who we are not.

Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us.

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

Happiness is not the pursuit of an endless succession of experiences but an attitude toward life.

The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.

Mindfulness is being aware of what is happening right now, without wishing it were different.

There is no difference at all between samsara and nirvana. There is no difference at all between nirvana and samsara.

Real happiness comes from having an unshakable connection to the deep wellspring of peace and happiness that is not dependent on external conditions.

The Buddha's teaching is a middle way between all extremes, between eternalism and annihilationism, between self-indulgence and self-torture.

We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It's just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.

Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.

Dependent origination is not a theory about the origin of the world but a teaching that shows how suffering originates in dependence on our own mental processes.

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

Liberation is not found by running away from our experience but by looking deeply into it.

Meditation is not an escape from reality but a way to understand reality as it truly is.

The heart of the path is quite simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are.

Work diligently. Diligently. Work patiently and persistently. Patiently and persistently. And you're bound to be successful. Bound to be successful.

The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self.

The Four Noble Truths are not mere doctrinal propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our lives.

The Buddha's teachings are not a religion, but a science of mind.

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

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

Life is available only in the present moment.

Craving and aversion are the roots of suffering. Observe them with equanimity.

Through violence, you may solve one problem, but you sow the seeds for another.

You are the master of your own mind. You can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

The mind that sees its own nature becomes free from all extremes.

A pure mind is always full of love - real love for all others.

By understanding emptiness, one understands all phenomena. Without understanding emptiness, one understands nothing.

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.

The victorious ones have said that emptiness is the relinquishing of all views. Those who are possessed of the view of emptiness are said to be incurable.

When we understand others, we understand ourselves. When we love others, we love ourselves.

The ultimate revolution is the spiritual revolution, where we learn to see reality as it truly is.

The mind that notes and the object that is noted are both impermanent. Understanding this leads to liberation.

The knowledge of dissolution comes when you see both the noting mind and noted object dissolving together.

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

Each moment of clear seeing is a moment of freedom from the illusion of permanence, satisfaction, and self.

Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.

Compassion is the radicalism of our time.

If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.

The Buddha taught that wealth does not bring happiness and security. The pursuit of wealth is a matter of living in balance.