Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.

When concentration is developed, wisdom arises. When wisdom arises, one becomes disenchanted with the five aggregates.

The restraint of the senses is not a matter of suppression but of wise attention to our experience.

The Four Noble Truths are not merely theoretical propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our experience.

Every thought, every word, and every action leaves an imprint on our mind.

The nature of everything is illusory and ephemeral, those with dualistic perception regard suffering as happiness, like they who lick the honey from a razor's edge.

The grass is greener where you water it.

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.

Compassion is the radicalism of our time.

The realization of impermanence leads not to despair but to a deeper appreciation of the preciousness of each moment.

Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher.

It is never too late to turn on the light.

The nature of the mind is like the sky, and our thoughts, emotions, and experiences are like clouds passing through it.

The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life.

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.

The signs of practice are not in extraordinary experiences but in extraordinary awareness of ordinary experiences.

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

Love is the wish that others be happy, and compassion is the wish that they be free from suffering.

The nature of life is change. The nature of change is painful. The nature of pain is temporary.

Sensations are not your enemy. They are your teacher. Through observing them, you understand the truth of existence.

In the end, just three things matter: How well we have lived, how well we have loved, how well we have learned to let go.

Mindfulness is attention to life, and life itself is sacred.

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.

The door of your heart can only be opened from the inside.

The root of happiness is altruism — the wish to be of service to others.

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

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

Those who understand interdependent origination understand suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

The way we look at the world is the way the world looks.

The difference between being caught in thoughts and being mindful of thoughts is like the difference between being in a movie and watching a movie.

To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.

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

The defilements of the mind are temporary visitors. Pure awareness is your true home.

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

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

When one sees with wisdom that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, one is liberated from suffering.

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

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

Real happiness lies within. It cannot be found in external objects or achievements.

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.

The precious pot containing my riches becomes my teacher in the very moment it breaks.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Don't think that only sitting with the eyes closed is practice. If you do think this way, then quickly change your thinking.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay.

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

The past is just a memory. The future is just a dream. Be here now.

Enlightenment is not about becoming something special, but about realizing what we already are.

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.

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

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

The Dhamma is not a collection of doctrinal formulas but a path leading to direct insight into the nature of reality.

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

The past is for learning from, not for living in.

Hasten slowly and you will soon arrive.

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

The practice of mindfulness is the practice of being alive in the present moment.

Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself.