Problems that remain persistently insoluble should always be suspected as questions asked in the wrong way.

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

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.

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.

Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts.

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

Ethical conduct is not a constraint upon our freedom but a condition of our freedom.

Many people think excitement is happiness... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.

The true person is not anyone in particular. But like the deep blue color of the limitless sky, it is everyone, everywhere in the world.

Do not mistake understanding for realization, and do not mistake realization for liberation.

The everyday practice is simply to develop complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions.

Don't try to change the world. First, change yourself.

Life is an art, and like perfect art it should be self-forgetting.

Misery ceases to exist when we stop reacting to sensations.

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.

In the spring, hundreds of flowers; in autumn, a harvest moon; in the summer, a refreshing breeze; in winter, snow will accompany you. If useless things do not hang in your mind, any season is a good season for you.

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.

To be in harmony with the wholeness of things is not to have anxiety over imperfection.

The heart of one who practices is like the earth. No matter what they throw on it, the earth remains unchanged.

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

Just as true humor is laughter at oneself, true humanity is knowledge of oneself.

Silence is sometimes the best answer.

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

The six realms of existence are like a dream, why build a prison for yourself?

The deepest form of happiness comes from discovering the natural peace of our own awareness.

Freedom is not found in the absence of difficulty, but in our relationship to it.

Mind training is based on the idea that two opposite mental factors cannot happen at the same time.

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

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

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.

The Buddha's teachings are not about abandoning our lives but about bringing the fullness of our attention to our lives.

The key to happiness is inner peace. The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, fear and suspicion.

When we know the truth, we become people who don't have to think much, we become people with wisdom.

To understand everything is to forgive everything.

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

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

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

Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.

The practice of Buddhism is fundamentally a practice of expanding our happiness and diminishing our suffering.

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.

My religion is to live and die without regret.

Every step on the path must be with the understanding of anicca - impermanence. This is the essence of the teaching.

The mind creates the abyss, and the heart crosses it.

Happiness is a skill that can be developed like playing an instrument or learning to read.

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

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Wisdom is not something we have to strive to acquire. Rather, wisdom arises naturally as we open our hearts to the truth of what is.

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

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

Change is the nature of every phenomenon. Accept this truth and you will live a happy life.

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

Suffering is not the end of the story; it is the middle of the story.

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

The law of nature is the law of cause and effect. As you sow, so shall you reap.

Wisdom is not about accumulating knowledge, but about seeing through all knowledge.

The real meaning of enlightenment is to gaze with undimmed eyes on all darkness.

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.

Each of you is perfect the way you are... and you can use a little improvement.