Ready to become awakened? These inspirational Buddha quotes are here to ignite your spirit.
Siddhartha Gautama, more commonly known as Buddha (which means “enlightened one” or “the awakened”), is a spiritual leader and teacher during the 6th century B.C.
While the events of his life are still debated by scholars to this day, it cannot be doubted that his teachings have had a tremendous influence on a lot of people.
Personal note: Ever since moving [Update: “moved”, after 2 amazing years in India, I’m back in NYC] to India to live and teach, quotes from Buddha have taken on a whole new meaning.
Having the privilege to travel through India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar have allowed me to witness these powerful words in action.
I hope you enjoy our latest collection of uplifting Buddha quotes!
If you need more inspiration, don’t forget to also read our selection of Karma quotes. We also have a collection of spiritual quotes that will open your mind. Be sure to view that as well.
Inspirational Buddha quotes on karma, peace, and love
1. “Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.” – Buddha
2. “Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.” – Buddha
3. “Let us rise up and be thankful. For if we didn’t learn a lot at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” – Buddha
4. “Those who attempt to conquer hatred by hatred are like warriors who take weapons to overcome others who bear arms. This does not end hatred, but gives it room to grow. But, ancient wisdom has advocated a different timeless strategy to overcome hatred.
This eternal wisdom is to meet hatred with non-hatred. The method of trying to conquer hatred through hatred never succeeds in overcoming hatred. But, the method of overcoming hatred through non-hatred is eternally effective. That is why that method is described as eternal wisdom.” – Buddha
5. “To be angry is to let others’ mistakes punish yourself.” – Buddha
6. “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
7. “Those who consider the unessential to be essential, and see the essential as unessential, don’t reach the essential, living in the field of wrong intention.” – Buddha
8. “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha
9. “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
10. “To keep the body in good health is a duty; otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” – Buddha
11. “What we think, we become.” – Buddha
12. “Our theories of the eternal are as valuable as are those that a chick which has not broken its way through its shell might form of the outside world.” – Buddha
13. “Generosity brings happiness at every stage of its expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous. We experience joy in the actual act of giving something. And we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given.” – Buddha
14. “Be vigilant; guard your mind against negative thoughts.” – Buddha
15. “There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.” – Buddha
16. “Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.” – Buddha
17. “To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance.” – Buddha
18. “When you like a flower, you just pluck it. But when you love a flower, you water it daily.” – Buddha
19. “All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If the mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?” – Buddha
20. “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 and sayings about being present and calm
21. “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
22. “Inward calm cannot be maintained unless physical strength is constantly and intelligently replenished.”- Buddha
23. “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
24. “Neither fire, nor wind, birth, nor death, can erase our good deeds.” – Buddha
25. “The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.” – Buddha
26. “The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.” – Buddha
27. “There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.” – Buddha
28. “To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.” – Buddha
29. “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
30. “Believe nothing, merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide.” – Buddha
31. “Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” – Buddha
32. “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” – Buddha
33. “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
Buddha quotes on happiness, meditation, and spirituality
34. “Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.” – Buddha
35. “What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.” – Buddha
36. “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
37. “Purity or impurity depends on oneself. No one can purify another.” – Buddha
38. “There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.” – Buddha
39. “Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine.” – Buddha
40. “Happiness is a journey, not a destination.” – Buddha
Buddha quotes on death
41. “Everything is changeable, everything appears and disappears; there is no blissful peace until one passes beyond the agony of life and death.” – Buddha
42. “Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.” – Buddha
43. “Many do not realize that we here must die. For those who realize this, quarrels end.” – Buddha
44. “The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world.” The Buddha
45. “Good health is simply the slowest way a human being can die,” – Buddha
46. “Perhaps the deepest reason why we are afraid of death is because we do not know who we are.”- Buddha
47. “This world is shrouded in darkness. Here, only a few can see their way free. These few birds escape from the net, and fly away to the heavens.” – Buddha
Buddha quotes on change
48. “Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.” – Buddha
49. “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” – Buddha
50. “One moment can change a day, one day can change a life and one life can change the world.” – Buddha
51. “Everything changes, nothing remains without change.” – Buddha
52. “The universe itself is change and life itself is but what you deem it” – Buddha
53. “Resolutely train yourself to attain peace.” – Buddha
54. “Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living.” – Buddha
55. “Three things cannot hide for long: the Moon, the Sun and the Truth.” – Buddha
56. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha
57. “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
58. “You can only make two mistakes when traveling on the road to truth: not starting, and not going all the way.” – Buddha
59. “Better to conquer yourself than a thousand battles. Only then can the victory truly be yours. No one can take it away from you – not heaven, hell, demons or angels.” – Buddha
60. “Never envy others or take what you have for granted. Those who envy others will never find peace of mind.” – Buddha
Buddha quotes to inspire and teach
61. “Conquer the angry one by not getting angry; conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the stingy by generosity, and the liar by speaking the truth.” – Buddha
62. “Should you find a wise critic to point out your faults, follow him as you would a guide to hidden treasure.” – Buddha
63. “There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth…not going all the way, and not starting.” – Buddha
64. “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” – Buddha
65. “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
66. “As an elephant in the battlefield withstands arrows shot from bows all around, even so shall I endure abuse.” – Buddha
67. “The calmed say that what is well-spoken is best; second, that one should say what is right, not unrighteous; third, what’s pleasing, not displeasing; fourth, what is true, not false.” – Buddha
68. “In separateness lies the world’s greatest misery; in compassion lies the world’s true strength.” – Buddha
69. “Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.” – Buddha
70. “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
71. “Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind. To be happy, rest like a giant tree in the midst of them all.” – Buddha
72. “Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living.” – Buddha
73. “Better it is to live one day seeing the rise and fall of things than to live a hundred years without ever seeing the rise and fall of things.” – Buddha
74. “Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.”- Buddha
75. “Wear your ego like a loose fitting garment.”- Buddha– Buddha
What insights did you gain from these Buddha quotes?
Buddha’s sayings are a great source of inspiration and motivation, especially to entrepreneurs, dreamers, and innovators.
It doesn’t matter where you are in life, you can surely find a quote or two that you can relate with your current situation today.
What other Buddha quotes would you add to the list? Tell us in the comment section below!
