25 Temple Quotes to Assess an Inner Sacred Space

By Clifton Sankofa

School Leader, Language Arts Expert & Master Quote Curator

Published September 3, 2023

Get connected with all things sacred with our temple quotes.

A temple is a structure built to support spiritual or religious practices.

There are temples across the globe that are thousands of years old.

Come learn something new with our temple quotes.

What is a temple?

The definition of a temple will change depending on who you ask.

Temples are used for various activities, including prayer, meditation, sacrifice, and worship.

Check out these exciting temple facts below:

Gobekli Tepe is the world’s oldest temple.
The word temple comes from the Latin word templum.
The word temple first appeared in the 6th century Rome.

Temples from around the world

Humanity is made of collectives of motivated individuals.

Some say there is nothing more powerful than a group of inspired people.

When inspired, humans tend to create artistic representations of what they feel on the inside.

Temples are an amazing physical representation of human creativity.

Let’s explore some ancient temples from different cultures and eras.

Gobekli Tepe Temple

The temples in ancient Turkey are recognized by many as the world’s oldest.

Gobekli Tepe is in southeastern Turkey and is said to be approximately twelve thousand years old.

The entire structure is beautifully decorated with reliefs and pictograms of plants, animals, and gods.

The full scope of the engravings and pictures has yet to be fully understood or decoded.

Temples of Egypt (Kemet)

Some of Earth’s most recognizable world wonders come from Africa.

The pyramids remain standing today as a testament to ancient Africa’s genius.

The temples of Egypt were world-renowned, with visitors and pilgrims coming from Europe, Asia, and the Mediterranean.

The temple served as a mirror to the universe; these sacred spaces were believed to have been built out of the sacred chaos of the gods.

They believed the gods would manifest in the innermost room or Holy of Holies.

Temples in China

Early temples in China honored heaven and represented creation and divine order.

Many temples were dedicated to the idea of Xi’an, an idea that represents an all-powerful deity and home of the ancestors.

Not every temple in China honored a deity.

The temple in the city of Qufu honors the Chinese philosopher Confucius.

There are temples all over the world!

Greece, India, Rome, Japan, Mexico, Scotland, and Peru are all examples of countries with diverse and rich histories.

These countries have sacred sites with temples that are thousands of years old.

If you want to learn more, check out our temple quotes below.

Short temple quotes for making your heart your sacred place

We start with these short quotes about your inner temple.

1. “The temple of art is built in words.” — J. G. Holland

2. “My favored temple is a humble heart.” — Philip James Bailey

3. “Temples are an expression of God’s love.” — Jean A. Stevens

4. “The temples perish, but the God still lives.” — Philip James Bailey, Festus

5. “Doing of good is the best temple ever built!” — Mehmet Murat İldan

6. “The temple is holy because it is not for sale.” — Ezra Pound

7. “In the temple of his spirit, each man is alone.” — Ayn Rand

8. “The temple of our purest thoughts is silence.” — Sarah Josepha Hale

9. “Temple going is for the purification of the soul.” — Mahatma Gandhi, Truth Is God

10. “The heart is a temple wherein all truth resides.” — George Burns

The top temple quotes for honoring your body

These quotes remind us of the unbreakable nature of your body’s temple.

11. “Death cannot sever families sealed in the temple.” — Russell M. Nelson

12. “You are never lost when you can see the temple.” — Gary E. Stevenson, Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples

13. “The time has come to turn your heart into a temple of fire.” — Rumi

14. “Colors fade, temples crumble, empires fall, but wise words endure.” — Edward Thorndike

15. “All that occurs within the walls of the temple is uplifting and enobling.” — Thomas S. Monson

16. “The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.” — B.K.S. Iyengar

17. “The temple bell stops, but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers.” — Matsuo Basho

18. “The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.” — Benjamin Franklin

19. “I looked in temples, churches, and mosques. But I found the Divine within my heart.” — Rumi

20. “Because the temple is the house of the Lord, standards for admission are set by Him.” — Russell M. Nelson

The best temple quotes from Russel M. Nelson

Here are some heartfelt temple quotes from the Mormon president.

21. “The temple is the house of the Lord.” — Russell M. Nelson

22. “Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater.” — Russell M. Nelson

23. “He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples.” — Russell M. Nelson

24. “As temples are prepared for our members, our members need to prepare for the temple.”— Russell M. Nelson

25. “I invite you to worship in the temple and pray to feel deeply the Savior’s infinite love for you.” — Russell M. Nelson

26. “Temple ordinances, covenants, endowments, and sealings enable families to be sealed beyond the veil of death.” — Russell M. Nelson

27. “Building and maintaining temples may not change your life, but spending your time in the temple surely will.” — Russell M. Nelson

28. “If you have reasonable access to a temple, I urge you to find a way to make an appointment regularly with the Lord.” — Russell M. Nelson

29. “To those who have long been absent from the temple, I encourage you to prepare and return as soon as possible.” — Russell M. Nelson

30. “The basis for every temple ordinance and covenant; the heart of the plan of salvation is the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” — Russell M. Nelson

Temple quotes and sayings encouraging you to look inside of yourself

The play you pray may be an outside structure, but your temple remains inside of you.

31. “I never wished God should not exist in your temple; I wish God should exist in your heart” — Sir P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar

32. “Whoever cannot find a temple in his heart, the same can never find his heart in any temple.” — Mikhail Naimy, The Book Of Mirdad

33. “I think there is no place in the world where I feel closer to the Lord than in one of His holy temples.” — Thomas Monson, Blessings Of The Temple

34. “To hold a temple recommend is a priceless privilege and a tangible sign of obedience to God and His prophets.” — Russell M. Nelson

35. “The supreme benefits of membership in the Church can only be realized only through the exalting ordinances of the temple.” — Russell M. Nelson

36. “I like to recommend that members going to the temple for the first time read short explanatory paragraphs in the Bible Dictionary.” — Russell M. Nelson

37. “When we talk about a mysterious temple covered with fog in the forest, we should know that the mysterious thing is actually our mind, not the temple!” — Mehmet Murat İldan

38. “The purpose of all the major religious traditions is not to construct big temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts.” — Dalai Lama

39. “This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” — Dalai Lama XIV

40. “Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings.” — Thomas Monson

Famous Temple quotes for finding inner peace

These quotes will help you discover peace of mind.

41. “You only get one body; it is the temple of your soul.” — Oli Hille, Creating The Perfect Lifestyle

42. “It is in the ordinances of the temple that we are placed under covenant to Him.” — Boyd K. Packer

43. “The risen Lord is the new Temple, the real meeting place between God and man.” — Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus Of Nazareth

44. “Even God is willing to dwell there. If you truly treat your body like a temple, it will serve you well for decades.” — Oli Hille, Creating The Perfect Lifestyle

45. “Across the world, this June, the petals all have fallen, But the mountain temple’s peach blossom has just begun to bloom.” — Bai Juyi, Peach Blossom At Dalin Temple

Additional Temple quotes to find inner peace

We close our list with these final temple quotes for peace of mind.

41. “You only get one body; it is the temple of your soul.” — Oli Hille, Creating The Perfect Lifestyle

46. “Those in whom the Spirit comes to live are God’s new Temple. They are, individually and corporately, places where heaven and earth meet.” — N.T. Wright, Simply Christian

47. “Our thinking will automatically improve when we remember the words of Paul: ‘Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and the spirit of God dwelleth in you?” — Thomas S. Monson, Pathways To Perfection

48. “You may have the dark and cold street life, ruled by the lessor light of the moon. During this time, I restore my temple, and later awake to greet the awesome radiance of the Sunstar.” — T.F. Hodge, Within I Rise

49. “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves.” — Matthew 21:12

50. “What I am trying to teach is that when we keep the temple covenants we have made and when we live righteously in order to maintain the blessings promised by those ordinances, then come what may, we have no reason to worry or to feel despondent.” — Richard G. Scott, Temples Of The Church