Silence is sometimes the best answer.

If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.

Work for peace in your heart and in the world.

Never give up. No matter what is going on. Never give up. 

Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.

Proper utilization of time is so important. While we have this body, and especially this amazing human brain, I think every minute is something precious.

There are two kinds of compassion. The first comes from a natural concern for friends and family who are close to us. This has limited range but can be the seed for something bigger. We can also learn to extend a genuine concern for others’ well-being, whoever they are. That is real compassion, and only human beings are capable of developing it.

Given the scale of life in the cosmos, one human life is no more than a tiny blip. Each one of us is a just visitor to this planet, a guest, who will only stay for a limited time. What greater folly could there be than to spend this short time alone, unhappy or in conflict with our companions? Far better, surely, to use our short time here in living a meaningful life, enriched by our sense of connection with others and being of service to them.

Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.

It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.

In order to become prosperous, a person must initially work very hard, so he or she has to sacrifice a lot of leisure time.

Optimism doesn’t mean that you are blind to the reality of the situation. It means that you remain motivated to seek a solution to whatever problems arise.

As long as we observe love for others and respect for their rights and dignity in our daily lives, then whether we are learned or unlearned, whether we believe in the Buddha or God, follow some religion or none at all, as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy.

We all have the power of thought – so what are you lacking? If you have willpower, then you can change anything.

It is very rare or almost impossible that an event can be negative from all points of view.

Our ancient experience confirms at every point that everything is linked together, everything is inseparable.

Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.

Instead of wondering WHY this is happening to you, consider why this is happening to YOU.

Foolish, selfish people are always thinking of themselves and the result is always negative. Wise persons think of others, helping them as much as they can, and the result is happiness.

A spoon cannot taste of the food it carries. Likewise, a foolish man cannot understand the wise man’s wisdom even if he associates with a sage.

Instead of trying to resolve our differences by force, we must talk and enter into dialogue. This is not a sign of weakness, but of wisdom — a realistic approach.

Whether our action is wholesome or unwholesome depends on whether that action or deed arises from a disciplined or undisciplined state of mind. It is felt that a disciplined mind leads to happiness and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering, and in fact it is said that bringing about discipline within one’s mind is the essence of the Buddha’s teaching.

If we think only of ourselves, forget about other people, then our minds occupy very small area. Inside that small area, even tiny problem appears very big.

When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, ‘Oh yes – I already have everything that I really need’.

Happiness doesn’t always come from a pursuit. Sometimes it comes when we least expect it.

The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering. And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors. If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy.

We seek happiness in external things without realizing that they don’t help when we have problems within. We need to focus instead on the joy that comes with peace of mind that allows us to remain happy whatever happens.

We need to ask ourselves how to find happiness — it’s not in money and power.

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.

Letting yourself be overtaken by negative emotions leads to suffering. Therefore, it’s important to recognize the shortcomings of an unruly, undisciplined mind. If you train your mind, you’ll suffer less.

We need to discover not only what disturbs our minds, but also what the antidotes to those factors are.

Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

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

Learn and obey the rules very well so you will know how to break them properly.

It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act.

Everybody wants a happy life and a peaceful mind, but we have to produce peace of mind through our own practice.

No matter what is happening, no matter what is going on around you, never give up

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

I defeat my enemies when I make them my friends.

To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. What we must do therefore is to strive and persevere and never give up.

It is not enough to be compassionate, we must act.

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.

Don’t ever mistake my silence for ignorance, my calmness for acceptance or my kindness for weakness. Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.

I want to be just a pure spiritual leader.

Hard times build determination and inner strength. Through them we can also come to appreciate the uselessness of anger. Instead of getting angry nurture a deep caring and respect for troublemakers because by creating such trying circumstances they provide us with invaluable opportunities to practice tolerance and patience.

The quality of what we do depends on our motivation, which is why we have to learn how to cultivate a compassionate mind.

Because motivation pervades all action, it is important that we have a positive motivation. Whatever we are involved in, whether it’s politics, education, medicine, law, engineering, science, business or industry, the nature of our motivation determines the character of our work.

The moment you develop a sense of concern for others, you realize that, just like ourselves, they also want happiness; they also want satisfaction.

When you have this sense of concern, your mind automatically widens. At this point, your own problems, even big problems, will not be so significant. The result? Big increase in peace of mind.

So, if you think only of yourself, only your own happiness, the result is actually less happiness. You get more anxiety, more fear.