Buddha Quotes are very powerful, effective, and different compared to other scholars. During his lifetime, he advised and spoke about many topics related to life, death, health, wealth, truth, false, reality, love, anger, letting go, attachment, friendship, inner peace, happiness, forgiveness, kindness, compassion, patience, anger, greed, hatred, desire, arrogance and mastering yourself, etc.

Buddha was a great teacher, philosopher, and spiritual leader. The life story of Buddha is also interesting and quite surprising. He was born as a prince in the 5th century in Nepal. His father’s name was king Suddhdana, his mother’s name was Mayadevi, and his stepmother’s name was Gautami. He was named Siddhartha. During his birth, his mother died and from that moment, he was grown up taking care of his stepmom Gautami. That’s why his other name was Siddhartha Gautam.

At the age of 16, he got married and at the age of 29, he left the palace for the search of enlightenment. After 6 years of study, meditation, and lonely ascetic life, he found the middle way that led him to Nibbana, the way to free from suffering, and made him Buddha, the enlightened one which means the one who is awakened.

He died at the age of 80 in India. During his lifetime, he advised many things that doctrines are named as Buddhism, and the people who follow these are called Buddhist. The teachings of Buddha are far ahead of his time.

Here are some effective and influential Buddha quotes that make you think about every angle of life and death.

Table of Contents

Short Buddha Quotes

“You only lose what you cling to.”
“Purity or impurity depends on oneself. No one can purify another.”
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”
“Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.”

“The darkest night is ignorance.”
“Give, even if you only have a little.”
“A disciplined mind brings happiness.”
“Resolutely train yourself to attain peace.”

“The trouble is, you think you have time.”
“Understanding is the heartwood of well-spoken words.”

Buddha Enlightenment Quotes

“Whatever precious jewel there is in the heavenly worlds, there is nothing comparable to one who is Awakened.”
“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”
“For him who is assailed by death, there is no protection by kinsmen. None are there to save him – no sons, nor father, nor relatives. Realizing this fact, let the wise man restrained by morality, hasten to clear the path leading to Nibbana.”

“All Conditioned things are unsatisfactory – when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path of purification.”
“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.”
“Those who know the essential to be essential and the unessential to be unessential, dwelling in right thoughts, do arrive at the essential.”

“Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.”
“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.”

Spiritual Quotes Of Buddha

“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.”
“He who has no attachment whatever for the mind and body, who does not grieve for what he has not – he is truly called a monk.”

“Not by matted hair, nor by lineage, nor by birth does one become a holy man. But he in whom truth and righteousness exist – he is pure, he is a holy man.”
“You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.”
“If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone.”
“Whatever a monk keeps pursuing with his thinking and pondering, that becomes the inclination of his awareness.”
Good is restraint over the eye, good is restraint over the ear, good is restraint over the nose; good is restraint over the tongue.”

“If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone. There is no companionship with the immature.”
“Offend in neither word nor deed. Eat with moderation. Live in your heart. Seek the highest consciousness. Master yourself according to the law. This is the simple teaching of the awakened.”

Buddha Quotes On Life (Meaning of Life)

“Life is like the harp string, if it is strung too tight it won’t play, if it is too loose it hangs, the tension that produces the beautiful sound lies in the middle.”
“Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living.”

“Blind is the world; here only a few possess insight. Only a few, like birds escaping from the net, go to realms of bliss.”
“Live every act fully, as if it were your last.”
“I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.”
“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”
“The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.”

“Avoid evil deeds as a man who loves life avoids poison.”
“The past is already gone; the future is not yet here. There’s only one moment for you to live.”

Gautama Buddha Karma Quotes

“When action comes out of nothing it creates no karma.”
“One who previously made bad karma, but who reforms and creates good karma, brightens the world like the moon appearing from behind a cloud.”
“Not even death can wipe out our good deeds.”
“Just as one can make a lot of garlands from a heap of flowers, so man, subject to birth and death as he is, should make himself a lot of good karma.”

“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.”
“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.”

Wanna know what other scholars are saying about Karma :

Read: 100+ Karma quotes | Know how does karma work in life

Buddha Quotes On Family, Friend And Friendship

“An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.”
“What is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this world, where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What’s the proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?”
“If a seeker doesn’t find a companion who is better or equal, let him resolutely pursue a solitary course; there is no fellowship with the fool.”

“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.”
“To support mother and father, to cherish wife and children, and to be engaged in peaceful occupation — this is the greatest blessing.”

Real Buddha Quotes About Love

“True love is born from understanding.”
“Radiate boundless love towards the entire world.”
“If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another.”

“We will develop love, we will practice it, we will make it both a way and a basis…”
“Love is a gift of one’s inner most soul to another so both can be whole.”
“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”
“Let all-embracing thoughts for all beings be yours.”
“Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.”

Check Out More LOVE QUOTES

“Seek no intimacy with the beloved and also not with the unloved, for not to see the beloved and to see the unloved, both are painful.”
“You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.”

Buddha Quotes On Money, Wealth And Success

“The fool worries, thinking, ‘I have sons, I have wealth.’ Indeed, when he himself is not his own, whence are sons, whence is wealth?”
“When you dig a well, there’s no sign of water until you reach it, only rocks and dirt to move out of the way. You have removed enough; soon the pure water will flow.”
“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.”

“Those who in youth have not led the holy life, or have failed to acquire wealth, lie sighing over the past, like worn out arrows (shot from) a bow.”
“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so the virtue appears from the 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 Quotes On Letting Go And Peace

“Whatever is not yours: let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term happiness & benefit.”
“Indeed, the sage who’s fully quenched rests at ease in every way; no sense desire adheres to him whose fires have cooled, deprived of fuel. All attachments have been severed, the heart’s been led away from pain; tranquil, he rests with utmost ease. The mind has found its way to peace.”

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”
“Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.”
“Victory begets enmity; the defeated dwell in pain. Happily the peaceful live, discarding both victory and defeat.”

“Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.”
“Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.”

Buddha Mind, Meditation and Mindfulness Quotes

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
“Meditate… do not delay, lest you later regret it.”
Delight in meditation and solitude. Compose yourself, be happy. You are a seeker.”

“It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.”
“Everything is based on mind, is led by mind, is fashioned by mind. If you speak and act with a polluted mind, suffering will follow you, as the wheels of the oxcart follow the footsteps of the ox.”
“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.”
“Just as a fletcher an arrow shaft, even so the discerning man straightens his mind – so fickle and unsteady, so difficult to guard.”

“Whatever harm an enemy may do to an enemy, or a hater to a hater, an ill-directed mind inflicts on oneself a greater harm.”
“Wonderful, indeed, it is to subdue the mind, so difficult to subdue, ever swift, and seizing whatever it desires. A tamed mind brings happiness.”

Buddha Wise and Wisdom Quotes

“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.”
“The wise are controlled in bodily action, controlled in speech and controlled in thought. They are truly well-controlled.”

“One by one, little by little, moment by moment, a wise man should remove his own impurities, as a smith removes his dross from silver.”
“Irrigators regulate waters; fletchers straighten the arrows shaft; carpenters shape the wood; the wise control themselves.”
“Even as a solid rock is unshaken by the wind, so are the wise unshaken by praise or blame.”
“Wisdom never becomes perfect in one whose mind is not steadfast, who knows not the Good Teaching and whose faith wavers.”
“To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.”
“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.”

“The fool who knows his foolishness is wise at least to that extent, but a fool who thinks himself wise is a fool indeed.”
“Better it is to live one day wise and meditative than to live a hundred years foolish and uncontrolled.”

Buddha Teachings Quotes

“Just as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so also this teaching and discipline has one taste, the taste of liberation.”
“You yourself must strive. The Buddhas only point the way.”
“Train your eyes and ears; train your nose and tongue. The senses are good friends when they are trained. Train your body in deeds, train your tongue in words, train your mind in thoughts. This training will take you beyond sorrow.”
“The external world is only a manifestation of the activities of the mind itself, and the mind grasps it as an external world simply because of its habit of discrimination and false-reasoning. The disciple must get into the habit of looking at things truthfully.”
“Let none find fault with others; let none see the omissions and commissions of others. But let one see one’s own acts, done and undone.”

“Looking deeply at life as it is in this very moment, the meditator dwells in stability and freedom.”
“Not despising, nor harming, restraint according to the code of monastic discipline, moderation in food, dwelling in solitude, devotion to meditation – this is the teaching of the Buddhas.”
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”
“To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one’s mind – this is the teaching of the Buddhas.”
“Be a lamp for yourselves. Be your own refuge. Seek for no other. All things must pass. Strive on diligently. Don’t give up.”

Positive Buddha Quotes

“One should find a man who points out faults and who reproves, let him follow such a wise and sagacious person as one would a guide to hidden treasure. It is always better, and never worse, to cultivate such an association.”
“See them, floundering in their sense of mine, like fish in the puddles of a dried-up stream — and, seeing this, live with no mine, not forming attachment for states of becoming.”
“A person should do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, the accumulation of good is blissful.”

“Arise! Do not be heedless! Lead a righteous life. The righteous live happily both in this world and the next.”
“Let none find fault with others; let none see the omissions and commissions of others. But let one see one’s own acts, done and undone.”
“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, 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 Quotes On Talking And Speaking

“The tongue like a sharp knife… Kills without drawing blood.”
“Speak only endearing speech, speech that is welcomed. Speech, when it brings no evil to others, is a pleasant thing.”
“Better than a thousand useless words is one useful word, hearing which one attains peace.”
“Like a beautiful flower, full of color but without fragrance, even so, the fair words are fruitless in a man who does not practice them.”
“A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.”
“Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained and using well spoken words: this is good luck.”

“Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow.”
“However, many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you If you do not act on upon them?”
“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.”
“They blame those who remain silent, they blame those who speak much, they blame those who speak in moderation. There is none in the world who is not blamed.”
“Better than reciting a hundred meaningless verses is the reciting of one verse of Dhamma, hearing which one attains peace.”

Buddha Quotes On Attachments, Sufferings And Sadness

“The root of suffering is attachment.”
“Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.”
“Both formerly and now, it is only suffering that I describe, and the cessation of suffering.”
“Through many a birth in samsara have I wandered in vain, seeking in the builder of this house (of life). Repeated birth is indeed suffering!”
“From attachment springs grief, from attachment springs fear. From him who is wholly free from attachment there is no grief, whence then fear?”

“One should strive to understand what underlies sufferings and diseases – and aim for health and well-being while gaining in the path.”
“Come! Behold this world, which is like a decorated royal chariot. Here fools flounder, but the wise have no attachment to it.”
“On life’s journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.”
“The fever of passion exists not for him who has completed the journey, who is sorrowless and wholly set free, and has broken all ties.”
“Seek no intimacy with the beloved and also not with the unloved, for not to see the beloved and to see the unloved, both are painful.”

Buddha Quotes On Truth

“If you propose to speak always ask yourself, is it true, is it necessary, is it kind.”
“Speak the truth; yield not to anger; when asked, give even if you only have a little. By these three means one can reach the presence of the gods.”
“There never was, there never will be, nor is there now, a person who is wholly blamed or wholly praised.”
“Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living.”
“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”

“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth…not going all the way, and not starting.”
“Better it is to live one day seeing Supreme Truth than to live a hundred years without ever seeing the Supreme Truth.”
“Though only for a moment a discerning person associates with a wise man, quickly he comprehends the Truth, just as the tongue tastes the flavor of the soup.”

Buddha Quotes On Health

“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”
“Behold this body- a painted image, a mass o heaped up sores, infirm, full of hankering – of which nothing is lasting or stable.”
“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”
“Without health, life is not life; it is only a state of languor and suffering – an image of death.”

“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, not to anticipate the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

Buddha Quotes On Change

“One moment can change a day, one day can change a life and one life can change the world.”
“All conditioned things are impermanent—when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.”
“Nothing is forever except change.”
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

“Ere long, alas! This body will lie upon the earth, unheeded and lifeless, like a useless log.”
“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.”
“It seems that although we thought ourselves permanent, we are not. Although we thought ourselves settled, we are not. Although we thought we would last forever, we will not.”

Buddha Sayings On Happiness And Joy

“There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.”
“A disciplined mind brings happiness.”
“Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.”
“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.”
“Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think.”

“It is in the nature of things that joy arises in a person free from remorse.”
“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 the key.”
“Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, and you will be filled with joy.”
“Happiness is not having a lot. Happiness is giving a lot.”
“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 Quotes On Fear And Death

“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”
“Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.”
“There are those who do not realize that one day we all must die. But those who do realize this settle their quarrels.”
“All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.”
“Heedfulness is the path to the Deathless. Heedlessness is the path to death. The heedful die not. The heedless are as if dead already.”

“Just as a cowherd drives the cattle to pasture with a staff, so do old age and death drive the life force of beings (from existence to existence) .”
“The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.”
“Fully worn out is this body, a nest of disease, and fragile. This foul mass breaks up, for death is the end of life.”
“As a mighty flood sweeps away the sleeping village, so death carries away the person of distracted mind who only plucks the flowers (of pleasure) .”
“All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.”

Buddha Quotes On Desire, Greediness And Craving

“There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires.”
“Whoever is overcome by this wretched and sticky craving, his sorrows grow like grass after the rains. But whoever overcomes this wretched craving, so difficult to overcome, from him sorrows fall away like water from a lotus leaf.”
“The misguided man in whom the thirty-six currents of craving strongly rush toward pleasurable objects is swept away by the flood of his passionate thoughts.”

“Just as a tree, though cut down, sprouts up again if its roots remain uncut and firm, even so, until the craving that lies dormant is rooted out, suffering spring up again and again.”
“Beset by craving, people run about like an entrapped hare. Held fast by mental fetters, they come to suffering again and again for a long time. But the one who yearns to be passion-free should destroy his own craving.”
“Riches ruin only the foolish, not those in quest of the beyond. By craving for riches, the witless man ruins himself as well as others.”

Buddha Quotes On Anger, Hatred, And Arrogance

“Weeds are the bane of fields; hatred is the bane of mankind. Therefore, what is offered to those free to hatred yields abundant fruit.”
“Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.”
“One should give up anger, renounce pride, and overcome all fetters. Suffering never befalls him who clings not to mind and body and is detached.”
“He who checks rising anger as a charioteer checks a rolling chariot, him I call a true charioteer. Others only hold the reins.”

“You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.”
“Overcome the angry by non-anger; overcome the wicked by goodness; overcome the miser by generosity; overcome the liar by truth.”
“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.”
“There is no fire like lust; there is no grip like hatred; there is no net like delusion; there is no river like craving.”

Inspirational And Motivational Buddha Quotes

There isn’t enough darkness in all the world to snuff out the light of one little candle.”
“If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.”
“Imagine that every person in the world is enlightened but you. They are all your teachers, each doing just the right things to help you.”
“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.”
“One should first establish oneself in what is proper; then only should one instruct others. Thus, the wise man will not be reproached.”

“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”
“Just as a single creeper strangles the tree on which it grows, even so, a man who is exceedingly depraved harms himself as only an enemy might wish.”
“Do not turn away what is given you, nor reach out for what is given to others, lest you disturb your quietness.”
“Lead a righteous life; lead not a base life. The righteous live happily both in this world and the next.”

Buddha Lines About Forgiveness, Kindness And Giving

“To understand everything is to forgive everything.”
“We will develop and cultivate the liberation of mind by lovingkindness, make it our vehicle, make it our basis, stabilize it, exercise ourselves in it, and fully perfect it.”
“Kindness should become the natural way of life, not the exception.”

“In whom there is no sympathy for living beings: know him as an outcast.”
“As I am, so are these. As are these, so am I.’ Drawing the parallel to yourself, neither kill nor get others to kill.”
“If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.”

Deep Meaningful Buddha Quotes

“You are a seeker. Delight in the mastery of your hands and your feet, of your words and your thoughts.”
“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.”
“Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.”

“Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.”
“Though one may conquer a thousand times a thousand men in battle, yet he indeed is the noblest victor who conquer himself.”
“Those who mistake the unessential to be essential and the essential to be unessential, dwelling in wrong thoughts, never arrive at the essential.”
“This city (body) is built of bones, plastered with flesh and blood; within are decay and death, pride and jealousy.”

Buddha Quotes On Nibbana

“There is no fire like lust and no crime like hatred. There is no ill like the aggregates (of existence) and no bliss higher than the peace of Nibbana.”
“Those who are ever vigilant, who discipline themselves day and night, and are ever intent upon Nibbana – their defilements fade away.”
“One is the quest for worldly gain, and quite another is the path to Nibbana. Clearly understanding this, let not the monk, the disciple of the Buddha, be carried away by worldly acclaim, but develop detachment instead.”
“If, like a broken gong, you silence yourself, you have approached Nibbana, for vindictiveness is no longer in you.”

“Not by rituals and resolutions, nor by much learning, nor by celibacy, nor even by meditation can you find the supreme, immortal joy of nirvana until you extinguish your self-will.”
“Hunger is the worst disease, conditioned things the worst suffering. Knowing this as it really is, the wise realize Nibbana, the highest bliss.”
“The wise ones, ever meditative and steadfastly persevering, alone experience Nibbana, the incomparable freedom from bondage.”
“The monk who delights in heedfulness and looks with fear at heedlessness will not fall. He is close to Nibbana.”
“Health is the most precious gain and contentment the greatest wealth. A trustworthy person is the best kinsman, Nibbana the highest bliss.”

Final Thoughts On Enlightened Buddha Quotes

The advice, sayings, teachings and quotes of Buddha’s are timeless and worthy to read and follow in life. As a worldly human being, most of us don’t see the real truth of nature and life. That’s why we spend most of our life going through the wrong things.

But Buddha was a wise person who found what is the ultimate truth of life. For this reason, all of his sayings and speeches are full of deep knowledge. One who follows his excellent advice will sunshine in his/her life and will find a better meaningful life.

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