Dalai lama quotes

When reason ends, then anger begins. Therefore, anger is a sign of weakness.

A thousand candles can be lit from one candle, however the life of the original candle is not shortened in the least.

If every 8 year old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation

If someone does not smile at you, be generous and offer your own smile. Nobody needs a smile more than the one that cannot smile to others.

The problems we face today, violent conflicts, destruction of nature, poverty, hunger, and so on, are human-created problems which can be resolved through human effort, understanding and the development of a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share.

When you think everything is someone else's fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy.

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.

The way to change others' minds is with affection, and not anger.

Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.

Our greatest duty and our main responsibility is to help others. But please, if you can't help them, would you please not hurt them.

Compassion is the wish to see others free from suffering.

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

A sense of concern for others gives our lives meaning; it is the root of all human happiness

Man surprised me most about humanity.Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.

Whenever there is a challenge, there is also an opportunity to face it, to demonstrate and develop our will and determination.

Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.

Don't be a person of success, be a person of value.

In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

A tree with strong roots can withstand the most violent storm, but the tree can't grow roots just as the storm appears on the horizon.

If our tears do not lead us to act then we have lost the reason of our humanity, which is compassion.

Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.

Fear, hatred, and suspicion narrow your mind - compassion opens it.

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

The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of all kinds.

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

Follow the three R's: - Respect for self. - Respect for others. - Responsibility for all your actions.

Most of our problems are related to the mind, so we have to work to reduce our destructive emotions.

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. Love and compassion are beneficial both for you and others. Through your kindness to others, your mind and heart will open to peace.

Compassion is the wish for another being to be free from suffering; love is wanting them to have happiness.

Smile if you want a smile from another face.

I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It is the ultimate source of success in life.

If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.

Today is the right day to love, believe, do, and mostly, live.

Whether one is rich or poor, educated or illiterate, religious or nonbelieving, man or woman, black, white, or brown, we are all the same. Physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are all equal. We all share basic needs for food, shelter, safety, and love. We all aspire to happiness and we all shun suffering. Each of us has hopes, worries, fears, and dreams. Each of us wants the best for our family and loved ones. We all experience pain when we suffer loss and joy when we achieve what we seek. On this fundamental level, religion, ethnicity, culture, and language make no difference.

The more we are concerned for the well being of others, the closer we will feel to each other.

When you talk you are only repeating something you already know. But, if you listen you may learn something new.

The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life.

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

If there is a solution to a problem, there is no need to worry. And if there is no solution, there is no need to worry.

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.

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

Try to improve. Don't expect too much, but don't feel discouraged either; keep up your enthusiasm; you will make progress.

Although you may not always be able to avoid difficult situations,you can modify the extent to which you can suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation.

Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.

Open your arms to change but don't let go of your values.

The point of life is happiness.

The more you are motivated by Love, The more Fearless & Free your action will be.

My message is always the same: to cultivate and practice love, kindness, compassion and tolerance.

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.

Moving towards better rather than moving away from bad is an attitude of embracing life rather than rejecting it.

A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity.

Many people think that patience is a sign of weakness. I think this is a mistake. It is anger that is a sign of weakness, whereas patience is a sign of strength

A truly peaceful mind is very sensitive, very aware.

An open heart is an open mind.

Even a small act of compassion grants meaning and purpose to our lives.

Once your mind is calm and full of love, there is no room for hatred or fear. Others will trust you because of your open heart.

Everyone wants a happy life without difficulties or suffering. We create many of the problems we face. No one intentionally creates problems, but we tend to be slaves to powerful emotions like anger, hatred and attachment that are based on misconceived projections about people and things. We need to find ways of reducing these emotions by eliminating the ignorance that underlies them and applying opposing forces.

The greater the level of calmness of our mind, the greater our peace of mind, the greater our ability to enjoy a happy and joyful life.

Giving material goods is one form of generosity, but one can extend an attitude of generosity into all one's behavior. Being kind, attentive, and honest in dealing with others, offering praise where it is due, giving comfort and advice where they are needed, and simply sharing one's time with someone - all these are forms of generosity, and they do not require any particular level of material wealth.

The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.

True happiness comes from having a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved by cultivating altruism, love and compassion, and by eliminating anger, selfishness and greed.

Love and compassion benefit both ourselves and others. Through kindness to others, your heart and mind will be peaceful and open.

Anger cannot be overcome by anger. If someone is angry with you, and you show anger in return, the result is a disaster. On the other hand, if you control your anger and show its opposite - love, compassion, tolerance and patience - not only will you remain peaceful, but the other person's anger will also diminish.

Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

If we looked down at the world from space, we would not see any demarcations of national boundaries. We would simply see one small planet, just one.

Limitless like the ocean are your excellent qualities.

We must generate courage equal to the size of the difficulties we face.

If you help and serve others, you will ultimately gain.

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.

Anger, hatred and jealousy never solve problems, only affection, concern and respect can do that.

We can reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received wisdom. But we cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion. This, then, is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need.

Women have the capacity to lead us to a more peaceful world with compassion, affection, and kindness.

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

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

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

Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.

Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.

A positive state of mind is not merely good for you, it benefits everyone with whom you come into contact, literally changing the world.

When you think everything is someone else's fault, you will suffer a lot.

If you have peace of mind, when you meet with problems and difficulties they won’t disturb your inner peace. You’ll be able to employ your human intelligence more effectively. But, if your mental state is disturbed, full of emotion, it is very difficult to cope with problems, because the mind that is full of emotion is biased, unable to see reality. So whatever you do will be unrealistic and naturally fail.

When you are warm-hearted, there is no room for anger, jealousy or insecurity.

If you wish to heal your own sadness or anger, seek to heal the sadness or anger of another. Those others are waiting for you now. They are looking to you for guidance, for help, for courage, for strength, for understanding, and for assurance at this hour. Most of all, they are looking to you for love.

A simple smile. That's the start of opening your heart and being compassionate to others.

Forget the failures. Keep the lessons.

Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

You must not hate those who do wrong or harmful things; but with compassion, you must do what you can to stop them — for they are harming themselves, as well as those who suffer from their actions.

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.

We are all here on this planet, as it were, as tourists. None of us can live here forever. The longest we might live is a hundred years. So while we are here we should try to have a good heart and to make something positive and useful of our lives. Whether we live just a few years or a whole century, it would be truly regrettable and sad if we were to spend that time aggravating the problems that afflict other people, animals, and the environment. The most important things is to be a good human being.

If it can be solved, there's no need to worry, and if it can't be solved, worry is of no use.

Compassion is of little value if it just remains an idea. It must motivate how we respond to others and be reflective in all our thoughts and actions

We often add to our pain and suffering by being overly sensitive, over-reacting to minor things, and sometimes taking things too personally.

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

The question is not to know what is the meaning of life, but what meaning I can give to my life.

To be aware of a single shortcoming within oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand in somebody else.

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

The real enemy of happiness is the mind's fixations and delusions... If you have the right mind, you can overcome anything - you can be happy, no matter what.

You have to start giving first and expect absolutely nothing.

As you breathe in, cherish yourself. As you breathe out, cherish all Beings.

When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

Feelings of anger, bitterness, and hate are negative. If I kept those inside me, they would spoil my body and my health. The are of no use.

If your heart has peace, nothing can disturb you.

The challenge today is to convince people of the value of truth, honesty, compassion and a concern for others.

Like anyone else, I too have the potential for violence; I too have anger in me. However, I try to recall that anger is a destructive emotion. I remind myself that scientists now say that anger is bad for our health; it eats into our immune system. So, anger destroys our peace of mind and our physical health. We shouldn’t welcome it or think of it as natural or as a friend.

A heart full of love and compassion is the main source of inner strength, willpower, happiness, and mental tranquility

Without love we could not survive. Human beings are social creatures, and a concern for each other is the very basis of our life together.

The nature of our motivation determines the character of our work.

We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.

We can benefit others through our actions by being warm and generous toward them, by being charitable, and by helping those in need.

There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called Yesterday and the other is called Tomorrow. Today is the right day to Love, Believe, Do and mostly Live.

Pain can change you, but that doesn't mean it has to be a bad change. Take that pain and turn it into wisdom.

True friendship develops not as a result of money or power but on the basis of genuine human affection.

Through difficult experiences, life sometimes becomes more meaningful.

Love is the absence of judgment.

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

The true hero is one who conquers his own anger and hatred.

If you don't love yourself, you cannot love others. You will not be able to love others. If you have no compassion for yourself then you are not able of developing compassion for others.

The quality of everything we do: our physical actions, our verbal actions, and even our mental actions, depends on our motivation. That's why it's important for us to examine our motivation in our day to day life. If we cultivate respect for others and our motivation is sincere, if we develop a genuine concern for others’ well-being, then all our actions will be positive.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

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

Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.

Everyday, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.

Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.

Whether you believe in God or not does not matter so much, whether you believe in Buddha or not does not matter so much; as a Buddhist, whether you believe in reincarnation or not does not matter so much. You must lead a good life. And a good life does not mean just good food, good clothes, good shelter. These are not sufficient. A good motivation is what is needed: compassion, without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their rights and human dignity.

Someone else's action should not determine your response.