101 Powerful Buddha Quotes to Help You Throughout Your Life

Regarded by Buddhists and beyond as a great teacher and philosopher, Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha, acts as a guiding voice for all who practice Buddhism. Though the religious founder, Buddha, was alive approximately 2,500 years ago, between 6th – 4th century BCE, his words still resonate and inspire modern practicers today. Buddhists, and other guidance seekers, often refer to Buddha quotes to make sense of themselves and the world around them.

After all, the name Buddha translates to "Awakened One" in Sanskrit, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. His enlightened views on living, fulfillment, and meditation help those seeking a way to Nirvana — a transcended place void of karma and suffering, much like Christian Heaven. Some may use Buddha’s words to follow the Eightfold Path, a list of eight practices which are believed to lead to Nirvana, while others may use them more loosely, as they pursue an overall positive life.

One thing that is certain is Buddha said many insightful and thought-provoking things during his lifetime that are still applicable today, proving that the essence of life does not change. We still seek guidance on strength, anger, joy, and love. That is why Buddha’s words stand the test of time and continue to be referenced today.

Famous Buddha Quotes

• "We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world."
• "The root of suffering is attachment."
• "Nothing is forever except change."
• "Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except yourself."
• "If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone."
• "All that we are is the result of what we have thought."
• "Radiate boundless love towards the entire world."
• "May all beings have happy minds."
• "True love is born from understanding."
• “Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your life.”

Motivational Buddha Quotes

• "What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now."
• "Irrigators channel waters; fletchers straighten arrows; carpenters bend wood; the wise master themselves."
• "An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea."
• "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."
• "Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained and using well-spoken words: this is good luck."
• "Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes."
• "As a water bead on a lotus leaf, as water on a red lily, does not adhere, so the sage does not adhere to the seen, the heard, or the sensed."
• “Ceasing to do evil, Cultivating the good, Purifying the heart: This is the teaching of the Buddhas.”
• “A disciplined mind brings happiness.”
• “All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.”

Short Buddha Quotes

• "If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart."
• "I am the miracle."
• "Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely."
• "Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded."
• "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth."
• "It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways."
• "Everything in moderation, including moderation."
• "There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires."
• "Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others."
• “Pain is certain; suffering is optional.”

Buddha Quotes on Love

• "Love is a gift of one’s inner most soul to another so both can be whole."
• "You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."
• "The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart."
• "Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it."
• "Understanding is the heartwood of well-spoken words."
• "Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings."
• "Let all-embracing thoughts for all beings be yours."
• “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.”
• “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.”
• “Speak only endearing speech, speech that is welcomed. Speech, when it brings no evil to others, is a pleasant thing.”

Buddha Quotes on Life

• "She who knows life flows, feels no wear or tear, needs no mending or repair."
• "One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life can change the world."
• "Live every act fully, as if it were your last."
• "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."
• "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."
• "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."
• "Should you find a wise critic to point out your faults, follow him as you would a guide to hidden treasure."
• "In separateness lies the world’s greatest misery; in compassion lies the world’s true strength."
• “Don’t rush anything. When the time is right, it’ll happen.”
• “The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world.”

Buddha Quotes on Anger

• "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."
• "The instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves."
• "Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal."
• "Know from the rivers in clefts and in crevices: those in small channels flow noisily, the great flow silent. Whatever’s not full makes noise. Whatever is full is quiet."
• "There is no fire like passion. There is no shark like hatred. There is no snare like folly. There is no torrent like greed."
• "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."
• "All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill."
• “Conquer anger with non-anger. Conquer badness with goodness. Conquer meanness with generosity.”
• “To be angry is to let others' mistakes punish yourself.”
• “He who can curb his wrath as soon as it arises, as a timely antidote will check snake’s venom that so quickly spreads — such a monk gives up the here and the beyond, just as a serpent sheds its worn-out skin.”

Buddha Quotes on Happiness

• "There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path."
• "One who acts on truth is happy in this world and beyond."
• "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."
• "If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts, happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow."
• "Our life is shaped by our mind. We become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves."
• "Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”
• "Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good."
• “‘All conditioned things are impermanent’ — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.”
• “Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.”
• “Whatever is not yours: let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term happiness & benefit.”

Buddha Quotes on Peace

• "Delight in meditation and solitude. Compose yourself, be happy. You are a seeker."
• "Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace."
• "Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind."
• "He who sits alone, sleeps alone, and walks alone, who is strenuous and subdues himself alone, will find delight in the solitude of the forest."
• "Don’t run after pleasure and neglect the practice of meditation. If you forget the goal of life and get caught in the pleasures of the world, you will come to envy those who put meditation first."
• "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."
• "A mind unruffled by the vagaries of fortune, from sorrow freed, from defilements cleansed, from fear liberated — this is the greatest blessing."
• "Meditate. Do not delay, lest you later regret it."
• “Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”
• “Resolutely train yourself to attain peace.”

Buddha Quotes on Giving

• "Give, even if you only have a little."
• "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."
• "To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance."
• "The greatest gift is to give people your enlightenment, to share it. It has to be the greatest."
• "Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity."
• "If we fail to look after others when they need help, who will look after us?"
• "Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill."
• “True charity occurs only when there are no notions of giving, giver, or gift.”
• “Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy; while giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful; and having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.”
• “To support mother and father, to cherish wife and children, and to be engaged in peaceful occupation — this is the greatest blessing.”
• “When watching after yourself, you watch after others. When watching after others, you watch after yourself.”

Buddha Quotes on Strength

• "Just as a solid rock is not shaken by the storm, even so the wise are not affected by praise or blame."
• "Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes."
• "No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."
• "The one who has conquered himself is a far greater hero than he who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men."
• "Be a lamp for yourselves. Be your own refuge. Seek for no other. All things must pass. Strive on diligently. Don’t give up."
• "Wear your ego like a loose fitting garment."
• "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."
• "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."
• “You yourself must strive. The Buddhas only point the way.”
• “As an elephant in the battlefield withstands arrows shot from bows all around, even so shall I endure abuse.”

Ysolt Usigan

Ysolt Usigan is a lifestyle writer and editor with 15+ years of experience working in digital media. She has created share-worthy content for publishers Shape, What To Expect, Cafe Mom, TODAY, CBS News, HuffPo, The Bump, Health, Ask Men, and Best Gifts. A working mom of two, her editorial expertise in parenting, shopping, and home are rooted in her everyday life. 

Kate Franke

Editorial Assistant

Kate Franke (she/her) is the editorial assistant at Woman’s Day. She loves all things lifestyle, home, and market related. Kate has a BAJMC in Magazine Media and BA in Writing from Drake University. She is a proud ASME alum whose work has appeared in Food Network Magazine, The Pioneer Woman Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Modern Farmhouse Style, Beautiful Kitchens & Baths, and more. Next to writing, Kate’s two favorite things are chai lattes and pumpkin bread!