Gautama Buddha Quotes

76 Sourced Quotes

Monks, there are other things which are very deep (profound), very hard to understand, very difficult to perceive, so holy and sacred, unreached by means of mind, so subtle, that they are only to be understood and experienced by the wise. These things were perceived clearly, seen clearly and were discarded by the Tathagata, and by this act based on the truth that people praise and revered Tathagatha. What are those things?

Gautama Buddha
When watching after yourself, you watch after others. When watching after others, you watch after yourself

Gautama Buddha
Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to cessation.

Gautama Buddha
Cut out the love of self, like an autumn lotus with thy hand!

Gautama Buddha
If a man offend a harmless, pure, and innocent person, the evil falls back upon that fool, like light dust thrown up against the wind.

Gautama Buddha
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.

Gautama Buddha
All that we are is the result of what we have thought; it is founded on our thoughts; it is made up of our thoughts. A man's life is the direct result of his thoughts... We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.

Gautama Buddha
They who imagine truth in untruth and see untruth in truth will never arrive at the truth.

Gautama Buddha
If a man does what is good, let him do it again; let him delight in it; happiness is the outcome of good.

Gautama Buddha
And he who lives a hundred years, idle and weak, a life of one day is better if a man has attained firm strength.

Gautama Buddha
Like a beautiful flower, full of colour, but without scent, are wise words when spoken, but fruitless these words are when not carried out by the speaker.

Gautama Buddha
As the bee collects nectar and departs without injuring the flower, or its color or fragrance, so let the sage dwell on earth.

Gautama Buddha
Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.

Gautama Buddha
If you see an intelligent man who tells you where true treasures are to be found, who shows what is to be avoided, and administers reproofs, follow that wise man ; it will be better, not worse, for those who follow him.

Gautama Buddha
And this, monks, is the noble truth of the origination of dukkha: the craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now here & now there — i. e., craving for sensual pleasure, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming.

Gautama Buddha
Wisdom is purified by morality, and morality is purified by wisdom: where one is, the other is, the moral man has wisdom and the wise man has morality, and the combination of morality of wisdom is called the highest thing in the world.

Gautama Buddha
A mind unruffled by the vagaries of fortune, from sorrow freed, from defilements cleansed, from fear liberated — this is the greatest blessing

Gautama Buddha
The ascetic Gotama … avoids watching dancing, singing, music and shows. He abstains from using garlands, perfumes, cosmetics, ornaments and adornments. … He refrains from running errands, from buying and selling.

Gautama Buddha
Well, Lord, is the soul the same as the body, is the soul one thing and the body another?

Gautama Buddha
It cannot happen that a woman may become a Tathāgata, a Sammsambuddha.

Gautama Buddha
Through zeal, knowledge is gotten, through lack of zeal, knowledge is lost; let a man who knows this double path of gain and loss thus place himself that knowledge may grow.

Gautama Buddha
If by leaving a small pleasure one sees a great pleasure, let a wise man leave the small pleasure, and look to the great.

Gautama Buddha
If a man going down into a river, swollen and swiftly flowing, is carried away by the current — how can he help others across?

Gautama Buddha
Whatever living beings there may be — feeble or strong, long, stout, or of medium size, short, small, large, those seen or those unseen, those dwelling far or near, those who are born as well as those yet to be born — may all beings have happy minds.

Gautama Buddha
Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins remain addicted to such unedifying conversation as about kings, robbers, ministers, armies, dangers, wars, food, drink, clothes, beds, garlands, perfumes, relatives, carriages, villages, towns and cities, countries, women, heroes, street- and well-gossip, talk of the departed, desultory chat, speculations about land and sea, talk about being and non-being, the ascetic Gotama refrains from such conversation.

Gautama Buddha
Whoever doesn't flare up at someone who's angry wins a battle hard to win.

Gautama Buddha
Let my skin and sinews and bones dry up, together with all the flesh and blood of my body! I welcome it! But I will not move from this spot until I have attained the supreme and final wisdom.

Gautama Buddha
If a traveller does not meet with one who is his better, or his equal, let him firmly keep to his solitary journey; there is no companionship with a fool.

Gautama Buddha
The seers of old had fully restrained selves, and were austere. Having abandoned the five strands of sensual pleasures, they practiced their own welfare. The brahmans had no cattle, no gold, no wealth. They had study as their wealth and grain. They guarded the holy life as their treasure.
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Gautama Buddha
Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

Gautama Buddha