200+ Buddha Quotes To Make You Wiser and Happier

Buddhism is a way of life, a religion, and a way of understanding the world. Formal Buddhism attracts millions of followers from all parts of society and in every part of the globe.  The enlightenment of Gautama has been inspirational to generations of people over 2,500 years. This selection of Buddha quotes covers all parts of Buddhist philosophy. 

Browse through the Buddha quotes, and you will be surprised at how many seem familiar because Buddhist wisdom has reached every area of life. These Buddha quotes will remind you of the knowledge you already possess and encourage you to be present and aware in every minute that passes.

The man who became the Buddha was not born in hardship or struggling to survive, quite the opposite. He was a prince with all the delicious fruits of wealth available to him. When he was 35, he left his wife and child, his comfortable life in the palace, and went out to look for the meaning of life.  After he achieved enlightenment, he set out to point the way for everyone else to find their path to achieve the same state of enlightenment.

His words have been written in books and taught in temples and meditation halls across the world. However, you don’t need to read a whole book to be inspired by Buddha. Often a phrase can strike you with its meaning, giving you that nudge towards spiritual awakening.  

This collection of Buddha quotes contains phrases and sayings expressing Buddha’s approach to daily life and spiritual growth. They point you to the path to enlightenment, or you can use them as a way of seeing the world as a beautiful, kind place filled with opportunity and joy. 

If one of these Buddha quotes appeals to you, share the happiness and point others towards the kind path of the Buddha. 

90 Best Buddhist Quotes:

1. If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. – Buddha
2. The darkest night is ignorance – Buddha
3. I never see what has been done, I only see what remains to be done. – Buddha
4. Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have. – Buddha
5. Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded. – Buddha
6. 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. – Buddha
7. If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another. – Buddha
8. Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. – Buddha
9. 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. – Buddha

   

10. 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. – Buddha
11. However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them? – Buddha
12. Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. – Buddha
13. The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. – Buddha
14. Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. – Buddha
15. In the end these things matter most: How well did you love? How fully did you live? How deeply did you let go? – Buddha
16. There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. – Buddha
17. Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship. – Buddha
18. We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves. – Buddha
19. Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it – Buddha
20. 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
21. Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from 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
22. 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. – Buddha
23. Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill. – Buddha
24. You only lose what you cling to. – Buddha
25. Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it. – Buddha
26. No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. – Buddha
27. Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot 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
28. To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. – Buddha
29. To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him. – Buddha
30. The mind is everything. What you think you become. – Buddha

    

31. We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. – Buddha
32. It is better to travel well than to arrive. – Buddha
33. Doubt everything. Find your own light. – Buddha
34. 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. – Buddha
35. Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most. – Buddha
36. 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. – Buddha
37. Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace. – Buddha
38. In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves. – Buddha
39. Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely. – Buddha
40. There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed. – Buddha
41. All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain? – Buddha
42. Purity or impurity depends on oneself, No one can purify another. – Buddha

    

43. No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. – Buddha
44. True love is born from understanding. – Buddha
45. To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others – Buddha
46. You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger. – Buddha
47. There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path. – Buddha
48. If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete. – Buddha
49. Pain is certain, suffering is optional. – Buddha
50. If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart. – Buddha
51. It is easy to see the faults of others, but difficult to see one’s own faults. – Buddha
52. If you don’t tend to one another, who then will tend to you? – Buddha
53. Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule. – Buddha
54. That deed is not well done, if one has to repent for having done it, and if, with a tearful face, one has to weep as a result of that deed. – Buddha
55. Understanding is the heartwood of well-spoken words. – Buddha
56. Speak only endearing speech, speech that is welcomed. Speech, when it brings no evil to others, is a pleasant thing. – Buddha
57. Radiate boundless love towards the entire world… – Buddha
58. 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. – Buddha
59. To understand everything is to forgive everything – Buddha
60. An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea. – Buddha

    

61. When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky – Buddha
62. Patience is key. Remember: A jug fills drop by drop. – Buddha
63. Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity. – Buddha
64. Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. – Buddha
65. 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. – Buddha
66. Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little. – Buddha
67. Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others. – Buddha
68. Every human being is the author of his own health or disease. – Buddha
69. In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true. – Buddha
70. People with opinions just go around bothering each other. – Buddha
71. Give, even if you only have a little. – Buddha
72. Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely. – Buddha
73. Irrigators channel waters; fletchers straighten arrows; carpenters bend wood; the wise master themselves. – Buddha
74. Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good. – Buddha
75. The greatest gift is to give people your enlightenment, to share it. It has to be the greatest. – Buddha
76. 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. – Buddha

    

77. The root of suffering is attachment. – Buddha
78. Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth. – Buddha
79. People with opinions just go around bothering each other. – Buddha
80. Even as a solid rock is unshaken by the wind, so are the wise unshaken by praise or blame. – Buddha
81. You yourself must strive. The Buddhas only point the way. – Buddha
82. Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded. – Buddha
83. Meditate… do not delay, lest you later regret it. – Buddha
84. Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace. – Buddha
85. Understanding is the heartwood of well-spoken words. – Buddha
86. Ceasing to do evil, cultivating the good, purifying the heart: this is the teaching of the Buddhas. – Buddha
87. Delight in meditation and solitude. Compose yourself, be happy. You are a seeker. – Buddha
88. Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes. – Buddha
89. What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now. – Buddha
90. If you propose to speak always ask yourself, is it true, is it necessary, is it kind. – Buddha

15 Inspirational Buddha Quotes

1. If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone. – Buddha
2. 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. – Buddha
3. The one in whom no longer exist the craving and thirst that perpetuate becoming; how could you track that Awakened one, trackless, and of limitless range. – Buddha
4. Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes. – Buddha
5. 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. – Buddha
6. Whatever precious jewel there is in the heavenly worlds, there is nothing comparable to one who is Awakened. – Buddha
7. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves. – Buddha
8. Like a fine flower, beautiful to look at but without scent, fine words are fruitless in a man who does not act in accordance with them. – Buddha
9. Our theories of the eternal are as valuable as are those which a chick which has not broken its way through its shell might form of the outside world. – Buddha
10. An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea. – Buddha
11. However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?
12. Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence. – Buddha
13. Stop, stop. Do not speak. The ultimate truth is not even to think.
14. We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. – Buddha
15. Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little. – Buddha

12 Short Buddha Sayings

1. The darkest night is ignorance – Buddha
2. Attachment leads to suffering. – Buddha
3. May all beings have happy minds. – Buddha
4. Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. – Buddha
5. Born out of concern for all beings. – Buddha
6. I am the miracle. – Buddha
7. A jug fills drop by drop. – Buddha
8. Every human being is the author of his own health or disease. – Buddha
9. The tongue like a sharp knife… Kills without drawing blood. – Buddha
10. Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace. – Buddha
11. Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others. – Buddha
12. The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. – Buddha

28 Buddha Quotes About Love, Family, Life and Friends

1. Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill. – Buddha
2. 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. – Buddha
3. Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let them resolutely pursue a solitary course. – Buddha
4. Radiate boundless love towards the entire world. – Buddha
5. You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.  – Buddha
6. Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals. – Buddha
7. Love is a gift of one’s inner most soul to another so both can be whole. – Buddha
8. Let all-embracing thoughts for all beings be yours. – Buddha
9. 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. – Buddha
10. Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law. – Buddha
11. He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes. – Buddha
12. Kindness should become the natural way of life, not the exception. – Buddha
13. Speak only endearing speech, speech that is welcomed. Speech, when it brings no evil to others, is a pleasant thing. – Buddha
14. One is not called noble who harms living beings. By not harming living beings one is called noble. – Buddha
15. Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained and using well spoken words: this is good luck. – Buddha
16. Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings. – Buddha
17. In whom there is no sympathy for living beings: know him as an outcast. – Buddha
18. If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. – Buddha
19. Live every act fully, as if it were your last. – Buddha
20. Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good. – Buddha
21. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else. – Buddha
22. Purity or impurity depends on oneself. No one can purify another. – Buddha
23. To support mother and father, to cherish wife and child and to have a simple livelihood; this is the good luck. – Buddha
24. One moment can change a day, one day can change a life and one life can change the world. – Buddha
25. She who knows life flows, feels no wear or tear, needs no mending or repair. – Buddha
26. 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. – Buddha
27. 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
28. 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.  – Buddha

10 Buddha Quotes On Happiness

1. It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways. – Buddha
2. There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.   – Buddha
3. Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.   – Buddha
4. The enlightened one, intent on jhana, should find delight in the forest, should practice jhana at the foot of a tree, attaining his own satisfaction.   – Buddha
5. 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.  – Buddha
6. It is in the nature of things that joy arises in a person free from remorse.  – Buddha
7. Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, and you will be filled with joy.  – Buddha
8. Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. See also: 10 Tips to Start Living in the Present  – Buddha
9. Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.  – Buddha
10. We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.  – Buddha

10 Buddha Quotes On Meditation, Spirituality And Forgiveness

1. Resolutely train yourself to attain peace. – Buddha
2. Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life. – Buddha
3. Looking deeply at life as it is in this very moment, the meditator dwells in stability and freedom. – Buddha
4. 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. – Buddha
5. 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. – Buddha
6. Do not turn away what is given you, nor reach out for what is given to others, lest you disturb your quietness. – Buddha

   

7. Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace. – Buddha
8. Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom. – Buddha
9. Whatever a monk keeps pursuing with his thinking and pondering, that becomes the inclination of his awareness. – Buddha
10. It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways. – Buddha

22 Best Quotes About Buddha

1. Just two small things: meditation and let-go. Remember these two key words: meditation and surrender. Meditation will take you in, and surrender will take you into the whole. And this is the whole of religion. Within these two words Buddha has condensed the whole essence of religion. Osho
2. There is no need for God! If you want to meditate you can meditate without God. Buddha meditated without God; he had no belief in God. Osho
3. A Buddha is a Buddha, a Krishna is a Krishna, and you are you. Osho
4. He taught virtue, mindfulness, and wisdom. These are the three pillars of Buddhist practice, as well as the wellsprings of everyday well-being, psychological growth, and spiritual realization. Rick Hanson
5. If you cannot bow to Buddha, you cannot be a Buddha. It is arrogance. Shunryu Suzuki
6. Buddha says there are two kinds of suffering: the kind that leads to more suffering and the kind that brings an end to suffering. Terry Tempest Williams
7. You need to have confidence that you have the capacity to become a Buddha, the capacity of transformation and healing. Thich Nhat Hanh
8. If you use your mind to look for a Buddha, you won’t see the Buddha. Bodhidharma
9. And the Buddha is the person who’s free: free of plans, free of cares. Bodhidharma
10. As long as you look for a Buddha somewhere else, you’ll never see that your own mind is the Buddha. Bodhidharma
11. Buddha means awareness, the awareness of body and mind that prevents evil from arising in either. Bodhidharma
12. Buddhas don’t practice nonsense. Bodhidharma
13. A Buddha is someone who finds freedom in good fortune and bad. Bodhidharma
14. Buddhas move freely through birth and death, appearing and disappearing at will. Bodhidharma
15. But deluded people don’t realize that their own mind is the Buddha. They keep searching outside. Bodhidharma
16. To find a Buddha all you have to do is see your nature. Bodhidharma
17. No one can force us to transform our minds, not even Buddha. We must do so voluntarily. Therefore Buddha stated, ‘You are your own master’. Dalai Lama
18. The Buddha and all sentient beings are nothing but expressions of the one mind. There is nothing else. Huang Po
19. To awaken suddenly to the fact that your own Mind is the Buddha, that there is nothing to be attained or a single action to be performed. This is the Supreme Way. Huang Po
20. The words of the Buddha offer this truth: Hatred never ceases by hatred but by love alone is healed. Jack Kornfield
21. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help. Miyamoto Musashi
22. Even the buddha does not want anyone to follow him. Even the greatest masters cannot give you a single commandment. They see you so uniquely you, they see your freedom to be so uniquely for you. Osho