Nhat Hanh Quotes

The true miracle is not walking on water or walking in air, but simply walking on this earth.

You have an appointment with life, an appointment that is in the here and now.

Forgiveness will not be possible until compassion is born in your heart.

Our own lives are the instruments with which we experiment with truth.

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

By listening with calm and understanding, we can ease the suffering of another person.

Anger is like a flame blazing up and consuming our self-control, making us think, say, and do things that we will probably regret later.

We need to be aware of the suffering, but retain our clarity, calmness and strength so we can help transform the situation.

You are like fireworks. You go out into your children, your friends, your society, and the whole world.

I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given me to live.

The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart.

The heart of the matter is always our oneness with divine spirit, our union with all life.

The desire to be a free person is very worthwhile. To be free means you are no longer the victim of fear, anger, craving, or suspicion.

Most of your suffering comes from the lack of understanding of yourself and others.

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.

To live in the present moment is a miracle.

In mindfulness one is not only restful and happy, but alert and awake. Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.

Meditation means to look deeply, to touch deeply, so we can realize we are already home.

The fact is that when you make the other suffer, he will try to find relief by making you suffer more. The result is an escalation of suffering on both sides.

There is no birth, there is no death; there is no coming, there is no going; there is no same, there is no different; there is no permanent self, there is no annihilation. We only think there is.

If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love.

The way must be in you; the destination also must be in you and not somewhere else in space or time. If that kind of self-transformation is being realized in you, you will arrive.

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it. (21)

If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.

We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow our minds and hearts to heal.

Freedom is not given to us by anyone; we have to cultivate it ourselves. It is a daily practice... No one can prevent you from being aware of each step you take or each breath in and breath out.

Even if we cannot be completely non-voilent, by being vegetarian we are going in the direction of non-voilence

Let us not be afraid of decreasing. It is like the moon, we see the moon increasing and decreasing, but it is always the moon.

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos — the trees, the clouds, everything.

Mindfulness is the miracle by which we master and restore ourselves.

When we give ourselves the chance to let go of all our tension, the body's natural capacity to heal itself can begin to work.

People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?

Total relaxation is the secret to enjoying sitting meditation. I sit with my spine upright, but not rigid; and I relax all the muscles in my body.

The Three Kinds of Pride are: (1) thinking I am better than the other(s); (2) thinking I am worse than the other(s); and (3) thinking I am just as good as the other(s).

In our consciousness, there are many negative seeds and also many positive seeds. The practice is to avoid watering the negative seeds, and to identify and water the positive seeds every day.

When you learn how to suffer, you suffer much less.

Earth will be safe when we feel in us enough safety.

As long as you find something beautiful, good, and true to believe in and abide by, you have the equivalent of God in your life.

Root out the violence in your life, and learn to live compassionately and mindfully. Seek peace. When you have peace within, real peace with others is possible.

The source of love is deep in us and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another person’s suffering and bring that person joy.

Find joy and peace in this very moment.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change.

Choose to be in touch with what is wonderful, refreshing, and healing within yourself and around you.

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.

We have to continue to learn. We have to be open. And we have to be ready to release our knowledge in order to come to a higher understanding of reality.

Without full awareness of breathing, there can be no development of meditative stability and understanding.

I think, therefore I am ... not here.