People who study a lot but don't practice are like a ladle in a soup pot. It's in the soup every day, but it doesn't know the taste of the soup.

The development of wisdom does not occur in isolation but requires the cultivation of the entire Noble Eightfold Path.

If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.

The object of meditation and the mind which knows it must be noted as they occur. If they are not noted, desire arises and disturbs concentration.

The cultivation of loving-kindness has the power to transform enmity into amity, hostility into hospitality.

Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.

The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities.

The Dhamma unfolds in accordance with a definite sequence: faith, virtue, learning, generosity, wisdom, and insight.

Silence is so much more productive of wisdom and clarity than thinking.

The four foundations of mindfulness are not separate practices but different aspects of the same practice of clear awareness.

Faith is not a commodity that you either have or don't have - it is an inner quality that unfolds as we learn to trust our own deepest experience.

The key to meditation is to recognize the nature of your mind rather than trying to change it.

The goal of meditation is not to reach some highest place, but to remain in the place where you already are.

When you look deeply into your anger, you will see that the person you call your enemy is also suffering. As soon as you see that, the capacity for accepting and having compassion for them is there.

Even if you speak of 'understanding,' this understanding is not a matter of knowledge. It is what fills the entire body and mind.

We deal with our mind from morning until evening, and it can be our best friend or our worst enemy.

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

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.

Mindfulness is not just bare attention but wise attention that leads to understanding and insight.

Through violence, you may solve one problem, but you sow the seeds for another.

Real happiness lies within. It cannot be found in external objects or achievements.

The root of suffering is resisting the certainty that no matter what the circumstances, uncertainty is all we truly have.

To live is enough.

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

Concentration and insight are like two wings of a bird: both are necessary for the flight to liberation.

All experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind, made by mind. Speak or act with a corrupted mind, and suffering follows as the wagon wheel follows the hoof of the ox.

The Buddha's teaching challenges us to master the art of living, to live in a way that leads to the extinction of suffering.

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

When you note pain, you should not dwell on the thought, "I feel pain." Simply recognize the presence of pain.

The Buddha taught us to leave alone the things that don't lead to awakening.

The essence of the spiritual journey is the uncovering of what is always already present.

Things derive their being and nature by mutual dependence and are nothing in themselves.

When we see the nature of the mind, we see that we are not our thoughts.