753 Quotes by Nhat Hanh

We ourselves need love; it’s not only society, the world outside, that needs love. But we can’t expect that love to come from outside of us. We should ask the question whether we are capable of loving ourselves as well as others.

When you have a toothache, you think that not having a toothache will make you very happy. But when you don’t have a toothache, often you are still not happy. If you practice awareness, you suddenly become very rich, very very happy.

Fear is born from ignorance. We think that the other person is trying to take away something from us. But if we look deeply, we see that the desire of the other person is exactly our own desire – to have peace, to be able to have a chance to live.

You are me, and I am you. Isn’t it obvious that we “inter-are”? You cultivate the flower in yourself, so that I will be beautiful. I transform the garbage in myself, so that you will not have to suffer.

We may think of peace as the absence of war, that if the great powers would reduce their weapons arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply into the weapons, we will see our own minds – our own prejudices, fears, and ignorance.

With mindfulness – the practice of peace – we can begin by working to transform the wars in ourselves. Conscious breathing helps us do this.

There’s no way I can be tossed around like a bottle slapped here and there on the waves.

The bad things, don’t do them. The good things, try to do them. Try to purify, subdue your own mind. That is the teaching of all buddhas.

Impermanence is very important, crucial for life. That is why instead of complaining about impermanence you have to say “Long live impermanence!”