Whether or not you go in a positive direction depends entirely on you. You have to be your own teacher and try to figure out what it takes to accomplish your goals. You have to be your own judge and try to get yourself to do the right thing and stop yourself from doing the wrong thing. Take responsibility for yourself. (17th Karmapa)

Inside each of us there is a noble heart. This heart is the source of our finest aspiration for ourselves and the world. It fills us with the courage to act on our aspirations. Our nobility may be obscured at times, covered over with small thoughts or blocked by confused and confusing emotions. But a noble heart lies intact within each of us nonetheless, ready to open and be offered to the world… When we clear away all that blocks it, this heart can change the world.

Inside each of us there is a noble heart. This heart is the source of our finest aspiration for ourselves and the world. It fills us with the courage to act on our aspirations. Our nobility may be obscured at times, covered over with small thoughts or blocked by confused and confusing emotions. But a noble heart lies intact within each of us nonetheless, ready to open and be offered to the world… When we clear away all that blocks it, this heart can change the world. - 17th Karmapa

The amount of work that needs to be undertaken is great, and we bear an enormous responsibility. The future of the world depends on this. We cannot wait for others to act. Who is the hero who can save the world? It is you. It is everyone of us. If you accept this challenge, that would be truly heroic. You would be an altruistic hero. – 17th Karmapa

The Buddhist teachings move along a graduated path: first the stages of calm abiding and then the stages of deep insight. Through such gradual practices, lamas of the past gave birth to realization in their mental continuum and discovered primordial wisdom. All the qualities that the great masters found, we can attain as well. It all depends on our own efforts, our diligence, our deeper knowing, and our correct motivation. – 17th Karmapa

We give something, and that opens the possibility of receiving: we naturally receive something when we give. This is how we live, whether it is in the business world, in our social lives, or in any other context. Giving and taking is happening all the time. Living is dependent on giving: we give and therefore we receive. This interdependence is natural; however, it takes a special effort to train our mind to know this well enough so that our understanding is clear and strong. – 17th Karmapa

One of our most important challenges in life is to remain mindful of who we are and what we are doing. To keep this awareness present all the time is a great support for spiritual growth. One aspect of a spiritual life is to live consciously. For that, we need to be as fully aware as possible. Without mindfulness, we end up sleepwalking through life. We act without realizing what we are doing. – 17th Karmapa

True peace cannot be achieved by force or by merely invoking the word "peace." It can only be attained by training the mind and learning to cultivate inner peace. Peace is a calm and gentle state of mind. - 17th Karmapa

We hold nothing back – not our effort, not any resources we might have, not time itself. We do not even hold our futures to ourselves. If we limit our aspirations to short-term aims and allow our aspirations to end when we attain those limited results, we will not create the momentum needed to maintain our enthusiasm over the long haul, until that time when we have developed our qualities of mind and heart to their fullest capacity. – 17th Karmapa