The 14th Dalai Lama, religious name: Tenzin Gyatso, shortened from Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso; born Lhamo Thondup, is the current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are important monks of the Gelug school, the newest school of Tibetan Buddhism which was formally headed by the Ganden Tripas. From the time of the 5th Dalai Lama to 1959, the central government of Tibet, the Ganden Phodrang, invested the position of Dalai Lama with temporal duties.
He has traveled the world and has spoken about the welfare of Tibetans, environment, economics, women’s rights, non-violence, interfaith dialogue, physics, astronomy, Buddhism and science, cognitive neuroscience, reproductive health, and sexuality, along with various topics of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist teachings.
Some of the best quotes from Dalai Lama are listed below.
- “A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.” – Dalai Lama
- “A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals the secret of some hidden treasure.” – Dalai Lama
- “A spoon cannot taste of the food it carries. Likewise, a foolish man cannot understand the wise man’s wisdom even if he associates with a sage.” – Dalai Lama
- “A truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave negatively or hurt you.” – Dalai Lama
- “All suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their own happiness or satisfaction.” – Dalai Lama
- “Although you may not always be able to avoid difficult situations, you can modify the extent to which you can suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation.” – Dalai Lama
- “An eye for an eye….we are all blind.” – Dalai Lama
- “Anger is the ultimate destroyer of your own peace of mind.” – Dalai Lama
- “As people alive today, we must consider future generations: a clean environment is a human right like any other. It is therefore part of our responsibility toward others to ensure that the world we pass on is as healthy, if not healthier, than we found it.” – Dalai Lama
- “As you breathe in, cherish yourself. As you breathe out, cherish all Beings.” – Dalai Lama
- “Be happy to change your goals, but never change your values.” – Dalai Lama
- “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” – Dalai Lama
- “Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. This is not just a dream, but a necessity.” – Dalai Lama
- “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” – Dalai Lama
- “Do not avoid the responsibility of your actions.” – Dalai Lama
- “Don’t ever mistake my silence for ignorance, my calmness for acceptance or my kindness for weakness. Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.” – Dalai Lama
- “Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” – Dalai Lama
- “Follow the three R’s: – Respect for self. – Respect for others. – Responsibility for all your actions.” – Dalai Lama
- “Forget the failures. Keep the lessons.” – Dalai Lama
- “Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back and reasons to stay.” – Dalai Lama
- “Given the scale of life in the cosmos, one human life is no more than a tiny blip. Each one of us is a just visitor to this planet, a guest, who will only stay for a limited time. What greater folly could there be than to spend this short time alone, unhappy or in conflict with our companions? Far better, surely, to use our short time here in living a meaningful life, enriched by our sense of connection with others and being of service to them.” – Dalai Lama
- “Happiness is determined more by one’s state of mind than by external events.” – Dalai Lama
- “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama
- “Hard times build determination and inner strength. Through them we can also come to appreciate the uselessness of anger. Instead of getting angry nurture a deep caring and respect for troublemakers because by creating such trying circumstances they provide us with invaluable opportunities to practice tolerance and patience.” – Dalai Lama
- “Human happiness and human satisfaction most ultimately come from within oneself.” – Dalai Lama
- “Human potential is the same for all. Your feeling, “I am of no value”, is wrong. Absolutely wrong. You are deceiving yourself. We all have the power of thought – so what are you lacking? If you have willpower, then you can change anything. It is usually said that you are your own master.” – Dalai Lama
- “I believe compassion to be one of the few things we can practice that will bring immediate and long-term happiness to our lives. I’m not talking about the short-term gratification of pleasures like sex, drugs or gambling (though I’m not knocking them), but something that will bring true and lasting happiness. The kind that sticks.” – Dalai Lama
- “I defeat my enemies when I make them my friends.” – Dalai Lama
- “I will not propose to you that my way is best. The decision is up to you. If you find some point which may be suitable to you, then you can carry out experiments for yourself. If you find that it is of no use, then you can discard it.” – Dalai Lama
- “If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it’s not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.” – Dalai Lama
- “If I am only happy for myself, many fewer chances for happiness. If I am happy when good things happen to other people, billions more chances to be happy!” – Dalai Lama
- “If it can be solved, there’s no need to worry, and if it can’t be solved, worry is of no use.” – Dalai Lama
- “If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.” – Dalai Lama
- “If we do nothing to restrain our angry, spiteful, and malicious thoughts and emotions, happiness will elude us.” – Dalai Lama
- “If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.” – Dalai Lama
- “If you don’t love yourself, you cannot love others. You will not be able to love others. If you have no compassion for yourself then you are not able of developing compassion for others.” – Dalai Lama
- “If you have a basic concern for others, even failure cannot disturb your mind.” – Dalai Lama
- “If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; but if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.” – Dalai Lama
- “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” – Dalai Lama
- “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” – Dalai Lama
- “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama
- “In general, if we carefully examine any given situation in a very unbiased and honest way, we will realize that to a large extent we are also responsible for the unfolding of events.” – Dalai Lama
- “In order to become prosperous, a person must initially work very hard, so he or she has to sacrifice a lot of leisure time.” – Dalai Lama
- “In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.” – Dalai Lama
- “In our struggle for freedom, truth is the only weapon we possess.” – Dalai Lama
- “Inner peace is the key: if you have inner peace, the external problems do not affect your deep sense of peace and tranquility…without this inner peace, no matter how comfortable your life is materially, you may still be worried, disturbed, or unhappy because of circumstances.” – Dalai Lama
- “Instead of wondering why this is happening to you, consider why this is happening to you.” – Dalai Lama
- “It is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others.” – Dalai Lama
- “It is necessary to help others not in our prayers but in our daily lives.” – Dalai Lama
- “It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.” – Dalai Lama
- “It is very rare or almost impossible that an event can be negative from all points of view.” – Dalai Lama
- “Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.” – Dalai Lama
- “Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.” – Dalai Lama
- “Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.” – Dalai Lama
- “Let us try to recognize the precious nature of each day.” – Dalai Lama
- “Look at children. Of course they may quarrel, but generally speaking they do not harbor ill feelings as much or as long as adults do. Most adults have the advantage of education over children, but what is the use of an education if they show a big smile while hiding negative feelings deep inside? Children don’t usually act in such a manner. If they feel angry with someone, they express it, and then it is finished. They can still play with that person the following day.” – Dalai Lama
- “Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.” – Dalai Lama
- “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” – Dalai Lama
- “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” – Dalai Lama
- “Neither a space station nor an enlightened mind can be realized in a day.” – Dalai Lama
- “Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend – or a meaningful day.” – Dalai Lama
- “Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek.” – Dalai Lama
- “Our ancient experience confirms at every point that everything is linked together, everything is inseparable.” – Dalai Lama
- “Our life depends on others so much that at the root of our existence there is a fundamental need for love. That is why it is good to cultivate an authentic sense of our responsibility and a sincere concern for the welfare of others.” – Dalai Lama
- “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.” – Dalai Lama
- “Pain can change you, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a bad change. Take that pain and turn it into wisdom.” – Dalai Lama
- “Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.” – Dalai Lama
- “People take different roads seeking fulfilment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.” – Dalai Lama
- “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” – Dalai Lama
- “Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.” – Dalai Lama
- “Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.” – Dalai Lama
- “Silence is sometimes the best answer.” – Dalai Lama
- “Smile if you want a smile from another face.” – Dalai Lama
- “Someone else’s action should not determine your response.” – Dalai Lama
- “Spend some time alone everyday.” – Dalai Lama
- “Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.” – Dalai Lama
- “The best way to resolve any problem in the human world is for all sides to sit down and talk.” – Dalai Lama
- “The creatures that inhabit this earth-be they human beings or animals-are here to contribute, each in its own particular way, to the beauty and prosperity of the world.” – Dalai Lama
- “The first step toward living a happy life is to treat every other human with kindness.” – Dalai Lama
- “The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self.” – Dalai Lama
- “The important thing is that men should have a purpose in life. It should be something useful, something good.” – Dalai Lama
- “The mind is like a parachute. It works best when it’s open.” – Dalai Lama
- “The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being…” – Dalai Lama
- “The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your action will be.” – Dalai Lama
- “The more you nurture a feeling of loving kindness, the happier and calmer you will be.” – Dalai Lama
- “The motivation of all religious practice is similar: love, sincerity, honesty. The way of life of practically all religious persons is consistent. The teachings of tolerance, love, and compassion are the same.” – Dalai Lama
- “The purpose of all the major religious traditions is not to construct big temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts.” – Dalai Lama
- “The ultimate source of a happy life is the attention we pay to our inner values.” – Dalai Lama
- “The way to change others’ minds is with affection, and not anger.” – Dalai Lama
- “There are always problems to face, but it makes a difference if our minds are calm.” – Dalai Lama
- “There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow. Today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.” – Dalai Lama
- “There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’ No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.” – Dalai Lama
- “There is only one important point you must keep in your mind and let it be your guide. No matter what people call you, you are just who you are. Keep to this truth. You must ask yourself how is it you want to live your life. We live and we die, this is the truth that we can only face alone. No one can help us, not even the Buddha. So consider carefully, what prevents you from living the way you want to live your life?” – Dalai Lama
- “This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” – Dalai Lama
- “Time passes unhindered. When we make mistakes, we cannot turn the clock back and try again. All we can do is use the present well.” – Dalai Lama
- “To conquer oneself is a greater victory than to conquer thousands in a battle.” – Dalai Lama
- “Too much self-centered attitude, you see, brings, you see, isolation. Result: loneliness, fear, anger. The extreme self-centered attitude is the source of suffering.” – Dalai Lama
- “True change is within. Leave the outside as it is.” – Dalai Lama
- “We are but visitors on this planet. We are here for ninty or one hundred years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful with our lives. If you contibute to other people’s happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life.” – Dalai Lama
- “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” – Dalai Lama
- “We don’t need more money, we don’t need greater success or fame, we don’t need the perfect body or even the perfect mate. Right now, at this very moment, we have a mind, which is all the basic equipment we need to achieve complete happiness.” – Dalai Lama
- “We have to make a sustained effort, again and again, to cultivate the positive aspects within us.” – Dalai Lama
- “We need to learn how to want what we have NOT to have what we want in order to get steady and stable Happiness.” – Dalai Lama
- “We need to learn to want what we have, not to have what we want, in order to get stable and steady happiness.” – Dalai Lama
- “What is the meaning of life? To be happy and useful.” – Dalai Lama
- “What surprises me most is “Man”, because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he doesn’t enjoy the present; The result being he doesn’t live in the present or the future; He lives as if he’s never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived.” – Dalai Lama
- “When life becomes too complicated and we feel overwhelmed, it’s often useful just to stand back and remind ourselves of our overall purpose, our overall goal. When faced with a feeling of stagnation and confusion, it may be helpful to take an hour, an afternoon, or even several days to simply reflect on what it is that will truly bring us happiness, and then reset our priorities on the basis of that. This can put our life back in proper context, allow a fresh perspective, and enable us to see which direction to take.” – Dalai Lama
- “When we are caught up in a destructive emotion, we lose one of our greatest assets: our independence.” – Dalai Lama
- “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” – Dalai Lama
- “When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.” – Dalai Lama
- “When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways–either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.” – Dalai Lama
- “When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.” – Dalai Lama
- “When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.” – Dalai Lama
- “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know; But when you listen, you may learn something new.” – Dalai Lama
- “When you think everything is someone else’s fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy.” – Dalai Lama
- “With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.” – Dalai Lama
- “Without your effort, it is impossible for blessings to come.” – Dalai Lama
- “World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.” – Dalai Lama
