World Wise Words

“Sometimes when I meet old friends, it reminds me how quickly time passes. And it makes me wonder if we've utilized our time properly or not. Proper utilization of time is so important. While we have this body, and especially this amazing human brain, I think every minute is something precious. Our day-to-day existence is very much alive with hope, although there is no guarantee of our future. There is no guarantee that tomorrow at this time we will be here. But we are working for that purely on the basis of hope. So, we need to make the best use of our time. I believe that the proper utilization of time is this: if you can, serve other people, other sentient beings. If not, at least refrain from harming them. I think that is the whole basis of my philosophy.

So, let us reflect what is truly of value in life, what gives meaning to our lives, and set our priorities on the basis of that. The purpose of our life needs to be positive. We weren't born with the purpose of causing trouble, harming others. For our life to be of value, I think we must develop basic good human qualities—warmth, kindness, compassion. Then our life becomes meaningful and more peaceful—happier.” ― Dalai Lama XIV, The Art of Happiness

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“Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.” ― Dalai Lama, XIV

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“When we are motivated by compassion and wisdom, the results of our actions benefit everyone, not just our individual selves or some immediate convenience. When we are able to recognize and forgive ignorant actions of the past, we gain strength to constructively solve the problems of the present.” ― The Dalai Lama

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"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, XIV

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“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 XIV

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“Love and Compassion are the true religions to me. But to develop this, we do not need to believe in any religion.” ― Dalai Lama XIV

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“We can reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received wisdom. But we cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion.... This, then, is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need. So long as we practice these in our daily lives, then no matter if we are learned or unlearned, whether we believe in Buddha or God, or follow some other religion or none at all, as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy.”

― Dalai Lama XIV

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“Compassion is the radicalism of our time.” ― Dalai Lama XIV

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“A truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave negatively or hurt you.” ― Dalai Lama XIV

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“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 XIV

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“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 XIV

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“Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek.” ― Dalai Lama XIV

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“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
― Dalai Lama XIV, The Art of Happiness

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“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”
― Dalai Lama XIV, The Art of Happiness

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General Dalai Lama Quotes

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"Silence is sometimes the best answer." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"To conquer oneself is a greater victory than to conquer thousands in a battle." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"I defeat my enemies when I make them my friends." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"True change is within; leave the outside as it is." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"No matter how educated or wealthy you are, if you don’t have peace of mind, you won’t be happy." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"Real change in the world will only come from a change of heart." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"Anger and hatred are signs of weakness, while compassion is a sure sign of strength." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"As individuals we can influence our own families. Our families can influence our communities and our communities can influence our nations." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"Love is the absence of judgment." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of all kinds." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your action will be."

-Dalai Lama XIV

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"Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"To be aware of a single shortcoming in oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand in someone else." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"Even more important than the warmth and affection we receive, is the warmth and affection we give." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"Our visit to this planet is short, so we should use our time meaningfully, which we can do by helping others wherever possible." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering."

-Dalai Lama XIV

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"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 XIV

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"As you breathe in, cherish yourself. As you breathe out, cherish all beings." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warmheartedness."

-Dalai Lama XIV

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"Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"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; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. What we must do therefore is to strive and persevere and never give up." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"For our life to be of value, I think we must develop basic good human qualities — warmth, kindness, compassion. Then our life becomes meaningful and more peaceful — happier."

-Dalai Lama XIV

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"Our ancient experience confirms at every point that everything is linked together, everything is inseparable." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"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 XIV

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"I have always had this view about the modern education system: we pay attention to brain development, but the development of warmheartedness we take for granted." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"If we are to create a more peaceful world, made up of peaceful individuals, we need a greater concern for others — altruism. That gives inner strength, self-confidence." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"The remedy is to look deeper and recognize that we human beings are physically, mentally and emotionally the same." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"To be kind, honest and have positive thoughts; to forgive those who harm us and treat everyone as a friend; to help those who are suffering and never to consider ourselves superior to anyone else: even if this advice seems rather simplistic, make the effort of seeing whether by following it you can find greater happiness." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"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 XIV

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"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito."

-Dalai Lama XIV

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"If a problem can be solved it will be. If it can not be solved there is no use worrying about it."

-Dalai Lama XIV

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"We all have to live together, so we might as well live together happily."-Dalai Lama XIV

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"On what surprised him most about humanity: 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 does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived." (Great (but fake) Dalai Lama Quote)

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We have bigger houses but smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; We have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicines, but less healthiness; We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We’ve built more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communications; We have become long on quantity, but short on quality. These times are times of fast foods; but slow digestion; Tall man but short character; Steep profits but shallow relationships. It is time when there is much in the window, but nothing in the room.  (Great (but fake) Dalai Lama Quote)

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"To be kind, honest and have positive thoughts; to forgive those who harm us and treat everyone as a friend; to help those who are suffering and never to consider ourselves superior to anyone else: even if this advice seems rather simplistic, make the effort of seeing whether by following it you can find greater happiness." -Dalai Lama XIV

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"Happiness cannot come from hatred or anger. Nobody can say, 'Today I am happy because this morning I was angry.' On the contrary, people feel uneasy and sad and say, 'Today I am not very happy, because I lost my temper this morning." - Dalai Lama XIV

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"The essence of compassion is a desire to alleviate the suffering of others and to promote their well-being." -Dalai Lama XIV