Thich Nhat Hanh was a writer, activist, poet and Buddhist monk of Vietnamese origin, who also stood out for being a professor not only in Vietnam, but at some universities in New York and Paris.
In this article you will find a compilation of the best phrases of Thich Nhat Hanh representative of his philosophy of life.
The most memorable Thich Nhat Hanh quotes
Being an endearing and notable character in peace activism, this author left us a great legacy of teachings and reflections on how to position ourselves in life. That is why we bring a list with the most outstanding Thich Nhat Hanh phrases.
1. Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
We smile because of the joy we felt in that moment.
2. Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.
Be aware of your surroundings.
3. The transformation and healing process requires continuous practices.
Improving is a daily routine that must be practiced.
4. I can’t run away from the consequences of my actions. They are the ground on which I stand.
Both successes and mistakes, we must accept with our heads held high.
5. There is no path to happiness, happiness is the path.
You stop living the best moments chasing your ideal moment.
We are a whole made up of many parts that we must take care of.
7. We are children of society, but also its mothers. We nourish society in some way.
We cannot detach ourselves from society, but we can contribute better things to it.
8. Smile, breathe and go slowly.
Things are done better when calm.
9. Thinking in terms of pessimism or optimism is oversimplifying the truth.
Things just flow.
10. Your concept or perception of reality is not reality. When you get trapped in your perceptions and ideas, you lose reality.
By closing our minds, we distort reality.
11. With your smile you make the world more beautiful.
People are infected by the good vibes of others.
12. We produce garbage every day, and for this reason we need to continually practice to take care of our garbage and turn it into flowers.
It is impossible to avoid bad energy, so it is necessary to learn to turn it into something positive.
13. Being beautiful means being yourself.
It’s the only way to be.
14. The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most essential and artistic human actions.
Practices that make human coexistence more harmonious.
15. No more crying, no more complaining, this is the last desolate poem.
Deciding to face problems, instead of accumulating them.
16. Conscious breathing allows us to see clearly that the abuse, threats and pain we had to endure in the past are not happening now and that we can remain safe in the present.
Talking about the benefits of conscious breathing.
17. Every thought you produce, anything you say, every action you do, bears your signature.
Remember that everything you do is what speaks good or bad about you.
18. True happiness is based on peace.
At that moment where you manage to have a quiet life.
19. The lotus flower does not think: “I don’t want the mud.” The lotus flower knows that it can bloom so beautifully only thanks to mud. For us, the same thing happens.
We need bad moments to learn to overcome ourselves and see the good in life.
20. Inhaling I calm the body and mind. Exhaling, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know that this is the only moment.
The correct way to breathe and meditate.
21. The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path I walk in peace.
Find your focus of attention.
22. True love is made up of understanding.
Love nourishes both people in a relationship.
23. We have more possibilities at every moment than we think.
Sometimes we tend to think that we are incapable of achieving something, when that is not true.
24. When you learn to suffer, you suffer much less.
Don’t try to run away from the pain, accept it and leave it behind.
25. We will be more successful in our efforts if we take breaks to relax and focus.
Breaks are important to renew energy.
26. We need to closely examine our relationships to see if they are based primarily on mutual need or mutual happiness.
Many relationships fail because we use them as shields against our own Loneliness.
27. Good will is not enough; We have to learn the art of making others happy.
Treat others with respect and love.
28. Let’s enjoy life all together.
Why can’t we all live in harmony?
29. If our love is only a doing to possess, it is not love.
Love is not a possession, it is an act of sharing.
30. The present moment is full of joy and happiness. If you pay attention, you will see it.
That’s why you have to learn to live in the present.
31. The most important thing is that we need to be understood.
It’s always good to have someone to talk to.
32. Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.
When we don’t drag anything from the past we can enjoy life.
33. We are also part of the traffic jam.
We must take responsibility for our procrastination.
34. Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear.
Hope leads us to look for a solution.
35. Waking up this morning, I smile. I have 24 hours before me. I commit to living each moment fully and looking at beings with the eyes of compassion.
A mantra that is not bad to repeat daily.
36. The reality is that the past is gone; all that remains now are impressions that linger in the depths of our consciousness.
There’s no use worrying about something we can’t get back to.
37. Every moment is a gift of life.
So be grateful to be alive.
38. When you love someone, the best thing you can offer is your presence. How can you love if you are not there?
Love needs company.
39. You must love in a way that makes the person you love feel free.
Love is not a cage
40. Breathing is the bridge that connects life with consciousness, which unites the body with its ideas.
A practice that makes us be more connected with our thoughts.
41. The Buddha and the monks and nuns of his time only had three habits and a bowl, but they were happy because they had something extremely precious: freedom.
No treasure can compare to freedom.
42. It is very difficult for people to let go of their suffering. Due to fear of the unknown, they prefer to suffer, because this is familiar to them.
Many hold on to pain because it is what they know best.
43. For things to be revealed to us we need to be ready to let go of our opinions about them.
We cannot overcome something if we are not willing to listen to what we need.
44. When there is true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.
An efficient discussion is one with the purpose of reaching a solution.
45. The miracle is not walking on water. The miracle is walking on the green earth in the present, to appreciate the beauty and peace that is available now.
The miracle is appreciating the wonders of nature around us.
46. Why don’t we leave more time for silence in our lives?
Silence is also necessary to disconnect and find ourselves.
47. The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention.
When we pay attention to someone, that person feels valued.
48. In true love, there is no pride.
Because both are equal and no one is superior to the other.
49. Without understanding there can be no love.
We cannot be in a relationship where we are not appreciated.
50. If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only us but the whole world will benefit from it. This is the most basic way to work for peace.
We all have the right to have the same opportunities.
51. If we are uprooted from society, we will not be able to transform it into a more bearable place for us and our children.
It is impossible to change society if we disconnect from it.
52. We should live every day like people who have just been rescued from the moon.
That is, learning to value our mother earth.
53. We are here to wake up from the illusion that we are separate.
Many people insist on creating barriers, when we can all be united for many reasons.
54. The practice of concentration allows us to become real people.
It prevents us from straying into wanting to be someone else.
55. The past keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future.
It never lets us enjoy and live in the present.
56. Smiling is very important. If we are not able to smile, then the world will not have peace.
A better world is where everyone can be happy.
57. Usually when we hear or read something new, we only compare it with our ideas. If it is the same we accept it and say it is correct. If it is not, we say it is incorrect. In any case, we learned nothing.
A closed mind only belongs to an ignorant person.
58. Whenever anger arises, take out a mirror and look at yourself. When you are angry you are not very beautiful.
Anger makes us do things we later regret.
59. People sacrifice the present for the future. But life is only available in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that each step takes us to the here and now.
The importance of living in today.
60. Anger is like a storm that comes from the depths of your consciousness. When you feel it coming, return your attention to your breathing.
It is better to calm down and then act, than to do something reckless in the heat of the moment.
61. In our daily lives we are constantly running. We do not have the ability or the opportunity to stop and deeply observe the life we lead, but we have to do so, in order to understand it.
It is easy to lose our way if we are not focused on it.
62. When we recognize the virtues, the talent, the beauty of Mother Earth, something is born in us, some kind of connection.
Acceptance and the need to take care of our environment.
63. Freedom is not given to us by anyone; we have to cultivate it ourselves. It is a daily practice.
True freedom comes from within.
64. At any moment you have a choice that brings you closer to your spirit or distances you from it.
Only you decide which option to take.
65. It is not through demonstrations against atomic bombs that we can achieve peace. It is with our ability to smile, breathe, and peace that we can achieve with that attitude.
The true way to achieve a peaceful world.
66. If we can understand our fears, we can realize that right now we are okay.
Fear is always present, but it should not stop us from living our lives.
67. When we are real people we see the other real people around us and life takes on all its richness.
Only when we appreciate ourselves can we love another person.
68. When the door of communication is opened, anything is possible. So we must practice opening ourselves to others to reestablish communication with them.
Communication is essential to have positive relationships.
69. It is possible to live happily in the here and now. Many conditions of happiness are available.
The problem is that some are so focused on what they can’t have or change that they forget to live.
70. When we devote our attention to those we love, they shine like flowers.
It is the greatest gesture of love we can offer.
71. Meditating with conscious breathing is leading the body and mind back to the present moment so that you do not miss your appointment with life.
The importance of meditation.
72. People give a lot of importance to negative things, which is wrong… Why not try to see the positive things, to achieve what you want to do?
Seeing only the negative takes us further away from looking for the light at the end of the tunnel.
73. If you love someone but are rarely available to him or her, that is not true love.
Love needs the presence of both people for it to grow.
74. The seed of suffering can be strong, but do not wait for the suffering to stop to allow yourself to be happy.
There will always be suffering, but we can choose to be happy despite it.
75. By meditating we do not distance ourselves from society, we do not escape from it, but on the contrary, we prepare to properly reintegrate into it.
It’s a time to get on track.
76. No one can prevent you from being aware of every step you take.
When you become aware of your actions, you are able to solve any problem.
77. Often our greatest fear is the knowledge that one day our bodies will cease to function. Therefore, when we are surrounded by all the conditions for happiness, our joy is not complete.
The consequences of the fear of death.
78. My actions are my only true experiences
It is our actions that build the path we travel.
79. Understanding is the liberating factor, it is what frees us and allows transformation to occur. This is the practice of caring for anger.
A call to understand our own emotions.
80. Some people are consumed by memories and thoughts of the past. Their grief, their sorrow and their regrets condemn them to imprison their lives in a painful past. They cannot live in the present moment as free people.
What happens when we allow ourselves to be swept away by suffering before we let it go.
81. The best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment.
To have a better future, we must cultivate our today.
82. If we think that tomorrow will be better, we can endure today’s difficulties.
By having a better perspective, the charges lose their strength.
83. Many people are alive, but they do not feel the miracle of being alive.
They are more focused on consumerism or regretting what they don’t have.
84. If we still hold on to anything in our hearts – anger, anxiety or possessions – we cannot be free.
Those negative feelings only build up until they explode inside.
85. We need someone who is able to listen to us and understand us. So, we suffer less.
When we have someone to vent with, the burdens reduce their weight.
86. We need enlightenment, not only individual, but collective to save the planet.
The actions that count the most are collective ones.
87. Do not harm any human, animal, plant or mineral.
Remember to treat others how you like to be treated.
88. It is wonderful to be alive and enjoy the earth.
That feeling of peace and happiness that travel gives us is largely thanks to the landscape.
89. The only way to alleviate our fear and be truly happy is to recognize our fear and think deeply about its origin.
Once we do that we can defeat any fear.
90. Art is the essence of life, and the substance of art is mindfulness.
Art is important to nourish the soul.
91. If we are not united in peace, if we do not practice responsible consumption, we will not be able to save our planet.
The planet needs a change in consumer perspective.
92. When a person is full of anger, it is because they are suffering a lot.
Pain leads us to develop other dangerous emotions.
93. If I had to choose between Buddhism and peace, I would choose peace.
Peace is above any belief.
94. You are the miracle and everything you touch can turn into a miracle.
We have the ability to create our own miracles.
95. With every step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower opens.
Opportunity is around any corner.
96. I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that I am given to live.
Enjoying life is the reason to live.
97. We have negative seeds inside us, the element of mud, if we know how to accept it, we accept ourselves. The lotus flower does not need to get rid of the mud. Without mud, I would die.
We cannot be complete without experiencing the bad moments.
98. The absence of fear is not only possible, it is the ultimate joy. When you touch the absence of fear, you are free.
You are free when you prevent fear from controlling you.
99. Many people think that excitement is happiness, but when you are excited you are not at peace.
Peace is in tranquility.
100. When you stop complaining, your soul will be refreshed. When you stop crying, your eyes will light up.
First let off steam to refocus.
101. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.
You owe everything to yourself and nothing to others.
102. When another person makes us suffer it is because he also suffers deeply within himself and his suffering spills out. He doesn’t need punishment, he needs help.
Pain is like a vicious cycle that needs to be broken to be eliminated.
103. Your happiness and suffering depend on the happiness and suffering of others.
A peaceful life is impossible if you hurt others.
104. The problem is seeing reality as it is.
Reality is made up of many factors.
105. Our own life has to be our message.
What kind of message do you want to leave?
106. Because you are alive, anything is possible.
As long as you work for it.
107. Because of your smile you make your life more beautiful.
Bloom when you seek happiness.
108. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
Sooner or later we have to be held accountable.
109. We should not judge ourselves or others. We just need to practice acceptance and thus progress without struggle.
Judging is an overrated act that generates more damage than solutions.
110. Instead of trying to escape our fear, we can invite it into our consciousness and examine it clearly and deeply.
By understanding our fears, we can understand what is holding us back.
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