Thich Nhat Hanh citations

Page 3

“Le miracle c'est de marcher sur la terre.”

“I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given me to live.”

“The source of love is deep in us and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another person’s suffering and bring that person joy.”

“When you say something really unkind, when you do something in retaliation your anger increases. You make the other person suffer, and he will try hard to say or to do something back to get relief from his suffering. That is how conflict escalates.”

“When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.”

“Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos — the trees, the clouds, everything.”

“The wave does not need to die to become water. She is already water.”

“I have noticed that people are dealing too much with the negative, with what is wrong…. Why not try the other way, to look into the patient and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?”

“Usually when we hear or read something new, we just compare it to our own ideas. If it is the same, we accept it and say that it is correct. If it is not, we say it is incorrect. In either case, we learn nothing.”

“If you suffer and make your loved ones suffer, there is nothing that can justify your desire.”

“Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.”

“My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.”

“The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”

“It is my conviction that there is no way to peace - peace is the way.”

“When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight.”

“If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it.”

“Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible.”

“The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.”

“In true love, you attain freedom.”

“If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love.”

“Root out the violence in your life, and learn to live compassionately and mindfully. Seek peace. When you have peace within, real peace with others is possible.”

“The true miracle is not walking on water or walking in air, but simply walking on this earth.”

“We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize.”

“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.”

“Some people live as though they are already dead. There are people moving around us who are consumed by their past, terrified of their future, and stuck in their anger and jealousy. They are not alive; they are just walking corpses.”

“At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it.”

“If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything.”

“Attachment to views is the greatest impediment to the spiritual path.”

“Until there is peace between religions, there can be no peace in the world.”

“To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.”