Category: Inspirational Quotes

“It’s that you are disliked by someone. It is proof that you are exercising your freedom and living in freedom, and a sign that you are living in accordance with your own principles.” ― Ichiro Kishimi, The Courage To Be Disliked 

“The function of mindfulness is, first, to recognize the suffering and then to take care of the suffering. The work of mindfulness is first to recognize the suffering and second to embrace it. A mother taking care of a crying baby naturally will take the child into her arms without suppressing, judging it, or ignoring the crying. Mindfulness is like that mother, recognizing and embracing suffering without judgement.” –Thích Nhất Hạnh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering 

“Everyone knows we need to have mud for lotuses to grow. The mud doesn’t smell so good, but the lotus flower smells very good. If you don’t have mud, the lotus won’t manifest. You can’t grow lotus flowers on marble. Without mud, there can be no lotus.” ― Thích Nhất Hạnh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering 

“If you can recognize and accept your pain without running away from it, you will discover that although pain is there, joy can also be there at the same time. Some” ― Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering 

“If you know how to make good use of the mud, you can grow beautiful lotuses. If you know how to make good use of suffering, you can produce happiness. We do need some suffering to make happiness possible. And most of us have enough suffering inside and around us to be able to do that. We don’t have to create more.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering 

“We can condition our bodies and minds to happiness with the five practices of letting go, inviting positive seeds, mindfulness, concentration, and insight.” ― Thích Nhất Hạnh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering 

“We ruminate on suffering, regret, and sorrow. We chew on them, swallow them, bring them back up, and eat them again and again. If we’re feeding our suffering while we’re walking, working, eating, or talking, we are making ourselves victims of the ghosts of the past, of the future, or our worries in the present. We’re not living our lives.” ― Thích Nhất Hạnh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering 

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry