Top 200 Daisaku Ikeda Quotes (2024 Update)
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51. “When we care for others our own strength to live increases. When we help people expand their state of life, our lives also expand. Actions to benefit others are not separate from actions to benefit oneself. Our lives and the lives of others are ultimately inseparable.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

52. “Just as cherry, plum, peach and damson blossoms all possess their own unique qualities, each person is unique. We cannot become someone else. The important thing is that we live true to ourselves and cause the great flower of our lives to blossom.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

53. “Ideal love is fostered only between two sincere, mature and independent people. Real love is not two people clinging to each other; it can only be fostered between two strong people secure in their individuality.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

54. “Prayer is the way to destroy all fear. It is the way to banish sorrow, the way to light a torch of hope. It is the revolution that rewrites the scenario of our destiny.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

55. “If we look at the world with a love of life, the world will reveal its beauty to us.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

56. “Sometimes we complain without thinking much of it, but the frightening thing about complaining is that every time we do, a cloud descends over our heart, and our hope, appreciation and joy gradually wane.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

57. “Embrace your dreams and advance as far as they can take you.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

58. “It is precisely when we have suffered defeat that we can determine to win and open the path to future victory.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

59. “No matter what kind of difficult situation one may find oneself in, some opening, some opportunity to fight one’s way out, can always be found. What’s most important is to hold fast to Hope, to face the future with courage.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

60. “Hope transforms pessimism into optimism. Hope is invincible.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

61. “What our world most requires now is the kind of education that foster love for humankind, that develops character-that provides an intellectual basis for realization of peace and empowers learners to contribute to and improve society.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

62. “When one takes action for others, one’s own suffering is transformed into the energy that can keep one moving forward; a light of hope illuminating a new tomorrow for oneself and others is kindled.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

63. “We are responsible for our own destiny. What matters is how we improve ourselves from this moment forward.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

64. “The power of art can break the shackles that bind and divide human beings.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

65. “Only when we connect to nature, engaged with nature, are we truly alive and vigorous. To really be alive, one must be under the sun, the moon, the shining stars and surrounded by the beautiful greenery and pure waters of the natural world.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

66. “No matter how complex global problems may seem, it is we ourselves who have given rise to them. They cannot be beyond our power to resolve.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

67. “Japan learned from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the tragedy wrought by nuclear weapons must never be repeated and that humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

68. “A person who respects others is respected by others in return. Those who treat others with compassion and concern are protected and supported by others. Our environment is essentially a reflection of ourselves.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

69. “Hopes, dreams, faith and a sense of mission enable us to open up our lives.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

70. “Often the biggest obstacle in meeting life’s challenges is actually our own fear of failure.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

71. “Let us join our efforts toward building the unshakable foundations for a culture of peace.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

72. “Just as a diamond can only be polished by another diamond, it is only through genuine, all-out engagement with others that people can polish their character, and help each other to reach greater heights.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

73. “The Earth never ceases to spin. All life is dancing : The trees, the wind, the sea. Keep dancing for the rest of your life.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

74. “Women are, in my view, natural peacemakers. As givers and nurturers of life, through their focus on human relationships and their engagement with the demanding work of raising children and protecting family life, they develop a deep sense of empathy that cuts through to underlying human realities.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

75. “Do something! Start something! As you make consistent efforts, you will begin to see your goals come into focus. You will discover your mission – the one only you can fulfill.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

76. “Have the depth of faith to regard everything as a source for creating happiness and value.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

77. “Humanity’s collective mission in the cosmos lies in the practice of compassion.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

78. “In life when we feel we have reached a limit, that is when the true battle begins. Just when you despair and think it is impossible to go any further, will you become apathetic, or will you say it’s not over and stand up with an unyielding spirit? The battle is decided by this single determination.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

79. “Courage and compassion are two sides of the same coin. Compassion without courage is not genuine. You may have a compassionate thought or impulse, but if you don’t do or say anything, it’s not real compassion.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

80. “A healthy vision of the future is not possible without an accurate knowledge of the past.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

81. “One’s true worth as a human being is not a matter of outward appearance or title, but derives rather from the breadth of one’s spirit. Everything comes down to faith and conviction. It is what is in one’s heart, and the substance of one’s actions that count.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

82. “Living here on Earth, we breathe the rhythms of a universe that extends infinitely above us. When resonant harmonies arise between this vast outer cosmos and the inner human cosmos, poetry is born.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

83. “It is senseless to blame others or your environment for your miseries. Change begins from the moment you muster the courage to act. When you change, the environment will change. The power to change the world is found nowhere but within our own life.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

84. “Reality is harsh. It can be cruel and ugly. Yet no matter how much we grieve over our environment and circumstances nothing will change. What is important is not to be defeated, to forge ahead bravely. If we do this, a path will open before us.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

85. “The problems of aging present an opportunity to rethink our social and personal lives in order to ensure the dignity and welfare of each individual.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

86. “By changing our inner state of mind, we can change any suffering or hardship into a source of joy, regarding it as a means for forging and developing our lives. To turn even sorrow into a source of creativity – this is the way of life of a Buddhist.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

87. “If you summon your courage to challenge something, you’ll never be left with regret. How sad it is to spend your life wishing, “If only I’d had a little more courage.” Whatever the outcome may be, the important thing is to step forward on the path that you believe is right.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

88. “Take heart, and do not let disappointment or shame stop you from moving forward. The true outcome of life is only apparent at the very end.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

89. “Music speaks directly to the heart. This response, this echo within the heart, is proof that human hearts can transcend the barriers of time and space and nationality. Exchanges in the field of culture can play an important role in enabling people to overcome mistrust and prejudice and build peace.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

90. “Life is painful. It has thorns, like the stem of a rose. Culture and art are the roses that bloom on the stem. The flower is yourself, your humanity. Art is the liberation of the humanity inside yourself.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

91. “Genuine happiness can only be achieved when we transform our way of life from the unthinking pursuit of pleasure to one committed to enriching our inner lives, when we focus on ‘being more’ rather than simply having more.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

92. “What matters is the value we’ve created in our lives, the people we’ve made happy and how much we’ve grown as people.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

93. “No matter what our personal circumstances may be, if we ourselves become a source of light, then there will be no darkness in the world.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

94. “Dig beneath your feet, there you will find a spring. The place where you are now is crucial. Never try to avoid that which you must do.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

95. “Likewise, education can direct people toward good or evil ends. When education is based on a fundamentally distorted worldview, the results are horrific.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

96. “No one can live entirely on their own, nor can any country or society exist in isolation.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

97. “There’s no need for us to be held back by the past or how things have been so far. The important thing is what seeds we are sowing now for the future.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

98. “Strength is Happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose. But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact of your continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

99. “People can only live fully by helping others to live. When you give life to friends you truly live. Cultures can only realize their further richness by honoring other traditions. And only by respecting natural life can humanity continue to exist.”

— Daisaku Ikeda

100. “The course of our lives is determined by how we react – what we decide and what we do – at the darkest of times. The nature of that response determines a person’s true worth and greatness.”

— Daisaku Ikeda