Top 500 Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes (2024 Update)

1. “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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2. “Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

3. “Smile, breathe and go slowly.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

4. “Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

5. “Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

6. “We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

7. “Life is available only in the present moment.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

8. “Compassion is a verb.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

9. “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

10. “Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

11. “You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

12. “Our own life has to be our message.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

13. “When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That’s the message he is sending.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

14. “Only the present moment contains life.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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

— Thich Nhat Hanh

16. “Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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

— Thich Nhat Hanh

18. “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.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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

— Thich Nhat Hanh

20. “The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

21. “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

22. “Breathing in, there is only the present moment. Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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

— Thich Nhat Hanh

24. “If we do not know how to take care of ourselves and to love ourselves, we cannot take care of the people we love. Loving oneself is the foundation for loving another person.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

25. “In mindfulness one is not only restful and happy, but alert and awake. Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

26. “Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

27. “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

28. “For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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

— Thich Nhat Hanh

30. “Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

31. “I am determined to practice deep listening. I am determined to practice loving speech.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

32. “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.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

33. “The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don’t wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

34. “If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

35. “Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. Every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

36. “Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

37. “In true love, you attain freedom.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

38. “The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

39. “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.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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

— Thich Nhat Hanh

41. “There is no enlightenment outside of daily life.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

42. “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.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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

— Thich Nhat Hanh

45. “The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

46. “Our notions about happiness entrap us. We forget that they are just ideas. Our idea of happiness can prevent us from actually being happy. We fail to see the opportunity for joy that is right in front of us when we are caught in a belief that happiness should take a particular form.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

47. “In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

48. “If you love someone but rarely make yourself available to him or her, that is not true love.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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

— Thich Nhat Hanh

50. “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.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh