Top 500 Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes (2024 Update)
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51. “There is no way to happiness – happiness is the way.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

52. “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.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

53. “Each moment is a chance for us to make peace with the world, to make peace possible for the world, to make happiness possible for the world.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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

— Thich Nhat Hanh

55. “Tomorrow, I will continue to be. But you will have to be very attentive to see me. I will be a flower, or a leaf. I will be in these forms and I will say hello to you. If you are attentive enough, you will recognize me, and you may greet me. I will be very happy.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

56. “Each time we practice sitting meditation, walking meditation, awareness of breathing, loving speech, deep listening, or any other mindfulness practice, our roots are growing stronger and deeper and we are gaining more solidity and strength.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

57. “Whatever the tasks, do them slowly and with ease, in mindfulness. Don’t do any task in order to get it over with. Resolve to do each job in a relaxed way, with all your attention.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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

— Thich Nhat Hanh

59. “In. Out. Deep. Slow. Calm. Ease. Smile. Release. Present moment. Wonderful moment.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

60. “It is possible to live twenty-four hours a day in a state of love. Every movement, every glance, every thought, and every word can be infused with love.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

61. “It is said that God has created man in his own image. But it may be that humankind has created God in the image of humankind.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

62. “As long as you find something beautiful, good, and true to believe in and abide by, you have the equivalent of God in your life.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

63. “The most precious inheritance that parents can give their children is their own happiness.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

64. “By eating meat we share the responsibility of climate change, the destruction of our forests, and the poisoning of our air and water. The simple act of becoming a vegetarian will make a difference in the health of our planet.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

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

— Thich Nhat Hanh

66. “The insight of interbeing helps us touch this wisdom of non-discrimination. It sets us free. We no longer want to belong just to one geographical area or cultural identity. We see the presence of the whole cosmos in us.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

67. “You are part of the universe; you are made of stars.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

68. “Do not lose yourself in the past. Do not lose yourself in the future. Do not get caught in your anger, worries, or fears. Come back to the present moment, and touch life deeply. This is mindfulness.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

69. “There is no birth and death; everything dies and renews itself all the time. When you get that kind of insight, you no longer tire yourself out with anxiety and aversion.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

70. “Being vegetarian here also means that we do not consume dairy and egg products, because they are products of the meat industry. If we stop consuming, they will stop producing. Only collective awakening can create enough determination for action.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

71. “The truth is the truth, whether or not it is accepted by the majority. Therefore, I tell you children, it takes great courage to stand up for and protect what is right.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

72. “True love is like the sun, shining with its own light, and offering that light to everyone.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

73. “Go back and take care of yourself. Your body needs you, your perceptions need you, your feeling needs you. The wounded child in you needs you. Your suffering needs you to acknowledge it.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

74. “To be truly present we have to stop our thinking. This is the secret of success.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

75. “Stress accumulates in our body. The way we eat, drink, and live takes its toll on our well-being. Lying down and bringing gentle awareness to our breath, we can realize rest and recovery for our physical body.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

76. “Calming allows us to rest, and resting is a precondition for healing.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

77. “Anxiety, the illness of our time, comes primarily from our inability to dwell in the present moment.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

78. “True love includes a sense of responsibility and accepting the other person as she is, with all her strengths and weaknesses. If you only like the best things in a person, that is not love.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

79. “Spirituality is not religion. It is a path for us to generate happiness, understanding, and love, so we can live deeply each moment of our life. Having a spiritual dimension in our lives does not mean escaping life or dwelling in a place of bliss outside this world but discovering ways to handle life’s difficulties and generate peace, joy, and happiness right where we are, on this beautiful planet.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

80. “Attachment to views, attachment to ideas, attachment to perceptions are the biggest obstacle to the truth.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

81. “Without suffering there cannot be happiness. Without mud there cannot be any lotus flowers.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

82. “The only way to ease our fear and be truly happy is to acknowledge our fear and look deeply at its source.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

83. “We need the vision of interbeing – we belong to each other; we cannot cut reality into pieces. The well-being of “this” is the well-being of “that,” so we have to do things together. Every side is “our side”; there is no evil side.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

84. “You listen not for the purpose of judging, criticizing or analyzing. You listen only to help the other person to express himself and find some relief from his suffering.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

85. “When we succeed in surviving strong emotions, we experience a more solid peace of mind.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

86. “The most effective way to show compassion to another is to listen, rather than talk. You have an opportunity to practice deep, compassionate listening. If you can listen to the other person with compassion, your listening is like a salve for her wound. In the practice of compassionate listening, you listen with only one purpose, which is to give the other person the chance to speak out and to suffer less.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

87. “Living peacefully and happily is the best way to show our gratitude and is our greatest gift for the world and the next generation.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

88. “Breathing in, I am aware of my heart. Breathing out, I smile to my heart. I vow to eat, drink, and work in ways that preserve my health and well-being.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

89. “We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

90. “To love is to recognize ; to be loved is to be recognized by the other.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

91. “Someone asked me, “Aren’t you worried about the state of the world?” I allowed myself to breathe and then I said, “What is most important is not to allow your anxiety about what happens in the world to fill your heart. If your heart is filled with anxiety, you will get sick, and you will not be able to help.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

92. “Everything depends on everything else. The One contains the many, and the many contains the One.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

93. “I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old. I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. They are the ground upon which I stand. To.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

94. “If you always sit in expectation, you’re not in the present moment. The present moment contains the whole of life.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

95. “Meditation consists of generating three kinds of energy: mindfulness, concentration, and insight. These three energies give us power to nourish happiness and take care of our suffering. Suffering may be there. But with the energy of mindfulness, concentration, and insight, we can embrace and take care of that suffering and nourish happiness at the same time.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

96. “Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

97. “Letting go takes a lot of courage sometimes. But once you let go, happiness comes very quickly. You won’t have to go around search for it.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

98. “If you nourish your hatred and your anger, you burn yourself. Understanding is the only way out. If you understand, you will suffer less, and you will know how to get to the root of injustice.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

99. “Meditation practice is also a kind of food because it nourishes us.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

100. “Self-love is the foundation for your capacity to love the other person. If you don’t take good care of yourself, if you are not happy, if you are not peaceful, you cannot make the other person happy. You cannot help the other person; you cannot love. Your capacity for loving another person depends entirely on your capacity for loving yourself, for taking care of yourself. Healing.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh