Top 500 Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes (2026 Update)
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251. “To practice nonviolence, first of all we must learn to deal peacefully with ourselves.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

252. “See that everything is impermanent and without eternal identity. See that although things are impermanent and without lasting identity, they are nonetheless wondrous.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

253. “True happiness isn’t found in success, money, fame, or power. True happiness should be found in the here and the now. With that kind of insight you can truly relax.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

254. “We are not noble by birth. We are noble only by virtue of the way we think, speak, and act.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

255. “Shouting at someone is not the way to help. If you’ve already shouted, then realize that this is one of your unskillful behaviors. Go back to your in-breath and out-breath and say, I have to repair this. Then go to the other person and apologize, and tell yourself that next time you’ll try your best to remember beforehand and act differently.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

256. “Many people still believe that we can only be happy when we have a lot of money and power. Looking around, we see many people who have plenty of money and power, but who still suffer very deeply from stress and loneliness. So power and money are not the answer. We have to educate ourselves in the art of living mindfully.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

257. “Nourish yourself every day with the wonderful things that life has to offer you. Nourish yourself in the present moment. Walk in the kingdom of God.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

258. “Throughout our life we produce energy. We say things and do things, and every thought, every word, and every act carries our signature. What we produce as thoughts, as speech, as action, continues to influence the world, and that is our continuation body. Our actions carry us into the future. We are like stars whose light energy continues to radiate across the cosmos millions of years after they become extinct.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

259. “To live in the present moment is a miracle. The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

260. “No view can ever be the truth. It is just from one point; that is why it is called a “point of view.” If we go to another point, we will see things differently and realize that our first view was not entirely right. Buddhism is not a collection of views. It is a practice to help us eliminate wrong views. The quality of our views can always be improved. From the viewpoint of ultimate reality, Right View is the absence of all views.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

261. “If we lose the present moment, we lose life.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

262. “Suffering has its beneficial aspects. It can be an excellent teacher.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

263. “Our happiness and suffering are the happiness and suffering of others.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

264. “Without suffering, you cannot grow. Without suffering, you cannot get the peace and joy you deserve.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

265. “When Jesus said, “I am the way,” He meant that to have a true relationship with God, you must practice His way.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

266. “True love is made of four elements: loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

267. “If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life. It’s so clear. Mindfulness is the energy and practice that helps you go back to the here and now so that you encounter life.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

268. “Our senses are our windows to the world, and sometimes the wind blows through them and disturbs everything within us. Some of us leave our windows open all the time, allowing the sights and sounds of the world to invade us, penetrate us, and expose our sad, troubled selves.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

269. “The wheat field needs clouds and sunshine. So in this slice of bread there is sunshine, there is cloud, there is the labor of the farmer, the joy of having flour, and the skill of the baker and then – miraculously! – there is the bread. The whole cosmos has come together so that this piece of bread can be in your hand. You don’t need to do a lot of hard work to get this insight. You only need to stop letting your mind carry you away with worrying, thinking, and planning.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

270. “When we have hatred and anger in ourselves, they rebound to all quarters. When we have peace and joy in ourselves, our peace and joy will radiate throughout the whole cosmos.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

271. “There is a saying: If a tiger comes down off his mountain and goes to the lowlands, he will be caught by humans and killed. It means if a practitioner leaves his or her Sangha, it becomes difficult to continue the practice. Taking refuge in the Sangha is not a matter of devotion. It is a matter of practice.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

272. “It’s like when you climb a ladder. When you get to the fourth rung, you may think you are on the highest step and cannot go higher, so you hold on to the fourth rung. But in fact there is a fifth rung; if you want to get to it, you have to be willing to abandon the fourth rung. Ideas and perceptions should be abandoned all the time, to make room for better ideas and truer perceptions. This is why we must always ask ourselves, “Am I sure?”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

273. “Live the actual moment. Only this actual moment is life. Don’t be attached to the future. Don’t worry about things you have to do. Don’t think about getting up or taking off to do anything. Don’t think about “departing”.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

274. “We are aware that blaming and arguing can never help us and only create a wider gap between us; that only understanding, trust, and love can help us change and grow.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

275. “Every one of us is trying to find our true home. Some of us are still searching. Our true home is inside, but it’s also in our loved ones around us. When you’re in a loving relationship, you and the other person can be a true home for each other.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

276. “While washing the dishes, you might be thinking about the tea afterwards, and so try to get them out of the way as quickly as possible in order to sit and drink tea. But that means that you are incapable of living during the time you are washing the dishes.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

277. “The object of your practice should first of all be yourself. Your love for the other, your ability to love another person, depends on your ability to love yourself.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

278. “When you have trouble sleeping, follow your breathing in and breathing out. Bring your awareness to the different parts of your body in turn, and allow them to relax.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

279. “Everyone needs a spiritual dimension in life. Without a spiritual dimension, it’s very challenging to be with the daily difficulties we all encounter.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

280. “Creating happiness is an art. Living together is an art. Even with a lot of goodwill, you can still make the other person very unhappy. Goodwill is not enough. We need to know the art of making the other person happy. Art is the essence of life. Try to be artful in your speech and actions. The substance of art is mindfulness. When you are mindful, you are more artful.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

281. “Zen Master Linji said, “The miracle is not to walk on water or fire. The miracle is to walk on the earth.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

282. “To live, we must die every instant. We must perish again and again in the storms that make life possible.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

283. “Don’t chew your worries, your fear, or your anger. If you chew your planning and your anxiety, it’s difficult to feel grateful for each piece of food. Just chew your food.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

284. “The Four Establishments of Mindfulness are the foundation of our dwelling place. Without them, our house is abandoned; no one is sweeping, dusting or tidying up. Our body becomes unkempt, or feelings full of suffering, and our mind a heap of afflictions. When we are truly home, our body, mind, and feelings will be a refuge for ourselves and others.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

285. “Being rich is an obstacle to loving. When you are rich, you want to continue to be rich, and so you end up devoting all your time, all your energy, in your daily life to stay rich.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

286. “Be in touch with what is wondrous, refreshing, and healing, both inside and around yourself.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

287. “We can walk in such a way that we arrive with each step – not walking just to get somewhere else.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

288. “Your concept or perception of reality is not reality. When you are caught in your perceptions and ideas, you lose reality.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

289. “We should live every day like people who have just been rescued from the moon.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

290. “The way we perceive the world around us depends entirely on our way of looking at it.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

291. “My actions are my only true belongings.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

292. “Flowers decompose, but knowing this does not prevent us from loving flowers. In fact, we are able to love them more because we know how to treasure them while they are still alive. If we learn to look at a flower in a way that impermanence is revealed to us, when it dies, we will not suffer. Impermanence is more than an idea. It is a practice to help us touch reality.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

293. “We will receive the fruits of any act we have done, whether wholesome or unwholesome.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

294. “He saw that living beings suffer because they do not understand that they share one common ground with all beings.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

295. “What we have is enough for us. Once we adopt that style of living, we become a happy person right away.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

296. “You have the right to pursue economic growth, but not at the expense of life.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

297. “Death is essential to making life possible. Death is transformation. Death is continuation. When we die, something else is born, even if it takes time to reveal itself or for us to be able to recognize it.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

298. “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. I cannot keep anything. I come here empty-handed, and I go empty-handed. 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

299. “You think that you’re safe when carrying your phone. But the truth is that mindfulness will do much more than a phone to protect you, to help you suffer less, and to improve your communication.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

300. “When there are wars within us, it will not be long before we are at war with others, even those we love.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh