The Dhammapada Quotes

“The transcendental wisdom of the Four Noble Truths — Suffering, The cause of suffering, The prevention of suffering, And the Eightfold Path, Together lead to the end of suffering.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Understanding this, the wise find no delight Even in heavenly pleasures. The true seeker delights in saying goodbye to craving.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“To avoid all evil, To cultivate good, And to wipe your mind of wayward thoughts— This is the teaching of the Buddha. 184. The best moral practice is patience.  Turn away from harm and avoid oppressing others.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Hard it is to be born; harder yet is the life of a mortal; Harder still to hear the reality of truth, And hardest of all to become an awakened one.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Better than ruling over the earth, Better than ruling over heaven, Better than being a lord over all the world, Is the reward of taking the first step toward awakening.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“You alone choose to do evil deeds, And you must take the blame.  You alone choose not to do evil deeds, And you must take the credit.  Both good and evil come from you.  No one can make you good and no one can make you evil.  And no one but you can forgive you.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Be your own best friend, for who could be a better friend? When you have trained yourself to be your best friend, You will have a friend for life. 161. The evil that you do, born from you and arising out of you, Grinds you down as a diamond cuts a stone.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“If you love yourself, you should take good care of yourself.  The wise person stays alert During at least one of the three periods of life. 158. Only after you truly know yourself can you advise another.  To advise another, you must be free of biases.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Even the golden chariots of the king wear out, And, yes, your body also rots away. But the teaching of the eternal truth does not age; It is passed on from generation to generation.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Be like a thoroughbred horse that avoids the whip:   By constant study and spiritual awakening, By pure thoughts and acts, by mindfulness, By the search for truth, By the love of knowledge and the practice of virtue, You can avoid the whip of life.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“You can go about naked, run around with matted locks And live in filth, fasting for days, lying on the ground, Smearing yourself with ashes and dust, And squatting deeply to pray, Yet none of these will purify a mortal Who has not overcome doubt.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Those who take arms against those who are unarmed, And offend those who are inoffensive, Will soon experience one of these ten states: 138. (1) They will experience a sharp pain; (2) They will have a sudden disaster; (3) They will suffer bodily injury; (4) They will have a serious accident; (5) Or they will develop a deranged mind. 139. (6) They will get in trouble with the government; (7) They will develop huge debts; (8) They will suffer the loss of relatives; (9) They will lose much of their wealth; (10) Or their houses will be destroyed by a raging fire.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“If you silence yourself like a broken gong, You will approach nirvana, For vindictiveness will no longer be in you.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Do not speak harshly to anyone, For if you do, you may provoke a harsh response.  Indeed, angry speech hurts, And an angry response may hurt twice as much.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“If you seek happiness while violently Oppressing other beings who also seek happiness, you will never truly attain happiness.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Neither in the sky nor in the middle of the ocean Nor at the top of the highest mountain, Is there a place where you will not find death.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“A wealthy trader avoids a dangerous road. A person who wants to live avoids poison. And a person who wants to be good shuns evil.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Do not take evil lightly, saying, "A little evil is all right." Drop by drop the water pot is filled. Little by little, the fool swells with nefarious pride.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Good doers may not feel anything As long as their good deeds do not bear fruit. But when their good deeds ripen before their eyes, They feel the pleasure of their good deeds.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“If you do good, do it again.  And again. The more you do it, the more you will enjoy it, And the store of good deeds will lift you up.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“If you do evil, do not do it again. And again. The more you do it, the more you will enjoy it, And then the load of evil deeds will bring you down.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“It is better to live one day accepting death Than to live a hundred years fearing death.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“It is better to live one disciplined and purposeful day Than to live a hundred lazy and purposeless years.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“It is better to live one selfless and mindful day Than to live a hundred selfish and mindless years.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Those who devote themselves to the perfected ones Will receive these four blessings: Long life, spiritual beauty, quiet power and happiness.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“You can spend one year giving gifts and doing sacrifices To obtain worldly rewards, But that will not be worth one second of peace You can gain by devoting yourself to a perfected one.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“A second of devotion to one whose mind is perfected Is better than a hundred years of sacrifice to a god.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“103. Conquering a thousand-and-one men in battle Is not nearly as good as conquering yourself.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“Reciting a thousand meaningless verses is not as good As reciting one meaningful verse that brings peace.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha

“A thousand useless words are no match For one useful word that brings peace.”
― Gerald Schoenewolf, The Dhammapada: Teachings of Buddha