Thích Nhất Hạnh Quotes

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.

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.

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.

If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love.

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.

Root out the violence in your life, and learn to live compassionately and mindfully. Seek peace. When you have peace within, real peace with others is possible.

A real love letter is made of insight, understanding, and compassion. Otherwise it's not a love letter. A true love letter can produce a transformation in the other person, and therefore in the world. But before it produces a transformation in the other person, it has to produce a transformation within us. Some letters may take the whole of our lifetime to write.

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

Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.

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

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

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

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

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

Attachment to views is the greatest impediment to the spiritual path.