Home / Authors / Gautama Buddha

Gautama Buddha

Gautama Buddha Quotes

Founding Figure

Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama or the Buddha, was a spiritual leader and the founder of Buddhism. Born in the 6th century BC in the region of Lumbini, Nepal, he renounced his princely life to seek enlightenment. His teachings, emphasizing the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, have profoundly influenced the lives of millions around the world.

Filter quotes by topic

All Buddhist Mind Ifs Men Buddhism Wise Way World Suffering Meditation

Famous Gautama Buddha Quotes

“Come, live with the doors of the senses guarded, diligent and mindful, vigilant and mindful, with the ways of the mind well watched, possessed of a mind that is awake and observing.”

Way Mind Wells Doors Senses Buddhist Awake Possessed Observing Guarded Diligent Vigilant

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Of what I know, I have told you only a little. Why have I not told you the rest? Because it would not lead you to Nirvana.”

Knows Littles Buddhist

Author:Gautama Buddha

“One who is wise and disciplined, always kind and intelligent, humble and free from pride. One like this will be praised.”

Kind Wise Pride Intelligent Humble Buddhist

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Rising early and scorning laziness, remaining calm in time of strife, faultless in conduct and clever in actions. One like this will be praised.”

Action Calm Clever Buddhist Rising Laziness Strife Remaining Calm

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Being able to make friends and keep them, welcoming others and sharing with them, a guide, philosopher and friend. One like this will be praised.”

Able Philosopher Guides Welcome Buddhist

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Being generous and kindly in speech, doing a good turn for others, and treating all alike. One like this will be praised.”

Turns Speech Buddhist Generous Being Generous

Author:Gautama Buddha

“There is only one time when it is essential to awaken. That time is now.”

Life Inspirational Spirituality Positive Essentials Buddhist One Time

Author:Gautama Buddha

“If it is not truthful and not helpful, don't say it. If it is truthful and not helpful, don't say it. If it is not truthful and helpful, don't say it. If it is truthful and helpful, wait for the right time.”

Ifs Waiting Buddhist Helpful Truthful Right Time

Author:Gautama Buddha

“What is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this world, where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What's the proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?”

People Men World Persons Inspiring Pieces Wise This World Buddhism Behavior Buddhist Appropriate Midst Flood Calamity Clinging Housework Debris Salutations Appropriate Behavior

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Love is a gift of one's inner most soul to another so both can be whole.”

Soul Whole Love Is Flower Buddhist Valentine's Day Sweet Love

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Love the whole world as a mother loves her only child.”

World Children Whole Mother Whole World Buddhist Only Child Mother Love

Author:Gautama Buddha

“The eating of meat extinguishes the seed of Great Kindness.”

Compassion Kindness Eating Seeds Buddhist Meat Vegetarian Vegan Animal Rights Vegetarianism Animal Compassion Eating Meat Meat Eating

Author:Gautama Buddha

“One is not a great one because one defeats or harms other living beings. One is so called because one refrains from defeating or harming other living beings.”

Defeat Harm Buddhist Refrain Great Ones Harming Others

Author:Gautama Buddha

“If a man can control his body and mind and thereby refrains from eating animal flesh and wearing animal products, I say he will really be liberated.”

Ifs Men Mind Body Animal Products Eating Flesh Buddhist Mind And Body Vegetarianism Liberated Refrain Eating Animals

Author:Gautama Buddha

“For innumerable reasons, Mahamati, the Bodhisattva, whose nature is compassion, is not to eat any meat.”

Reason Compassion Buddhist Meat Vegetarianism Bodhisattva

Author:Gautama Buddha

“For fear of causing terror to living beings, Mahamati, let the Bodhisattva who is disciplining himself to attain compassion, refrain from eating flesh.”

Compassion Eating Terror Flesh Buddhist Vegetarianism Refrain Eating Meat Bodhisattva

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Meat is not agreeable to the wise: it has a nauseating odor, it causes a bad reputation, it is food for the carnivorous; I say this, Mahamati, it is not to be eaten.”

Causes Wise Reputation Buddhist Meat Odor Bad Reputation

Author:Gautama Buddha

“From eating meat arrogance is born, from arrogance erroneous imaginations issue, and from imagination is born greed; and for this reason refrain from eating meat.”

Reason Born Imagination Issues Eating Greed Buddhist Meat Arrogance Refrain Eating Meat

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Meat-eating is condemned by the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Sravakas; if one devours meat out of shamelessness he will always be devoid of sense.”

Ifs Eating Buddhist Meat Meat Eating Bodhisattva

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Therefore, do not eat meat which will cause terror among people, because it hinders the truth of emancipation; not to eat meat? this is the mark of the wise.”

People Causes Wise Mark Terror Buddhist Meat Emancipation Hinder

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Ennui has made more gamblers than avarice, more drunkards than thirst, and perhaps as many suicides as despair.”

Made Blessing Despair Suicide Buddhist Boredom Cynical Thirst Avarice Drunkards Ennui

Author:Gautama Buddha

“The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage! Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in themselves, but they are like heat haze.”

World Dream Reality Distance Treasure Buddhist Heat Mirages Siddhartha Haze Alluring Real Buddhist

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.”

Water Enlightenment Woods Buddhist Enlightened Chakra Chopping Zen Proverb Zen Life Enlightenment And Love Chopping Wood Withered Tree

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Love is a fleeting emotion, to reach true nirvana one must know themselves and forsake love, for it breeds contempt”

Knows Love Is Emotion Buddhist Contempt Fleeting Forsake

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Good men and bad men differ radically. Bad men never appreciate kindness shown them, but wise men appreciate and are grateful. Wise men try to express their appreciation and gratitude by some return of kindness, not only to their benefactor, but to everyone else”

Men Trying Humanity Kindness Wise Return Gratitude Appreciate Grateful Appreciation Good Man Bad Man Gratitude And Appreciation Benefactors Wise Buddhist Real Buddhist Inspirational Buddhist

Author:Gautama Buddha

“We must be diligent today. To wait until tomorrow is too late. Death comes unexpectedly. How can we bargain with it?”

Today Death Waiting Dying Buddhism Tomorrow Late Too Late Procrastination Bargains Diligent

Author:Gautama Buddha

“The man who wears the yellow-dyed robe but is not free from stains himself, without self-restraint and integrity, is unworthy of the robe.”

Men Self He Man Integrity Buddhist Yellow Restraint Unworthy Stains Robes Self Restraint

Author:Gautama Buddha

“In the same way that rain breaks into a house with a bad roof, desire breaks into the mind that has not been practising meditation.”

Way Mind Desire House Break Meditation Rain Buddhist Roof

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Attention leads to immortality. Carelessness leads to death. Those who pay attention will not die, while the careless are as good as dead already.”

Dies Pay Attention Buddhist Pay Attention Immortality Careless Carelessness

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Foolish, ignorant people indulge in careless lives, whereas a clever man guards his attention as his most precious possession.”

People Men Attention Possession Foolish Clever Ignorant Buddhist Indulge Careless Indulge In Clever Man Ignorant People Precious Possessions

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Don't indulge in careless behaviour. Don't be the friend of sensual pleasures. He who meditates attentively attains abundant joy.”

Joy Pleasure Buddhist Sensual Behaviour Indulge Careless Indulge In Sensual Pleasure

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Careful amidst the careless, amongst the sleeping wide-awake, the intelligent man leaves them all behind, like a race-horse does a mere hack.”

Men Doe Sleep Race Behinds Horse Intelligent Mere Careful Wide Buddhist Awake Careless Hacks Intelligent Man Wide Awake Race Horses

Author:Gautama Buddha

“With his mind free from the inflow of thoughts and from restlessness, by abandoning both good and evil, an alert man knows no fear.”

Knows Men Mind Evil Buddhist Good And Evil No Fear Restlessness Mind Free

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.”

Men Mind Doe Death Sleep Dying Flower Busy Buddhist Carrie Village Flood Picking Flowers

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Like a fine flower, beautiful to look at but without scent, fine words are fruitless in a man who does not act in accordance with them.”

Men Looks Doe Beautiful Flower Fine Buddhist Scent Fine Words

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Just as one can make a lot of garlands from a heap of flowers, so man, subject to birth and death as he is, should make himself a lot of good karma.”

Men Should Subjects Flower Birth Karma Buddhist Birth And Death Garlands Good Karma

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Sandalwood, tagara, lotus, jasmine - the fragrance of virtue is unrivalled by such kinds of perfume.”

Kind Virtue Buddhist Perfume Fragrance Lotuses Jasmine Sandalwood

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Long is the night for the sleepless. Long is the road for the weary. Long is samsara (the cycle of continued rebirth) for the foolish, who have not recognised the true teaching.”

Long Night Teaching Foolish Buddhist Cycles Weary Rebirth Samsara

Author:Gautama Buddha

“'I've got children', 'I've got wealth.' This is the way a fool brings suffering on himself. He does not even own himself, so how can he have children or wealth?”

Way Children Doe Suffering Wealth Fool Buddhist

Author:Gautama Buddha

“A fool who recognises his own ignorance is thereby in fact a wise man, but a fool who considers himself wise - that is what one really calls a fool.”

Men Facts Wise Ignorance Fool Buddhist Recognise

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Even if a fool lived with a wise man all his life, he would still not recognise the truth, like a wooden spoon cannot recognise the flavour of the soup.”

Ifs Men Stills Wise Fool Buddhist Soup Recognise Spoons Flavour Wooden Spoons

Author:Gautama Buddha

“A fool thinks it like honey so long as the bad deed does not bear fruit, but when it does bear fruit he experiences suffering.”

Thinking Long Doe Suffering Fool Bears Fruit Deeds Buddhist Honey

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Like fresh milk a bad deed does not turn at once. It follows a fool scorching him like a smouldering fire.”

Doe Turns Fire Fool Deeds Buddhist Milk Scorching

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Few are those among men who have crossed over to the other shore, while the rest of mankind runs along the bank. However those who follow the principles of the well-taught Truth will cross over to the other shore, out of the dominion of Death, hard though it is to escape.”

Men Wells Hard Running Principles Mankind Taught Crosses Buddhist Shore Dominion

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Journey over, sorrowless, freed in every way, and with all bonds broken - for such a man there is no more distress.”

Men Way Journey Broken Buddhist Distress

Author:Gautama Buddha

“The recollected go forth to lives of renunciation. They take no pleasure in a fixed abode. Like wild swans abandoning a pool, they leave one resting place after another.”

Pleasure Buddhist Fixed Pool Renunciation Swans Abode

Author:Gautama Buddha

“He whose inflowing thoughts are dried up, who is unattached to food, whose dwelling place is an empty and imageless release - the way of such a person is hard to follow, like the path of birds through the sky.”

Way Persons Hard Path Sky Bird Empty Release Buddhist Dwelling Dwelling Place

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Neither my life of luxury in the palace -nor- my life as ascetic in the forest were ways to enlightenment.”

Way Enlightenment Forests Luxury Buddhist Palaces

Author:Gautama Buddha

“Pay no attention to the faults of others, things done or left undone by others. Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone.”

Done Left Pay Attention Buddhism Faults Oneself Helping Others Buddhist Things Done Undone Spiritual Buddhist

Author:Gautama Buddha

“My whole life, I never spoke a single-word.”

Whole Whole Life Buddhist Spokes Single Word

Author:Gautama Buddha

About the Author

Born: 567 BC
Died: 484 BC
Known for: Founding Figure
Quotes: 1183

Related Topics

Buddhist Mind Ifs Men Buddhism Wise Way World Suffering Meditation

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

The DhammapadaRelated source material

Zen DogsRelated source material

Zen KittensRelated source material

Zen Puppies: Meditations for the Wise Minds of Puppy LoversRelated source material

The Lotus SutraRelated source material

DhammapadaRelated source material

Sayings of BuddhaRelated source material

The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima NikayaRelated source material

The splendour of enlightenment (sambodhipabhāsakathā: a life of the BuddhaRelated source material

Similar Authors

Tsem TulkuBrowse related quotes
Thubten Zopa RinpocheBrowse related quotes
Norm PhelpsBrowse related quotes
MilarepaBrowse related quotes
Bodo BalsysBrowse related quotes
Dalai LamaBrowse related quotes
Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi LodroBrowse related quotes
Dhammananda BhikkhuniBrowse related quotes
Dave BrandonBrowse related quotes
Sulak SivaraksaBrowse related quotes