Top 10 Quotes by Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022) was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, and founder of the Plum Village Tradition, a school of Zen Buddhism. Renowned for his teachings on mindfulness, meditation, and peace, he authored over 100 books, including "The Miracle of Mindfulness" and "Peace Is Every Step." Exiled from Vietnam for his anti-war activism during the Vietnam War, he continued to promote nonviolence and compassion globally. Thich Nhat Hanh's emphasis on "engaged Buddhism" integrated spiritual practice with social action, and his legacy continues to inspire individuals and movements dedicated to mindfulness and peace.

Top 10 Quotes by Thich Nhat Hanh

1. "The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

2. "To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to be yourself."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

3. "In true love, there is no pride."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

4. "The most basic condition for happiness is freedom. Here we do not mean political freedom, but freedom from the mental formations of anger, despair, jealousy, and delusion... As long as these poisons are still in our heart, happiness cannot be possible."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

5. "Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

6. "Mindfulness... is the miracle which can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

7. "Where there is suffering, there is happiness."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

8. "Without suffering, there's no happiness. So we shouldn't discriminate against the mud. We have to learn how to embrace and cradle our own suffering and the suffering of the world, with a lot of tenderness."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

9. "Anxiety, the illness of our time, comes primarily from our inability to dwell in the present moment."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

10. "Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything—anger, anxiety, or possessions—we cannot be free."
— Thich Nhat Hanh