This is a list of 25 powerful quotes from the Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader and head of the Tibet. These wise sayings can also be thought of as instructions for living. Scroll to the bottom of this post for a printable PDF of the quotes.
(For more quotes, see 25 Powerful Quotes About Addiction & Recovery and 25 Powerful Rumi Quotes.)
Instructions for Living from the Dalai Lama
1. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
2. Once a year, go somewhere you’ve never been before.
3. Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.
4. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
5. If there is no solution to the problem then don’t waste time worrying about it. If there is a solution to the problem then don’t waste time worrying about it.
6. We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.
7. Someone else’s action should not determine your response.
8. Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay.
9. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
10. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
11. Our prime purpose in this life is to help others, and if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.
12. Happiness is not something readymade, it comes from your own actions.
13. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
14. Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.
15. If you have to choose between being kind and being right, choose being kind and you will always be right.
16. Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.
17. Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.
18. The more honest you are, the more open, the less fear you will have, because there’s no anxiety about being exposed or revealed to others.
19. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
20. It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.
21. When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.
22. Silence is sometimes the best answer.
23. With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.
24. Never give up. No matter what is going on. Never give up.
25. Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.
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