It is not life and wealth and power that enslave men, but the cleaving to life and wealth and power.

You can only lose what you cling to.

Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.

The person who masters himself through self-control and discipline is truly undefeatable.

Live in joy and love even among those who hate; live in joy and peace even among the troubled.

So in this case, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering' - then you should abandon them.

Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.