Human beings are not our enemy. Our enemy is not the other person. Our enemy is the violence, ignorance, and injustice in us and in the other person. When we are armed with compassion and understanding, we fight not against other people, but against the tendency to invade, to dominate, and to exploit.

Life is filled with suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders of life. They are within us and all around us, everywhere, any time.

In order to be loved, we have to love, which means we have to understand.

Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos — the trees, the clouds, everything.

When you have a stomach ache you don't tell your stomach to go away.

The necessary condition for the existence of peace and joy is the awareness that peace and joy are available.

The teachings on love given by the Buddha are clear, scientific, and applicable... Love, compassion, joy, and equanimity are the very nature of an enlightened person. They are the four aspects of true love within ourselves and within everyone and everything.