The Dalai Lama Quotes

#1. A good model of how to 'work with the enemy' internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet.

Alice Walker

#2. The Dalai Lama took the Archbishop's hand, and then they were more eight than eighty, laughing and making jokes together as they strolled toward the terminal, yellow umbrella sheltering above them. Even

Dalai Lama XIV

#3. The book is a dialogue between The Dalai Lama and a group of scientists about how we can better handle our destructive emotions and how to overcome them.

Daniel Goleman

#4. Are there any celebs I'd like to meet? I'd love to meet the Dalai Lama.

Martin Shaw

#5. Spiritual practice should not be confused with grim duty. It is the laughter of the Dalai Lama and the wonder born with every child.

Jack Kornfield

#6. Often when we think of exile we think of destruction or loss. But the Dalai Lama always says exile is reality, it's something we can make use of, and he has used it to get rid of everything that he thought was stifling and old, and to create a new, improved and much healthier Tibet.

Pico Iyer

#7. What the Dalai Lama had to resolve was whether to stay in Tibet or leave. He wanted to stay, but staying would have meant the total destruction of Tibet, because he would have died and that would have ripped the heart out of his people.

Martin Scorsese

#8. The Dalai Lama said that he thinks mother's love is the best symbol for love and compassion, because it is totally disinterested.

Richard Gere

#9. I totally disagree with the view that the Tibet struggle will die, and there will be no hope for Tibet, after the Dalai Lama passes away.

Dalai Lama

#10. The Dalai Lama visited the White House and told the President that he could teach him to find a higher state of consciousness. Then after talking to Bush for a few minutes, he said, 'You know what? Let's just grab lunch.'

Bill Maher

#11. I don't like the antagonism that most religions have for science, and freedom and, frankly, individuality. I do like the Dalai Lama.

George Meyer

#12. Gandhi or Bishop Tutu or the Dalai Lama. I think they're really embodiments of what we aspire to and, by keeping them in our heads, we're reminding ourselves of who we could be. That's what we're hoping to climb up towards.

Pico Iyer

#13. His Holiness [the Dalai Lama] has told me, urgently and repeatedly, that he thinks my photographs are crap. His exact words were, 'These photos are of poor quality. Why is there no sharp focus? There is no clarity!' I said, 'But your Holiness, it's Goyaesque.' And he said, 'No! It's out of focus!'

Richard Gere

#14. The Dalai Lama. He is a very wise man of great inner peace who believes that happiness is the purpose of our lives. Through his teachings and leadership, he continues to make this world a better place in which to live.

Sidney Sheldon

#15. Now he's far away, floating in the clouds, playing Scrabble with the Dalai Lama, but wouldn't you know it, all the tiles are in Tibetan.

Neal Shusterman

#16. The Dalai Lama is rumored to have said that being able to have sex without any attachment would take the level of attainment of being able to eat either chocolate cake or dog shit without any preference between the two.

Noah Levine

#17. I became the Dalai Lama not on a volunteer basis.

Dalai Lama

#18. The enemy is a very good teacher. - the Dalai Lama

Steven Pressfield

#19. I do not respect the Dalai Lama. He's a political power broker. The Dalai Lama is not honorable to me.

Ashin Wirathu

#20. Floating down the river, I could not keep my eyes off the Potala; I knew the Dalai Lama was on the roof looking at me through his telescope. On

Heinrich Harrer

#21. The purpose of religion is to control yourself, not to criticize others. How much am I doing about my anger, attachment, hatred, pride, and jealousy? These are the things we must check in our daily lives." - HIS HOLINESS, THE DALAI LAMA

Haemin Sunim

#22. The Dalai Lama, these days, encourages Westerners not to take up Buddhism, partly because he feels that our roots are deep in other traditions, and we should go deeper into our own traditions rather than just acquiring the surfaces of others.

Pico Iyer

#23. Maybe the Dalai Lama is the only person who is totally honest, and even with him, he's skillful not to hurt anybody. He's skillful.

Richard Gere

#24. I loved reading the Dalai Lama's words: "My religion is loving-kindness." I realized that meant loving-kindness to everyone in my life: past, present, and future; and that meant loving-kindness to myself
in my pain, in my jealousy, in my fear.

Elizabeth Kim

#25. The Dalai Lama should not be partisan either, should remain above.

Dalai Lama

#26. The world will be saved by the western woman" - The Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama XIV

#27. Walking down the street with a portrait of the Dalai Lama will get one immediately arrested in most parts of China. Tiny medallions are routinely confiscated and destroyed.

Barbara Demick

#28. When asked about his apparent lack of anger toward the Chinese by an incredulous reporter at the time he won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama replied something to the effect that: They have taken everything from us; should I let them take my mind as well?

Jon Kabat-Zinn

#29. The Tibetan people will need to determine who the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama is.

Dalai Lama

#30. The Dalai Lama acknowledges that he's met Westerners who to some extent are clearly Easterners at heart, and he would never want them not to become Buddhists just because they happened to be born in California.

Pico Iyer

#31. Even under Apple founder Steve Jobs, the company did emphasize values. Remember the Think Different ad campaign that used pictures of the Dalai Lama, Amelia Earhart, Mahatma Gandhi? But Jobs focused on the integrity of Apple's products.

Laura Sydell

#32. I also saw the Dalai Lama a few times.

Martin Scorsese

#33. For all of us with consciousness" - the Dalai Lama returned to his seat - "our life is very precious. Therefore, we need to protect all sentient beings very much. Also, we must recognize that we share the same two basic wishes: the wish to enjoy happiness and the wish to avoid suffering." These

David Michie

#34. The Dalai Lama was once asked for his favorite chant, and he said it was better not to have a favorite anything, which I think is a great thought.

Jeremy Piven

#35. What people want to read often seems incongruous. A pair of biker-types taking away Thoughts of the Dalai Lama. People without access to instruments requesting sheet music. Aspiring poets sharing their work and then borrowing horror stories.

Alan Bennett

#36. Overslept and had to race to get a life to Jas's with my dad. No time for yoga or makeup. Oh well, I'll start tomorrow. God alone knows how the Dalai Lama copes on a daily basis. He must get up at dawn. Actually, I read somewhere that he does get up at dawn.

Louise Rennison

#37. The Dalai Lama has warned: 'Too many people have the Dharma only on their lips. Instead of using the Dharma to destroy their own negative thoughts, they regard the Dharma as a possession and themselves as the owner.

Sogyal Rinpoche

#38. So now," the Dalai Lama concluded, "in quantum physics, they also have a similar view. Any objective thing does not really exist. There is nothing ultimately we can find. This is similar to analytical meditation." The

Dalai Lama XIV

#39. Hundreds of political prisoners still suffer in Tibetan prisons. Freedom of speech is not allowed in any sense. It is illegal to possess a photo of the Dalai Lama.

Joanna Lumley

#40. The Dalai Lama once said that 'If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change!' This is a great thought! And great thoughts belong to great men only!

Mehmet Murat Ildan

#41. I give great thanks to God that he has created a Dalai Lama. Do you really think, as some have argued, that God will be saying: 'You know, that guy, the Dalai Lama, is not bad. What a pity he's not a Christian'? I don't think that is the case - because, you see, God is not a Christian.

Desmond Tutu

#42. The Dalai Lama would say that meditation is something that can help everyone. But he's aware that it can be misused or things can go wrong.

Pico Iyer

#43. The Dalai Lama challenged me - he said, 'Why can't you use technological tools to study kindness and compassion?

Richard Davidson

#44. [The Dalai Lama ] says Western traditions can teach Tibetans a lot about social action, and he thinks some Christians are very good at that.

Pico Iyer

#45. I heard about the Dalai Lama, you know and I thought to myself, why not me?

Zach Braff

#46. Most of us who have been lucky enough to hear, read and see the Dalai Lama, often come away thinking, "What a kind, inspiring and golden human being!" That is true, but I think it does him an injustice.

Pico Iyer

#47. As the spiritual leader of six million people, the Dalai Lama can be credited with a significant renunciation of the authority of tradition - of the conventional politics of national self-interest as well as of religion.

Pankaj Mishra

#48. One of the things that people sense is that you are not doing this for self-glorification, you are doing it for the sake of others. The Dalai Lama has been in exile for so many years, yet the Chinese are running scared of him.

Desmond Tutu

#49. I think of the Dalai Lama as a doctor of the mind offering medicine and specific counsel and cures in the way a great doctor would.

Pico Iyer

#50. FOLLOW YOUR HEART
for your heart will always know the answer. but if it tells you to strangle kittens or something then DON'T follow it anymore.I mean it's just a heart, right? It's not the Dalai lama.

Edward Monkton

#51. He [The Dalai Lama] has made it his mission to say, "We can't afford to squabble over minor differences, we have to concentrate on what we have in common, our common mission, our common culture - and indeed what we have in common with the rest of the world."

Pico Iyer

#52. People are surprised at how down-to-earth I am. I like to stay home on Friday nights and listen to 'The Art of Happiness' by the Dalai Lama.

Carmen Electra

#53. A lot of people believe that when you are Buddhist, you are the Dalai Lama. I'm certainly not.

Eric Ripert

#54. Since 2009, 140 Tibetans have immolated themselves to protest Chinese policies that limit their freedom of movement, speech and religion, especially their right to venerate the Dalai Lama.

Barbara Demick

#55. If the Dalai Lama joins one party, then that makes it hard for the system to work.

Dalai Lama

#56. The Dalai Lama is just a temporal leader of Tibet.

Dalai Lama

#57. I've tended to lean more toward the Dalai Lama and people like Russell Means who have been my political and spiritual North Stars, but I certainly regard Nelson Mandela with great respect and humility.

Ian Astbury

#58. Buddha's teaching are very simple, you don't have to break your head to understand the message. The part that I like the most from Buddha's teachings and from His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, is that the most powerful weapon is to not attack, to be able to have self-control.

Ricky Martin

#59. The Dalai Lama says don't pray for peace, don't wait for peace, don't talk about peace - do it right now.

Pico Iyer

#60. The Dalai Lama says that when a Catholic and a Buddhist speak, the Buddhist becomes a deeper Buddhist and the Catholic becomes a deeper Catholic.

Pico Iyer

#61. On one occasion, in the middle of an intimate talk, Mao leaned over and whispered in the Dalai Lama's ear, "I understand you very well, but of course religion is poison.

John Avedon

#62. The person I love most is the Dalai Lama. China destroyed his country, yet he says that it's imperative we show love for the Chinese.

Monique Roffey

#63. You don't have to be the Dalai Lama to tell people that life's about change.

John Cleese

#64. On Apple's special store for the Chinese market, apps related to the Dalai Lama are censored, as is one containing information about the exiled Uighur dissident leader Rebiya Kadeer. Apple similarly censors apps for iPads sold in China.

Rebecca MacKinnon

#65. I've met the Dalai Lama briefly, but I would probably say my grandfather was the wisest person I ever met. He was my mother's father, an Indian, a family doctor, and very unlike me in that he was deeply religious.

Salman Rushdie

#66. The Dalai Lama's entire being is about peace and harmony, forgiveness and self-discipline. Those are qualities to be admired. I am really looking forward to meeting His Holiness.

Joe Nichols

#67. According to the Archbishop and the Dalai Lama, when we see how little we really need - love and connection - then all the getting and grasping that we thought was so essential to our well-being takes its rightful place and no longer becomes the focus or the obsession of our lives. We

Dalai Lama XIV

#68. If I prayed as much as I pluck, I'd be the Dalai Lama.

Kathie Lee Gifford

#69. I felt we must separate political responsibility. The Dalai Lama should not carry that burden. So that is my selfish reason - to protect the old Dalai Lama tradition. It is safer without political involvement.

Dalai Lama

#70. If some people have the belief or view that the Dalai Lama has some miracle power, that's totally nonsense. I am just one human being.

Dalai Lama

#71. Go back to the Dalai Lama. He says, I think technology has really increased human ability. But technology cannot produce compassion.

Amy Poehler

#72. The Dalai Lama can claim the sanction of the Buddha, who is said to have altered his teachings in order to reach a diverse audience.

Pankaj Mishra

#73. Performing for the Dalai Lama - those are words I never imagined coming out of my mouth.

Joe Nichols

#74. People have crossed the Himalayas in flip-flops seeking a blessing from the Dalai Lama.

Barbara Demick

#75. As human beings we have the same experience of destructive and constructive emotions. We also have a human mind capable of developing wisdom. We all have the same Buddha nature.

Dalai Lama

#76. No matter how much violence or how many bad things we have to go through, I believe that the ultimate solution to our conflicts, both internal and external, lies in returning to our basic or underlying human nature, which is gentle and compassionate.

Dalai Lama XIV

#77. To train the mind, you must exercise the patience and determination it takes to shape that steel.

Dalai Lama XIV

#78. If you can cultivate the right attitude, your enemies are your best spiritual teachers because their presence provides you with the opportunity to enhance and develop tolerance, patience and understanding.

Dalai Lama XIV

#79. The world has also learned that economic growth, by itself, cannot close the gap between rich and poor.

Dalai Lama XIV

#80. Human beings are children of the Earth. Whereas our common Mother Earth has tolerated our conduct up to now, she is showing us at present that we have reached the limits of what is tolerable.

Dalai Lama XIV

#81. Altruism is the surest and most effective way to bring about genuine life satisfaction.

Dalai Lama XIV

#82. Some people consider the practice of love and compassion is only related to religious practice and if they are not interested in religion they neglect these inner values. But love and compassion are qualities that human beings require just to live together.

Dalai Lama

#83. In this century we have made remarkable material progress, but basically we are the same as we were thousands of years ago. Our spiritual needs are still very great.

Dalai Lama

#84. When we are motivated by compassion and wisdom, the results of our actions benefit everyone, not just our individual selves or some immediate convenience. When we are able to recognize and forgive ignorant actions of the past, we gain strength to constructively solve the problems of the present.

Dalai Lama XIV

#85. World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.

Dalai Lama XIV

#86. From adversity we can learn the value of patience.

Dalai Lama

#87. Every man has the basis of good. Not only human beings, you can find it among animals and insects, for instance, when we treat a dog or horse lovingly.

Dalai Lama

#88. Samsara-our conditioned existence in the perpetual cycle of habitual tendencies and nirvana - genuine freedom from such an existence- are nothing but different manifestations of a basic continuum. So this continuity of consciousness us always present. This is the meaning of tantra.

Dalai Lama

#89. Buddhism does not accept a theory of God, or a creator. According to Buddhism, one's own actions are the creator, ultimately. Some people say that, from a certain angle, Buddhism is not a religion but rather a science of mind.

Dalai Lama

#90. Once we are able to combine a feeling of empathy for others with a profound understanding of the suffering they experience, we become able to generate genuine compassion for them. We must work at this continually.

Dalai Lama XIV

#91. Our life depends on others so much that at the root of our existence is a fundamental need for love. That is why it is good to cultivate an authentic sense of responsibility and concern for the welfare of others.

Dalai Lama

#92. Love is a simple practice yet it is very beneficial for the individual who practices it as well as for the community in which he lives, for the nation, and for the whole world

Dalai Lama

#93. I am confident that the next century will be better than this one.

Dalai Lama

#94. Always embrace the common humanity that lies at the heart of us all.

Dalai Lama

#95. Tibetans must take full authority and responsibility for developing industry, looking from all different perspectives, taking care of the environment, conserving resources for long-term economic health, and safeguarding the interests of Tibetan workers, nomads, and farmers.

Dalai Lama

#96. If you make your best effort to be kinder, nurture compassion, make the world a better place, then you can say 'At least I've done my best.

Dalai Lama

#97. We cannot overcome anger and hatred simply by suppressing them. We need to actively cultivate the antidotes: patience and tolerance.

Dalai Lama

#98. Forget the failures. Keep the lessons.

Dalai Lama

#99. Compassion can be put into practice if one recognizes the fact that every human being is a member of humanity and the human family regardless of differences in religion, culture, color and creed. Deep down there is no difference.

Dalai Lama

#100. It is ... very helpful to think of adversity not so much as a threat to our peace of mind but rather as the very means by which patience is attained.

Dalai Lama