Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes

You are only a disciple because your eyes are closed. The day you open them you will see there is nothing you can learn from me or anyone.

There is no teacher, living or past, who can give us the actual understanding of Truth. A teacher can only put our feet upon the path and point the way. That is all. It is wholly dependent on the individual to make his way to Truth.

Books simply help you to see what is already within your self. That's what enlightenment is all about.

He whose book of the heart has been opened needs no other books.

Not being known doesn't stop the truth from being true. You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. Learning is finding out what we already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers and teachers. The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.

He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.

As long as you look for a Buddha somewhere else, you'll never see that your own mind is the Buddha.

Begin within. If it shows up in your life, it's coming to tell you something about you that you're acting like you don't know. Something about yourself, or your relationship with God.

When the student is ready... the lesson appears.

Sometimes I attract roles that are necessary either for personal growth or enlightenment.

One secures the gold of the spirit when he finds himself.

When I wrote Living in the Light, I wanted to share about how I live my own life and to encourage people to tap into their own inner wisdom.

Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.

When we come to understand nature, we are touching the most deep and most important parts of ourself.

The only journey is the one within.

What is it in you that brings you to a spiritual teacher in the first place? It's not the spirit in you, since that is already enlightened, and has no need to seek. No, it is the ego in you that brings you to a teacher.

Enlightenment is the key to everything, and it is the key to intimacy, because it is the goal of true authenticity.

The final goal of all human endeavor is the development of the human soul.

I think that the journey of self to truth is always kind of a gnarly one.

I'm always trying to find ways to evolve. Evolution, for me, is a very spiritual thing, getting closer to the creator, closer to God, and becoming a better version of yourself.

Jesus was a teacher, in a way. I mean, essentially, Jesus was a teacher. He was teaching people. He was helping them see themselves for what they were. He was helping them see their power, their strength, their beauty, what they're capable of.

What you are looking for is already in you...You already are everything you are seeking.

The road to enlightenment is paved with authenticity, not imitation.

Words mean little unless you realize the truth of it yourself. And when you do, you'll be free at last.

Truth is not to be found outside. No teacher, no scripture can give it to you. It is inside you and if you wish to attain it, seek your own company. Be with yourself.