Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes

One can overcome the forces of negative emotions, like anger and hatred, by cultivating their counter-forces, like love and compassion.

I'm much softer than people think. I don't present to the world an emotional face. I'm pretty good at self-control, but I am easily moved.

The problem is not what other people think, do or say; it is your reaction.

It is within your hands to be frustrated in life or not. Just your expectations should become smaller, smaller, smaller, and in the same proportion the frustration will become smaller. A day will come when there will be no expectation; then you will never come across any frustration.

Now you see,' said the turtle, drifting back into the pond, 'why it is useless to cry. Your tears do not wash away your sorrows. They feed someone else's joy. And that is why you must learn to swallow your own tears.

You don't have to turn this into something. It doesn't have to upset you. Things can't shape our decisions by themselves.

Don't let your feelings be a God to you.

You cannot control what happens to you in life, but you can always control what you will feel and do about what happens to you.

I learned from my parents to do my best to not react to negative emotions. I try to think about what has happened and find the lessons that can be learned from these difficult experiences. I try to deal with these negative emotions right away because, if they stay inside, they can hurt and do a lot of damage. I release them as soon as possible so I can be free.

Although anxiety is part of life, never let it control you.

Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.

I don't let the hate go to my heart, and I don't let the praise go to my head.

I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.

Failure isn't so bad if it doesn't attack the heart. Success is all right if it doesn't go to the head.

Though it is folly to suppose that happiness is a matter of volition, and that we can make ourselves content and cheerful whenever we choose - a theory that many poor hypochondriacs are taunted with till they are nigh driven mad - yet, on the other hand, no sane mind is ever left without the power of self-discipline and self-control in a measure, which measure increases in proportion as it is exercised.

We need to be aware of the suffering, but retain our clarity, calmness and strength so we can help transform the situation.

Next time you're tempted to be upset, frustrated, offended, remind yourself, it's a part of that ten percent of things in life that you can't control - but you can control how you respond.

I believe in the possibility of happiness, if one cultivates intuition and outlives the grosser passions, including optimism.

Anger is one of the most common and destructive delusions, and it afflicts our mind almost every day. To solve the problem of anger, we first need to recognize the anger within our mind, acknowledge how it harms both ourself and others, and appreciate the benefits of being patient in the face of difficulties.

I'm an emotional person. Sometimes I can't help it.

No one is free who has not obtained the empire of himself.

We are not a victim of our emotions or thoughts. We can understand our triggers and use them as tools to help us respond more objectively.

Success and failure are emotional and physiological experiences. We need to deal with them in a way that is present and calm.

Sure, I get the blues. But what I try to do, is apply joy to the blues, you know? I don't know if it's a technique, or just being bent that way, being raised by the folks I was raised by.

Learn to take responsibility for emotions, and to manage energies, always working within present resources.