Listed alphabetically. Fake Quotes are first, followed by “Fake Buddha Stories,” “Fakeish Quotes” and then “Other Posts,” which don’t deal with individual quotes. Quotes I’ve been asked about that are verified can be found on another page, and we have a sister site, Real Buddha Quotes, where you’ll find other genuine quotations from the Buddhist scriptures.
Fake Quotes
Mistranslations and mis-attributions.
- “A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.”
- “A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another.”
- “A friend is someone who knows everything about your life and still loves you.”
- “A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things that renew humanity.”
- “A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.”
- “A true friend’s silence hurts more than an enemy’s rough words.”
- “Alégrate, porque todo lugar es aquí, y todo momento es ahora.”
- “All descriptions of reality are temporary hypotheses.”
- “All human unhappiness comes from not facing reality squarely, exactly as it is”
- “All things appear and disappear because of causes and conditions.”
- “All things are perfect exactly as they are.”
- “All worldlings are mad.”
- “Always love your friends from your heart and not from your needs.”
- “Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.”
- “An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”
- “An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body but an evil friend will wound your mind.”
- “As a candle cannot burn without fire, so men cannot live without a spiritual life.”
- “As rain falls equally on the just and unjust, do not burden your heart with judgments but rain your kindness equally upon all.”
- “As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise you will miss most of your life.”
- “Awake. Be the witness of your thoughts. You are what observes, not what you observe.”
- “Be kind to all creatures. This is the true religion.”
- “Be patient. Everything comes to you in the right moment.”
- “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”
- “Care about your children. Just bless them instead of worrying about them, as every child is the little Buddha who helps his parents to grow up.”
- “Change is never painful, only the resistance to change is painful.”
- “Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.”
- “Chill, Homie! You need to let that shit go!”
- “Compassion is that which makes the heart of the good move at the pain of others.”
- “Crying with the wise is better than laughing with the fool.”
- “Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it…”
- “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
- “Do not learn how to react. Learn how to respond.”
- “Don’t keep searching for the truth, just let go of your opinions.”
- “Don’t be attached to my philosophy and doctrine. Attachment to any religion is simply another form of mental illness.”
- “Don’t judge others, because you are not perfect.”
- “Doubt everything. Find your own light.”
- “Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.”
- “Ennui has made more gamblers than avarice, more drunkards than thirst, and perhaps as many suicides as despair.”
- “Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”
- “Events happen, deeds are done, but there is no individual doer thereof.”
- “Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.”
- “Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”
- “Every morning I drink from my favorite teacup. I hold it in my hands and feel the warmth of the cup from the hot liquid it contains…”
- “Every place is here and every moment is now.”
- “Everything that happens to us is the result of what we ourselves have thought, said, or done. We alone are responsible for our lives.”
- “Everything that has a beginning, has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.”
- “Follow then the shining ones, the wise, the awakened, the loving, for they know how to work and forbear.”
- “Friendship is the only cure for hatred, the only guarantee of peace.”
- “Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they are there.”
- “Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.”
- “Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are, it solely relies on what you think.”
- “Happiness is not having a lot. Happiness is giving a lot.”
- “Happiness or sorrow — whatever befalls you, walk on, untouched, unattached.”
- “Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.”
- “He is able who thinks he is able.”
- “He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.”
- “He who practises my teaching best, reveres me most.”
- “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of harming another; you end up getting burned.”
- “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
- “I am a finger pointing to the moon. Don’t look at me; look at the moon.”
- “I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.”
- “I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.”
- “I thank you. You are my masters. From you I have learned more than from all the writings of the Brahmans.”
- “If a man’s mind becomes pure, his surroundings will also become pure.”
- “If hate worked I would teach you that.”
- “If the problem can be solved why worry? If the problem cannot be solved worrying will do you no good.”
- “If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.”
- “If we are like rock and something cuts into us, it will leave its mark”
- “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.”
- “If we could understand a single flower we could understand the whole universe.”
- “If we destroy something around us we destroy ourselves. If we cheat another, we cheat ourselves.”
- “If you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the universe. You will feel its rhythm. Go with this flow. Happiness lies ahead. Meditation is key.”
- “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
- “If you do not find the solution where you stand where else shall you find it?”
- “If you find truth in any religion or philosophy, then accept that truth without prejudice.”
- “If you know both your enemy and yourself, you can win every battle without jeopardy”
- “If you let cloudy water settle it will become clear. If you let your upset mind settle, your course will also become clear”
- “If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your own path.”
- “If you propose to speak, always ask yourself, is it true, is it necessary, is it kind?”
- “If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another.”
- “If you want to draw water you do not dig six one-foot wells. You dig one six-foot well.”
- “If you want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down.”
- “If your compassion does not include yourself it is incomplete.”
- “Imagine that every person in the world is enlightened but you. They are all your teachers, each doing just the right things to help you learn perfect patience, perfect wisdom, perfect compassion.”
- “In every trial let understanding fight for you.”
- “In order to gain anything you must lose everything.”
- “In separateness lies the world’s great misery, in compassion lies the world’s true strength.”
- “In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins; not through strength, but through perseverance.”
- “In the end these things matter most: How well did you love? How fully did you live? How deeply did you let go?”
- “In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”
- “In the sky there is no distinction of east and west; people create the distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.”
- “It can be one of the hardest things in life to lose your best friend.”
- “It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.”
- “It is better to do nothing, than to do what is wrong. For whatever you do, you do to yourself.”
- “It is better to travel well than to arrive.”
- “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”
- “It is not because no one sees the truth that it becomes an error.”
- “It is not what others do or do not do that is my concern. It is what I do and do not do — that is my concern.”
- “It is possible to live happily in the present moment. It is the only moment we have.”
- “It would be true to say that loving kindness and compassion is all of our practice”
- “Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.”
- “Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.”
- “Kindness should be the natural way of life, not the exception.”
- “Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little…”
- “Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes it undrinkable. In a lake almost unnoticed.”
- “Life has no meaning in itself but it is itself an opportunity to make it meaningful.”
- “Life is a bridge. Don’t build a house on it”
- “Life is so hard, how can we be anything but kind?”
- “Life is suffering.”
- “Life looks meaningless because I am searching for meaning … If I don’t long for meaning, then what is meaningless?”
- “Look within. Be still. Free from fear and attachment, know the sweet joy of the way.”
- “Love is a gift of one’s innermost soul to another so both can be whole.”
- “Love is beauty and beauty is truth, and that is why in the beauty of a flower we can see the truth of the universe.”
- “Many people will walk in and out of your life. But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.”
- “May all that have life be delivered from suffering.”
- “Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine.”
- “Meditate. Live purely. Quiet the mind. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine.”
- “My actions are my only true belongings: I cannot escape their consequences. My actions are the ground on which I stand.”
- “My doctrine is not a doctrine but just a vision. I have not given you any set rules, I have not given you a system.”
- “Never allow yourself to envy others. For you will lose sight of the truth that way.”
- “No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.”
- “Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.”
- “Of all footprints, that of the elephant is supreme. Similarly, of all mindfulness meditation, that on death is supreme.”
- “On the long journey of human life, faith is the best of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey; and it is the greatest property.”
- “Our life is shaped by the mind; we become what we think.”
- “Our life is the creation of our mind.”
- “Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion.”
- “Our theories of the eternal are as valuable as are those which a chick which has not broken its way through its shell might form of the outside world.”
- “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”
- “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”
- “Place no head above your own.”
- “Rage is a powerful energy that with diligent practice can be transformed into fierce compassion.”
- “Real peace and happiness has to come from the heart, from within.”
- “Regardless of the shadows that cross the moon to make it appear less than it is, to the moon, it is always full. So it is with us.”
- “Remembering a wrong is like carrying a burden on the mind.”
- “Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant with the weak and wrong. Sometime in your life, you will have been all of these.”
- “Rule your mind or it will rule you”
- “She who knows life flows, feels no wear or tear, needs no mending or repair.”
- “Silence is an empty space. Space is the home of the awakened mind.”
- “Since everything is a reflection of our minds, everything can be changed by our minds.”
- “Success is not the key to happiness; happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
- “Suffering is not holding you. You are holding suffering.”
- “The conflict isn’t between good and evil but between wisdom and ignorance.”
- “The dharma that I preach can be understood only by those who know how to think.”
- “The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.”
- “The forest is a peculiar organism of unlimited kindness and benevolence…”
- “The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind. The greatest worth is self-mastery.”
- “The greatest miracle is the miracle of learning.”
- “The greatest prayer is patience.”
- “The heart is like a garden: it can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?”
- “The inclination to accept unverified opinion simply because of currency or familiarity is a dangerous human weakness that is instrumental in self-deception, and easily exploited for the deception of others.”
- “The instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.”
- “The kingdom of heaven is closer than the brow above the eye but mankind does not see it.”
- “The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play…”
- “The mind is everything. What you think, you become.”
- “The mind that perceives the limitation is the limitation”
- “The moment we are enlightened within, we go beyond the voidness of a world confronting us.”
- “The moment you know how your suffering came to be, you are already on the path of release from it.”
- “The most valuable gift you can receive is an honest friend.”
- “The no-mind not-thinks no-thoughts about no-things.”
- “The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.”
- “The only way to bring peace to the earth is to learn to make our own life peaceful.”
- “The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There’s only one moment for you to live.”
- “The price of freedom is simply choosing to be.”
- “The secret of happiness lies in the mind’s release from worldly ties.”
- “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
- “The teaching is simple. Do what is right. Be Pure.”
- “The thought manifests as the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops into habit; And habit hardens into character.”
- “The tongue like a sharp knife, kills without drawing blood.”
- “The trouble is, you think you have time.”
- “The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups. A good principle was never found solitary in any breast.”
- “The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”
- “The whole secret of existence is to have no fear.”
- “The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.”
- “There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way, and not starting.”
- “There has to be evil, so that good can prove its purity above it.”
- “There is no God. Don’t waste your time or money for him. Only this world is true. And it is the only truth.”
- “There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.”
- “There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.”
- “There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people….”
- “There is only one time when it is essential to awaken. That time is now.”
- “There is pleasure and there is bliss. Forgo the first to possess the second.”
- “There isn’t enough darkness in all the world to snuff out the light of one little candle.”
- “They are not following dharma who resort to violence to achieve their purpose”
- “Those who are awake live in a state of constant amazement.”
- “Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.”
- “Those whom summer’s heat tortures yearn for the full moon of autumn…”
- “To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.”
- “To force oneself to believe and to accept a thing without understanding is political, and not spiritual or intellectual.”
- “To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance.”
- “To those in whom love dwells, the whole world is but one family.”
- “To understand everything is to forgive everything.”
- “Todo lo que te molesta de otros seres, es solo una proyección de lo que no has resuelto en ti mismo.”
- “True love is born from understanding.”
- “Tune as the sitar neither low nor high, And we will dance away the hearts of men.”
- “Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.”
- “Until he has unconditional and unbiased love for all beings, man will not find peace.”
- “Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.”
- “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”
- “We all have monkey minds.”
- “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.”
- “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.”
- “We have to understand the middle path: That a human has a positive and a negative side. We have a false, ignorant side, but we also have a beautiful potential – Buddha nature.”
- “We’re the same as plants, trees, other people, the rain that falls. We consist of that [which] is around us, we’re the same as everything.”
- “Wear your ego like a loose fitting garment.”
- “What you are is what you have been. What you will be is what you do now.”
- “What you think you create, what you feel you attract, what you imagine you become.”
- “What’s done to the children is done to society”
- “What’s the proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?”
- “Whatever is well said is a saying of the Blessed One.”
- “Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.”
- “When someone goes wrong, it is right for his real friends to move him, even by force, to do the right thing.”
- “When the student is ready the teacher will appear.”
- “When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.”
- “When you like a flower, you just pluck it. But when you love a flower, you water it daily.”
- “When you meet your ‘soul mate’ you’ll feel calm.”
- “When you move your focus from competition to contribution life becomes a celebration. Never try to defeat people, just win their hearts.”
- “When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.”
- “Who is your enemy? Mind is your enemy. Who is your friend? Mind is your friend.”
- “With mindfulness, strive on.”
- “Without health life is not life; it is only a state of languor and suffering – an image of death.”
- “Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.”
- “Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.”
- “You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.”
- “You have no cause for anything but gratitude and joy.”
- “You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy.”
- “You only lose what you cling to.”
- “You stand at the crossroads of the path of love and the path of fear. Which do you choose to follow?”
- “You throw thorns—falling in my silence they become flowers.”
- “You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”
- “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.”
- “Your body is precious. It is your vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.”
- “Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.”
- “Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart give yourself to it.”
- “Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.”
- “Faith and prayer both are invisible, but they make impossible things possible”
- “Judge nothing, you will be happy. Forgive everything, you will be happier. Love everything, you will be happiest.”
- “Never respond to rudeness. When people are rude to you, they reveal who they are, not who you are.”
- “Nothing remains without change.”
- “One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life can change the world.”
- “The way to happiness is: keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, give much. Fill your life with love. Do as you would be done by.”
- “The world is a looking glass. It gives back to every man a true reflection of his own thoughts.”
- 10+ FAKE Buddha Quotes on Friendship
- Translations that annihilate
Fake Buddha Stories
Things too complex to be treated as quotes — made-up stories usually involving extensive dialogue.
- “One of his students asked Buddha, ‘Are you the messiah?’”
- A man said to the Buddha, ‘I want Happiness.’
- A poor man asked the Buddha, “Why am I so poor?”
- Buddha was asked: “What have you gained from meditation?” The Buddha replied, “Nothing at all.”
- Does God exist?
- The man who spit on Buddha’s face
- When Buddha had tea with Mara
Fakeish Quotes
Often these are paraphrases or condensations. There’s nothing particularly wrong with most of these, but they’re included for the sake of completeness.
- “Always be mindful of the kindness and not the faults of others.”
- “Be vigilant; guard your mind against negative thoughts.”
- “Do not overrate what you have received, or envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.”
- “Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.”
- “However many holy words you speak however many you read, what good will they do you if you do not act on them?”
- “If you cannot find a good companion to walk with, walk alone, like an elephant roaming the jungle. It is better to be alone than to be with those who will hinder your progress.”
- “If you want to know the past, look at your present. If you want to know the future, look at your present.”
- “Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.”
- “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.
- “Practice the dhamma to perfection. Do not practice it in a faulty manner.”
The Buddha on Fake Buddha Quotes
- The Buddha on Fake Buddha Quotes (1)
- The Buddha on Fake Buddha Quotes (2)
- The Buddha on Fake Buddha Quotes (3)
- The Buddha on Fake Buddha Quotes (4)
- The Buddha on Fake Buddha Quotes (5)
- The Buddha on Fake Buddha Quotes (6)
- The Buddha on Fake Buddha Quotes (7)
- The Buddha on Fake Buddha Quotes (8)
- The Buddha on Fake Buddha Quotes (9)
Other Posts
Pieces (not all of them by myself) on the topic of Fake Buddha Quotes, or fake quotes generally.
- “A Buddhist literary scandal…”
- “A Tale of Two Bodhis”: Real Buddha Quotes in a novel
- “Because truth is better than bullshit”
- “Fan mail”
- “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Buddha!” is now available for preorder!!!
- “I wish people would stop using my face whenever they feel like they need a smart person to endorse their stupid ideas.” Albert Einstein (not!)
- “It doesn’t matter who said it, as long as it’s inspiring.”
- “The First Free Women” as literary fraud
- “We Are What We Quote”
- “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted in important affairs.”
Genuine Quotes
Try reading some of the original scriptures, either on Access to Insight‘s wonderful site, or in book form. There are also a few genuine quotes I’ve been asked about that are discussed on this site.
Or you can visit our sister site, Real Buddha Quotes, to see a small selection of quotations, some of them in graphic form.
Enjoy!
Bodhipaksa
Here is another one which I bet is not by the Buddha popping up =the teaching is simple. do what is right and be pure.
Also, if you want to recommend my book some people find it useful – The Buddhas Teachings: Seeing Without Illusion
Best
Rodger
I’ve only been able to find that quote on one site, Rodger. It was a massage and reflexology website. Where else have you seen it?
I’ve seen it a couple of times too
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/838422-the-teaching-is-simple-do-what-is-right-be-pure
http://motivationalreads.com/yet-teaching-simple-right-pure-end-way-freedom/
Fake?
I initially didn’t do a very thorough job of searching online for this one, Nick. The “original” form of this quote is “Yet the teaching is simple. Do what is right. Be pure” [no “and”]. I’d forgotten to search for variants, which it’s important to do since quotes can mutate.
Anyway, this is indeed fake. It’s from Byrom’s appalling Dhammapada. It’s supposed to be verse 183, which is “Ceasing to do evil, learning to do good, purifying the heart — this is the teaching of the Buddhas.”
I’ll write this one up!
[Update] Here’s a link to my piece on this quote.
Here’s another recent attribution that stretches the imagination:
“…remember these words of the Buddha……
‘A star at dawn, a drop of dew, an echo, a rainbow and a dream.’ ”
(https://www.jackkornfield.com/stephen-levine-1937-2016/)
That’s not so recent, Chris! It’s a quote from the Mahayana “Diamond Sutra,” which could be almost 2,000 years old. It has resonances with the Pali Phena Sutta, which compares the skandhas to a drop of water, a mirage, a magician’s display, etc.
Hello 🙂
I would like to know if the following quote is actually a quote from the Buddha. I’ve seen it many times in social media.
“Happiness or sorrow — whatever befalls you, walk on untouched unattached.”
Thank you,
Kind regards,
Doni
Hi, Doni.
That’s a new one to me.
This is fake. It’s from Byrom’s “translation” of the Dhammapada. In other words, it’s meant to be a translation, but Byrom’s words bear little or no relation to the original. The verse in question is verse 83 of the Dhammapada, which in Buddharakkhita’s version is,
Thanissaro’s version is:
You can see that those two translations are very similar in meaning (with the exception of “stand apart” and “renounce everything,” where some interpretation of the original is taking place. And you can see that Byrom’s rendering, which in full is:
Is pretty much unrelated. That’s because Byrom basically just made up pretty words as he went along.
I guess I’m going to have to write a blog post for this one! Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
Thank you so much Bodhipaksa,
Apologies for the bad punctuation, I don’t know how I accidentally added a new word!
Thank you, that totally makes sense!
Appreciate your assistance,
Regards
Doni
I guess you copied the text from a Google search autocomplete, where the word “meaning” is often added after a quote (obviously as a result of many people wondering what the meaning of the quote is), and punctuation is missing.
In reference to the first contribution by Rodger Ricketts:
“To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to purify one’s mind—this is the teaching of the Buddhas” (Dhammapada 183).
It is not the same as “____the teaching is simple. do what is right and be pure”, but it is very close.
What i want to know is Buddha’s quotes translated from his mother tongue? And if so, when translated to English how is it to match perfectly to the vocabulary and direct intention of thought he was implying? I believe Buddha’s quotes makes a perfect sense when you read it directly in his mother tongue.
Most quotes by the Buddha are translated from an ancient Indian language called Pali, Tselote. Ideally a translation should be literal but not stilted. Even the “literal” part can be difficult, because some passages are hard to understand, with the language being very compact, especially in verse.
Bodhipaksa, thank you for your effort.
The dilution and distortion of the Dhamma seems to be accelerating now that we are globally connected. Thanks Tim Berners-Lee!
Imagine 2,600 years ago. Go to where the Buddha stayed, wait for the appropriate time, listen, and learn. No problem.
Not only is there incorrect information all over the web but there is also copy and paste – multiplying that incorrect information.
I’d think the proper thing to do if rephrasing or repurposing a Sutta would be to make it clear it was your own thoughts and take ownership of the difference. The Kamma from delivering incorrect teaching is important to recognize. Leave the Buddha’s words as they are and learn from them as directly as possible.
Thanks again – I’ll make these sites true favorites!
Thanks, Mike. It’s alarming how quickly misinformation metastasizes on the internet. It doesn’t seem possible even to slow it down, and in fact many of the people who write comments here are of the opinion that it doesn’t matter that we misrepresent what the Buddha (and other people) have said. Apparently the concepts of truthfulness and accuracy are lost on many people who claim to be spiritual practitioners.
Hi. Great site. Is there some site on the internet with ALL Buddha quotes, but all real quotes?
Brainyquotes or think exist perhaps? Do they have all of the real quotes, or perhaps any other site? Thanks!
Brainyquotes and Think Exist are, frankly, crap. They have pretty much every fake quote here, and a bunch more besides. If you’re just looking for isolated quotes, the only reliable site I know of is realbuddhaquotes.com, which is mine 🙂
If you’re looking for more substantial passages, try accesstoinsight.org.
Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy; while giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful; and having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.
https://quotefancy.com/quote/1705537/Buddha-Before-giving-the-mind-of-the-giver-is-happy-while-giving-the-mind-of-the-giver-is
Could you please confirm whether it is real one or not?
That’s close enough. Here’s Sujato’s translation:
And Thanissaro’s:
Hi! I hope your site is still active. I sent you an email about this quote and other variations of it: “Life is so very difficult, how can we be anything other than kind?”
Any idea about the origins of this possibly attributed Buddha quote? I’m having trouble tracking it down.
Hi, Trixy. The site and I are both still very active, thanks. I just replied to your email, and I’m about to do a little write-up.
I am very pleased and joyful to have found your site. This is a noble and beneficial way to, at the same time, teach, learn and keep untainted the BuddhaDharma.
Thank you for your effort.
I am from Brazil and usually stumbles upon the quote (I translated from Portuguese, so it might be inaccurate, but the general idea from the quote is still there): “The law of the mind is relentless. What you think, you create; What you feel, you attract; What you believe, become reality.”
I have to say that this looks very superficial and simplistic to me, but I didn’t find any source telling me that that is a fake, so maybe you could help me tracking the source of this quote.
Best regards.
Hi Attila.
I assume you have some Hungarian ancestry?
Anyway, even translated from English to Portuguese and back, I recognize that quote. You’ll find it here, although this lacks the part about the law of the mind being relentless.
Yes, my grandparents are from there, but I didn’t have much contact with them or the culture.
My answer for some reason just vanished from here.
Anyway, thank you.
I have a couple of friends who are of Hungarian origins, and when I lived in Montana I knew of (but didn’t know personally) a therapist called Attila. And you’re welcome.
Wow! Finally I come across something like such on the internet -which is suppose to be a foundation of truth but turned out to be false like everything else in the modern world with of-course some exceptions; exceptions like such(this work). I can imagine how much time and manual effort it must have taken to search and research and validate the quotes and sayings. Like so many relativity, comparisons, etc must have been done. Kudos for the good work, much appreciated! And continue to do more when you have the mindset and resources and now the experience adding on too. And if any external help is needed apart from what you choose to take help from; then feel free to hire me, to contribute on something as good as this. Will be delighted to.
Respected Sir
Life is short we dont have much time, instead of wasting our energy
in proving what buddha didn’t not said , why dont we use our energy in practicing meditation and awareness , buddhist teachings. Proving what buddha said and what he not will not lead maintainers of website anywhere
The Buddha himself was very concerned that his teachings be passed on accurately, and he asked his followers to preserve the teachings carefully and to weed out sayings that were falsely attributed to him. So I am in fact practicing the Buddha’s teaching by maintaining this site.
Hi. I hope you all are well.
Thank you for this site.
I’m hoping you can verify a quote for me, supposed to be a description of the Buddha’s awakening:
“I saw nothing that could be called myself; and nothing that was other than myself either.”
Did the Buddha actually say this? Or something very like this? Did some other Buddhist sage? Do we have a source?
I look forward to hearing.
Thanks again.
Stay well. God bless.
Paul
Hi, Paul.
Where have you seen this quote? And was it attributed to the Buddha? A Google search for the full quote, or for parts of it, reveals nothing relevant. It certainly doesn’t sound like something from the Buddha. He said many things roughly equivalent to the notion that there is nothing that was himself, but he said nothing corresponding to the part, “nothing that was other than myself.” A statement like that would be based on the notion that there was a self that other things were not separate from, and that’s just not a position he would have taken.
It’s quite possible that some other Buddhist said something similar to your quote, notwithstanding that it’s not in accord with what the Buddha taught. It’s not uncommon for later Buddhist teachings to contradict the early teachings.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
Hi. I hope you’re well. I believe I’ve heard this quote from more than one teacher, and as a teacher of meditation myself, I’ve even quoted it. But I’ve never been able to find a source, and when a senior teacher recently cited it, I looked again and asked him for the source. He hasn’t been able to find it either. So, I found my way to your site, and it looked like just the place. As far as who might have said it, it does seem to conform to a certain flavor of Awakening (my reading suggests it does come in different flavors) and sounds rather like Nisargadatta, though I don’t think it’s actually from him either. So maybe from the Hindu tradition?
To my ear it has a Zen ring to it. But I’d very much appreciate seeing examples of this quote on the web or in books. There’s less possibility of tracking down a primary source if we don’t have an actual quote, but just a paraphrase.
youtube video with lots of quotes; one fake or not?
“definition of stupid: Knowing the truth, seeing the truth, but still believing the lies”
It’s definitely not the Buddha, that’s for sure 🙂
Found another one for you
“If hate worked I would teach you that” – the Buddha.
Thanks for passing this on, Chris. I found it only on a handful of social media posts, so it doesn’t seem to be very widespread as yet. I actually recognize which scriptural passage this is paraphrasing, so I’ll do a quick write-up as soon as possible, and hopefully you can share the link.
Thank you very much for your work sir, I am videogame developer working on a game about buddhism and your site has helped a lot. I am looking for a conversation with buddha for the end of the game, would it be possible to have a chat? Thanks
A chat might be possible, yes.