This list of Thich Nhat Hanh quotes is just a taste of the wisdom and insight he has to offer.  Thich Nhat Hanh is on my list of people I would like to meet. Born in 1926, he is still is providing guidance and insights on meditation and  mindfulness and living a rich life grounded in peace and beauty to people worldwide.  He has effectively combined the teachings of early Buddhism, Yogacara, Zen and modern mindfulness practices to create programs and write books that touch on the core elements of living a life of harmony and peace.  I have incorporated some of Thich Nhat Hanh’s quotes here that show just a little of his wisdom and might provide you with some inspiration.  To learn more about Thich Nhat Hanh, you can visit his Facebook page or Plum Village, his mindfulness center in the France.

Thich Nhat Hanh has written several books on all aspects of peace, harmony, meditation, mindfulness, love and life, if you would like to explore his writings further, a good starting point might be to read some of his books.

THICH NHAT HANH QUOTES

A human being is like a television set with millions of channels…. We cannot let just one channel dominate us. We have the seed of everything in us, and we have to recover our own sovereignty.

An oak tree is an oak tree. That is all it has to do. If an oak tree is less than an oak tree, then we are all in trouble.

Anxiety, the illness of our time, comes primarily from our inability to dwell in the present moment.

As long as you find something beautiful, good, and true to believe in and abide by, you have the equivalent of God in your life.

At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it.

Attachment to views is the greatest impediment to the spiritual path.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

Being rich is an obstacle to loving. When you are rich, you want to continue to be rich, and so you end up devoting all your time, all your energy, in your daily life to stay rich.

Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.

Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.

Breathing in, there is only the present moment. Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.

Compassion is a verb.

Do not say that I’ll depart tomorrow because even today I still arrive.

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.

Each moment is a chance for us to make peace with the world, to make peace possible for the world, to make happiness possible for the world.

Each thought, each action in the sunlight of awareness becomes sacred.

Earth will be safe when we feel in us enough safety.

Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature.

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.

For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.

Freedom is not given to us by anyone; we have to cultivate it ourselves. It is a daily practice… No one can prevent you from being aware of each step you take or each breath in and breath out.

Guarding knowledge is not a good way to understand. Understanding means to throw away your knowledge.

Happiness does not come from consumption of things.

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.

I am determined to practice deep listening. I am determined to practice loving speech.

I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath.

I have lost my smile, but don’t worry. The dandelion has it.

I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given me to live.

I would not look upon anger as something foreign to me that I have to fight… I have to deal with my anger with care, with love, with tenderness, with nonviolence.

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.

If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love.

If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything.

If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.

If we do not know how to take care of ourselves and to love ourselves, we cannot take care of the people we love. Loving oneself is the foundation for loving another person.

If you love someone but rarely make available to him or her, that is not true love.

If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence

If you suffer and make your loved ones suffer, there is nothing that can justify your desire.

If you touch one thing with deep awareness, you touch everything.

If your love is only a will to possess, its not love

In mindfulness one is not only restful and happy, but alert and awake. Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

In true love, you attain freedom.

It is my conviction that there is no way to peace – peace is the way.

It is possible to live twenty-four hours a day in a state of love. Every movement, every glance, every thought, and every word can be infused with love.

It is said that God has created man in his own image. But it may be that humankind has created God in the image of humankind.

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

Know that life can only be found in the present moment.

Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.

Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.

Life is available only in the present moment.

Many people are alive but don’t touch the miracle of being alive.

Many people think excitement is happiness…. But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.

May our heart’s garden of awakening bloom with hundreds of flowers.

My actions are my only true belongings.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.

Only the present moment contains life.

Our own life has to be our message.

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.

People suffer because they are caught in their views. As soon as we release those views, we are free and we don’t suffer anymore.

Root out the violence in your life, and learn to live compassionately and mindfully. Seek peace. When you have peace within, real peace with others is possible.

Smile, breathe and go slowly.

Sometimes it is better not to talk about art by using the word “art”. If we just act with awareness and integrity, our art will flower, and we don’t have to talk about it at all.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

Suffering is not enough. Life is both dreadful and wonderful…How can I smile when I am filled with so much sorrow? It is natural–you need to smile to your sorrow because you are more than your sorrow.

Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible.

The fact is that when you make the other suffer, he will try to find relief by making you suffer more. The result is an escalation of suffering on both sides.

The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.

The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.

The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself.

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don’t wait until you have no more suffering before allowing to be happy.

The source of love is deep in us and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another person’s suffering and bring that person joy.

The Three Kinds of Pride are: (1) thinking I am better than the other(s); (2) thinking I am worse than the other(s); and (3) thinking I am just as good as the other(s).

The true miracle is not walking on water or walking in air, but simply walking on this earth.

The wave does not need to die to become water. She is already water.

There is no enlightenment outside of daily life.

Those who are without compassion cannot see what is seen with the eyes of compassion.

To be beautiful means to be . You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept .

To live in the present moment is a miracle. The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

Until there is peace between religions, there can be no peace in the world.

Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.

We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.

We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize.

We have to continue to learn. We have to be open. And we have to be ready to release our knowledge in order to come to a higher understanding of reality.

When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That’s the message he is sending.

When our beliefs are based on our own direct experience of reality and not on notions offered by others, no one can remove these beliefs from us.

When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.

When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight.

When you love someone, the best thing you can offer is your presence. How can you love if you are not there?

You are not an observer, you are a participant.

You have to learn how to help a wounded child while still practicing mindful breathing. You should not allow to get lost in action. Action should be meditation at the same time.

You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free.

Your true home is in the here and the now.