Quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh

To be alive is the greatest of all miracles, and you can rejoice in being alive. When you breathe in this way, your breath is a celebration of life.

Understanding is a gift. The other person may feel understood for the first time. Understanding is the other name of love. If you don't understand, you can't love. If you don't understand your son, you can't love him. If you don't understand your mother, you can't love her. To offer understanding means to offer love. Without understanding, the more we love, the more we make ourselves and others suffer.

wake up to the beauties of the planet to heal yourself and wake up to the suffering of the world and try to help.

Mindfulness is the continuous practice of touching deeply every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly present with your body and your mind, to bring harmony to your intentions and actions, and to be in harmony with those around you.

Throughout our life we produce energy. We say things and do things, and every thought, every word, and every act carries our signature. What we produce as thoughts, as speech, as action, continues to influence the world, and that is our continuation body. Our actions carry us into the future. We are like stars whose light energy continues to radiate across the cosmos millions of years after they become extinct.

The miracle is not to walk on water or in thin air, but to walk on Earth. Walk in such a way that you become fully alive and joy and happiness are possible. That is the miracle that everyone can perform.... If you have mindfulness, concentration, and insight then every step you make on this Earth is performing a miracle.

Looking deeply means observing something or someone with so much concentration that the distinction between observer and observed disappears.

we are advised to tell the other person that we are angry, that we suffer. "Darling, I suffer, I'm angry, and I want you to know it." Then if you are a good practitioner, you also add, "I'm doing my best to take care of my anger." And you can conclude with the third sentence, "Please, do help me

A finger pointing at the moon is not the moon.

A successful relationship depends on us recognising our own painful feelings and emotions inside—not fighting them, but accepting, embracing, and transforming them to get relief.

Without compassion, you are utterly alone.

When you touch deep understanding and love, you are healed.

Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.

Stress accumulates in our body. The way we eat, drink, and live takes its toll on our well-being. Lying down and bringing gentle awareness to our breath, we can realize rest and recovery for our physical body.

Consciously choosing what and who you surround yourself with is among the keys to finding more space for joy.

If we can heal our wounded child, we will not only liberate ourselves, but we will also help liberate whoever has hurt or abused us. The abuser may also have been the victimg of abuse.

We tend to postpone being alive to the future, the distant future, we don't know when. It's as if now is not the moment to be alive. We may never be alive at all in our entire life.

There are animals that are ruminants, like water buffalo and cows. After chewing and swallowing, they bring up the food again and they chew and swallow it again. There are people who continue to consume the suffering of the past in that way. They spend their time during the day ruminating over their own suffering from the past.

In. Out. Deep. Slow. Calm. Ease. Smile. Release. Present moment. Wonderful moment.

for the sharing to be useful and good, you have to be prepared to say something like, "I have made mistakes. I have thought, spoken, and acted in ways that have harmed our happiness and damaged our connection.

You have to protect yourself and your beloved ones by practicing selective watering.

Happiness can be attained by letting go, including letting go of your ideas about happiness.

Mindfulness frees us of forgetfulness and dispersion and makes it possible to live fully each minute of life. Mindfulness enables us to live.

You've got to practice meditation when you walk, stand, lie down, sit, and work, while washing your hands, washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, drinking tea, talking to friends, or whatever you are doing: "While washing the dishes, you might be thinking about the tea afterwards, and so try to get them out of the way as quickly as possible in order to sit and drink tea. But that means that you are incapable of living during the time you are washing the dishes.