Suffering is wishing things were other than they are.

Apply yourself to solitude. One who is given to solitude knows things as they really are.

The wise man makes an island of himself that no flood can overwhelm.

Your worst enemy is your best teacher.

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.

Your suffering is my suffering and your happiness is my happiness.

To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.

Let your diet be spare, your wants moderate, your needs few. So, living modestly, with no distracting desires, you will find content.

Things are not what they appear to be: nor are they otherwise.

Do not say anything harsh: what you have said will be said back to you.

Whoever doesn't flare up at someone who's angry wins a battle hard to win.

To awaken, sit calmly, letting each breath clear your mind and open your heart.

Be a lamp to yourself. Be your own confidence. Hold on to the truth within yourself as to the only truth.

Water surrounds the lotus flower, but does not wet its petals.

Anyone who is not working toward the truth is missing the whole point of living.

Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.

A person is ruined by taking the measure of other persons.

Do not be jealous of others' good qualities, but out of admiration adopt them yourself.

We must be diligent today. To wait until tomorrow is too late. Death comes unexpectedly. How can we bargain with it?