Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
Gautama BuddhaRead
All composite things pass away. Strive for your own liberation with diligence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Everything that is made up of parts will eventually come to an end, so it's important to work diligently towards your own freedom.
This quote by Gautama Buddha emphasizes the impermanence of all things that are composite in nature, highlighting that nothing lasts forever. It encourages individuals to focus on their own personal liberation, advocating for a dedicated and diligent pursuit of spiritual and personal growth amidst the transient nature of existence.
Themes
ImpermanenceLiberationDiligenceGrowthFreedom
In practice
Example use cases
During a meditation retreat, someone shared this quote to inspire deeper focus on self-liberation.
More from Gautama Buddha
All quotes βA kind man who makes good use of wealth is rightly said to possess a great treasure; but the miser who hoards up his riches will have no profit.
Gautama BuddhaRead
There are having flowers in Spring, breezes in Summer, moon in Autumn, snows in Winter. If there is nothing worrying over you, it will be the best seasons at all times.
Gautama BuddhaRead
Make an island of yourself, make yourself your refuge; there is no other refuge. Make truth your island, make truth your refuge; there is no other refuge.
Gautama BuddhaRead
When a wise man is advised of his errors, he will reflect on and improve his conduct. When his misconduct is pointed out, a foolish man will not only disregard the advice but rather repeat the same error.
Gautama BuddhaRead
The tongue like a sharp knife ... Kills without drawing blood.
Gautama BuddhaRead
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Thomas HuxleyRead
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I felt knowledge and the unity of the world circulate in me like my own blood.
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Remember this: When you cross my doorstep, you have already been raised. With what you have learned...you know the difference between right and wrong. Do right. Don't anybody raise you from the way you have been raised. Know you will have to make adaptations, in love, in relationships, in friends, in society, in work, but don't let anybody change your mind.
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I was trying to prove to them and to myself that I was still who I had always been. I was beautiful, if fat. I was smart, if loud. I was good, if ruined.
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The unstable estimates of men crowd to him whose mind is filled with a truth, as the heaped waves of the Atlantic follow the moon.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead