Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
Gautama BuddhaRead
For the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes selflessness and the importance of acting for the greater good and collective happiness.
Gautama Buddha's quote highlights the significance of compassion and altruism, suggesting that actions should be taken not just for personal benefit but for the wellbeing of the larger community. It invites individuals to consider how their choices and behaviors can positively impact those around them, ultimately fostering a more harmonious society rooted in compassion and empathy.
Themes
CompassionHappinessSelflessnessCommunityWellbeing
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community service, one might say, 'As Gautama Buddha reminds us, we should act for the good of the many.'
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
Similar quotes
He taught them that the purpose of a man is to make his life holy--every aspect of his life: eating, drinking praying, sleeping. God is everywhere, he told them, and if it seems at times that He is hidden from us, it is only because we have not yet learned to seek Him correctly.
Chaim PotokRead
Communism is inequality, but not as property is. Property is exploitation of the weak by the strong. Communism is exploitation of the strong by the weak.
Pierre-Joseph ProudhonRead
People couldn't become truly holy, he said, unless they also had the opportunity to be definitively wicked.
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How life is strange and changeful, and the crystal is in the steel at the point of fracture, and the toad bears a jewel in its forehead, and the meaning of moments passes like the breeze that scarcely ruffles the leaf of the willow.
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Contemporary society has become dry, not for lack of wonders but for lack of wonder.
Gilbert K. ChestertonRead
Everything you have is to give. Thou art a phenomenon of philosophy and an unfortunate man.
Ernest HemingwayRead