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The quality of everything we do: our physical actions, our verbal actions, and even our mental actions, depends on our motivation. That's why it's important for us to examine our motivation in our day to day life. If we cultivate respect for others and our motivation is sincere, if we develop a genuine concern for others’ well-being, then all our actions will be positive.
Dalai Lama
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Our actions depend on our motivation, and examining it leads to positive outcomes.

This quote emphasizes the significance of motivation in all aspects of our lives. The Dalai Lama suggests that by cultivating sincere motivations, particularly a genuine concern for others, we can ensure that our actions—whether physical, verbal, or mental—are positive and constructive, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and ethical existence.

Themes

MotivationActionsSincerityWell-BeingRespect

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech to inspire change in a workplace.

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