76 Profound Mindfulness Quotes to Inspire Your Practice

No matter how established your personal mindfulness practice is, sometimes you can use a little extra inspiration.

Luckily, when it comes to mindfulness, there is no shortage of inspirational quotes you can use to give yourself that extra bit of motivation.

Whether you are looking for recent quotes or age-old quotes from the Buddha himself, and whether you are looking for quotes about mindful eating or less-specific sayings, here are the most powerful mindfulness quotes out there, from a wide range of mindfulness leaders and practitioners.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our 3 Mindfulness Exercises for free. These science-based, comprehensive exercises will not only help you cultivate a sense of inner peace throughout your daily life but will also give you the tools to enhance the mindfulness of your clients, students or employees.

38 Quotes About Being Mindful

These are some of our favorite quotes about being mindful in general. A number of them come from some of our favorite mindfulness leaders because some people just have a way with words.

These quotes should inspire your mindfulness practice in one way or another without having to be too specific. They may also help you define mindfulness in a way you had not previously thought of.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Jon Kabat-Zinn is the founder of the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he developed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program or MBSR.

The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Wherever you go, there you are.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Thích Nhất Hạnh

Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Buddhist monk, author, and mindfulness teacher (whose many students include the above-mentioned Jon Kabat-Zinn) who was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

Thích Nhất Hạnh

Many people are alive but don’t touch the miracle of being alive.

Thích Nhất Hạnh

The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.

Thích Nhất Hạnh

Live the actual moment. Only this actual moment is life.

Thích Nhất Hạnh

The feeling that any task is a nuisance will soon disappear if it is done in mindfulness.

Thích Nhất Hạnh

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

Thích Nhất Hạnh

Jack Kornfield

Jack Kornfield is a mindfulness teacher and author who (along with Sharon Salzberg and Tara Brach) founded the Insight Meditation Society in 1975 and played a key role in bringing mindfulness and mindfulness meditation to the West.

When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.

Jack Kornfield

Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.

Jack Kornfield

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

Jack Kornfield

The things that matter most in our lives are not fantastic or grand. They are moments when we touch one another.

Jack Kornfield

Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.

Jack Kornfield

Pema Chödrön

Pema Chödrön is a Buddhist nun and author who has written several popular books about mindfulness. She is also the director of the only Tibetan Monastery for Westerners.

You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.

Pema Chödrön

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.

Pema Chödrön

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.

Pema Chödrön

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

Pema Chödrön

Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already.

Pema Chödrön

Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts.

Pema Chödrön

Chögyam Trungpa

Chögyam Trungpa was the 11th Trungpa tülku, an important figure in Tibetan Buddhism, and a major influence in introducing Tibetan Buddhism to the West by teaching students like Pema Chödrön. He was also an originator of the idea of Shambhala meditation practice.

Altogether, the idea of meditation is not to create states of ecstasy or absorption, but to experience being.

Chögyam Trungpa

Sharon Salzberg

Sharon Salzberg is a mindfulness teacher and author who (along with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach) founded the Insight Meditation Society in 1975 and played a key role in bringing mindfulness and mindfulness meditation to the West.

Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it.

Sharon Salzberg

That’s life: starting over, one breath at a time.

Sharon Salzberg

Allan Lokos

Allan Lokos is the founder of the Community Meditation Center in New York as well as a popular mindfulness author.

You cannot control the results, only your actions.

Allan Lokos

Don’t believe everything you think. Thoughts are just that – thoughts.

Allan Lokos

Your actions are your only true belongings.

Allan Lokos

The art of peaceful living comes down to living compassionately & wisely.

Allan Lokos

We cannot force the development of mindfulness.

Allen Lokos

Tara Brach

Tara Brach is a mindfulness teacher and author who (along with Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg) founded the Insight Meditation Society in 1975 and played a key role in bringing mindfulness and mindfulness meditation to the West.

What would it be like if I could accept life – accept this moment – exactly as it is?

Tara Brach

There is something wonderfully bold and liberating about saying yes to our entire imperfect and messy life.

Tara Brach

Amit Ray

Amit Ray is a mindfulness leader who has authored several popular books on mindfulness and mindfulness meditation.

If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.

Amit Ray

Looking at beauty in the world, is the first step of purifying the mind.

Amit Ray

Open the window of your mind. Allow the fresh air, new lights and new truths to enter.

Amit Ray

Rasheed Ogunlaru

Rasheed Ogunlaru is a motivational speaker and life/business coach who has authored several popular books on mindfulness.

Step outside for a while – calm your mind. It is better to hug a tree than to bang your head against a wall continually.

Rasheed Ogunlaru

A few simple tips for life: feet on the ground, head to the skies, heart open…quiet mind.

Rasheed Ogunlaru

How you look at it is pretty much how you’ll see it.

Rasheed Ogunlaru

15 Mindfulness Quotes From The Buddha

Unsurprisingly, some of the most powerful mindfulness quotes come from the Buddha. When it comes to quotes from The Buddha, though, it is important to really do your research. There are almost countless inspiring quotes floating around that are attributed to The Buddha despite there being no evidence of the Buddha having said them.

The following are some of our favorite quotes from The Buddha that we are fairly certain can actually be attributed to The Buddha, but of course, let us know if this is not the case.

The Way is not in the sky, the Way is in the heart.

Buddha

You only lose what you cling to.

Buddha

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

Buddha

Three things can not hide for long: the Moon, the Sun and the Truth.

Buddha

Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.

Buddha

Attachment leads to suffering.

Buddha

Nothing is forever except change.

Buddha

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

Buddha

Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.

Buddha

Our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think.

Buddha

With our thoughts we make the world.

Buddha

Be where you are, otherwise you will miss your life.

Buddha

If the problem can be solved why worry? If the problem cannot be solved worrying will do you no good.

Buddha

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Buddha

If you are facing in the right direction, all you need to do is keep on walking.

Buddha

12 Mindfulness Quotes For Quotes of The Day

If you’re looking for a little extra mindfulness motivation to start off your day with, these quotes should help you out. If you want, you can even put them together in a daily calendar and use one of these quotes to guide you throughout each of your days (well, for about two weeks).

These quotes are short, but will give you a lot to think about during your day. For this section, we have only selected one quote per speaker, so that you can start each day with a different perspective.

It is never too late to turn on the light.

Sharon Salzberg

You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.

Buddha

Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.

Marcus Aurelius – The Emperor of Ancient Rome in the second century as well as a philosopher.

Life is a dance. Mindfulness is witnessing that dance.

Amit Ray

Treat everyone you meet as if they were you.

Doug Dillon – Teacher and author who has written on a large variety of subjects, including mindfulness and history.

A mind set in its ways is wasted.

Eric Schmidt – Author and business executive. He is also the former CEO of Google, where he attempted to bring mindfulness and psychology teachings into the workplace.

The mind is just like a muscle – the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets and the more it can expand.

Idowu Koyenikan – Consultant, speaker and author who has written about mindfulness in the business world.

The stiller you are the calmer life is.

Rasheed Ogunlaru

The only way to live is by accepting each minute as an unrepeatable miracle.

Tara Brach

One who is patient glows with an inner radiance.

Allan Lokos

Don’t let life harden your heart.

Pema Chödrön

11 Quotes About Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is, as it sounds, an aspect of mindfulness practice that focuses on eating (and drinking). It is the idea that you should not rush through your meal to get it over with or to stop being hungry, but that rather you should be thoughtful about how you eat, what you eat, and how what you eat is nourishing you.

It also aims to stop the practice of mindless eating, which can either consist of rushing through your meals or eating when you do not really need or want to eat. Practicing mindful eating can be an extremely powerful part of a mindfulness practice, as everyone needs to eat throughout the day, so everyone has similar opportunities to practice mindful eating no matter what else is going on in their lives.

These are some of our favorite quotes to get you thinking about mindful eating, or to enrich your existing practice.

Jan Chozen Bays

Jan Chozen Bays is a medical doctor and Zen teacher who (along with others such as her husband) founded the Great Vow Zen Monastery in the United States. In 2009 she published Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship With Food.

Mindful eating is a way to become reacquainted with the guidance of our internal nutritionist.

Jan Chozen Bays

Thích Nhất Hạnh

Along with his Buddhist and mindfulness background mentioned above, Thích Nhất Hạnh coauthored Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, a popular book on mindful eating.

Mindful eating means simply eating or drinking while being aware of each bite or sip.

Thích Nhất Hạnh

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.

Thích Nhất Hạnh

You must be completely awake in the present to enjoy the tea.

Thích Nhất Hạnh

Tea is an act complete in its simplicity. When I drink tea, there is only me and the tea. The rest of the world dissolves.

Thích Nhất Hạnh

Susan Albers

Susan Albers is a clinical psychologist and author who is a major proponent of mindful eating.

Mindful eating is about awareness. When you eat mindfully, you slow down, pay attention to the food you’re eating, and savor every bite.

Susan Albers

Instead of thinking of food as the enemy, allow yourself to enjoy the process of planning and preparing meals or going out to lunch with a friend. Stay in the present moment and understand that the purpose of food is nourishment.

Susan Albers

Training your mind to be in the present moment is the #1 key to making healthier choices.

Susan Albers

Shunryu Suzuki

Shunryu Suzuki was a Buddhist monk and author who founded the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the first Buddhist Monastery outside of Asia, and helped popularize mindfulness in the West as a result.

When you bow, you should just bow; when you sit, you should just sit; when you eat, you should just eat.

Shunryu Suzuki

Michelle May

Michelle May is a medical doctor, motivational speaker, and author who has written several popular books on mindful eating.

When I’m hungry, I eat what I love. When I’m bored, I do something I love. When I’m lonely, I connect with someone I love. When I feel sad, I remember that I am loved.

Michelle May

Chögyam Trungpa

Everyone loves something, even if it’s only tortillas.

Chögyam Trungpa

Bonus Video: Thích Nhất Hạnh

As a bonus, this is an excerpt from a talk Thích Nhất Hạnh gave to Google employees which touches on aspects of mindfulness including mindful eating. In it, he offers suggestions for ways that even Google employees can incorporate mindfulness into their day-to-day lives. If you are looking for some brief (under five minutes) mindful inspiration from a mindfulness leader, give this video a watch:

A Take-Home Message

We hope that at least a few of the above quotes were inspiring to you, and we especially hope that they have given you something new to consider for your mindfulness practice (or maybe one even inspired you to start a mindfulness practice).

If one of your favorite mindfulness quotes was not on this list, please go ahead and share it with us! After all, at the end of the day, a mindfulness practice is a deeply personal thing.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our 3 Mindfulness Exercises for free.