Mindfulness Quotes To Live By

Mindfulness refers to a sense of nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment. Mindfulness techniques in the form of meditation in particular have been practiced for thousands of years as a part of cultural and religious traditions across India. However, daily mindfulness practice in various forms has also become increasingly popular worldwide in the modern day; in 1967 Martin Luther King Jr. nominated Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Mindfulness quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, and others

Due to the extensive research that has been done on its various potential health and body benefits, mindfulness is gaining in popularity and the internet has helped in bringing mindfulness to the masses. If you’ve begun to cultivate a mindfulness practice of your own, the quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, and other authors may provide you with some inspiration along the way. First, we’ll have a few tips on how to get started with mindfulness and how to live a mindful life if you’re new to it.

How to start practicing mindfulness

There are many different ways to practice mindfulness. While some people choose to engage in mindfulness meditations, for which you can find plenty of instructional videos and apps online, there are also simple ways to connect to this practice throughout your day or that can be integrated as part of your post-mediation period practice. For example, you could regularly take a moment to engage in the nonjudgmental noticing of:

• The aroma, taste, and texture of your food
• The feel of sunshine on your face
• The clouds in the sky at this moment
• Any places you’re holding tension in your body
• The rhythm of your breath
• The sounds around you
• The little things you feel most grateful for today

Being mindful has benefits

In addition, research has shown that mindfulness may reduce mental health symptoms, lower blood pressure, and improve sleep.

Quotes on the meaning of mindfulness

Mindfulness is a personal experience that can mean something different to everyone. However, reading these quotes about the meaning of mindfulness from the perspective of others may help you progress your practice

Mindfulness quotes for healthy living from Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, and others

• "The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing." —Jon Kabat-Zinn
• “Mindfulness meditation doesn’t change life. Life remains as fragile and unpredictable as ever. Meditation changes the heart’s capacity to accept life as it is.” — Sylvia Boorstein
• "Meditation is to be aware of what is going on: in your body, in your feelings, in your mind, and in the world." — Thich Nhat Hanh
• “Mindfulness meditation doesn’t change life. Life remains as fragile and unpredictable as ever. Meditation changes the heart’s capacity to accept life as it is.”
  ― Sylvia Boorstein
• "Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won't)." — Sharon Salzberg
• “Cultivating a generous spirit starts with mindfulness. Mindfulness, simply stated, means paying attention to what is happening; it’s about what is really going on.” — Nell Newman
• “Mindfulness is a pause – the space between stimulus and response: that’s where choice lies.” — Tara Brach
• "Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn't more complicated than that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it." — Sylvia Boorstein
• "In this moment, there is plenty of time. In this moment, you are precisely as you should be. In this moment, there is infinite possibility." — Victoria Moran
• “Mindful and creative, a child who has neither a past, nor examples to follow, nor value judgments, simply lives, speaks, and plays in freedom.” ― Arnaud Desjardins
• “There are many good forms of meditation practice. A good meditation practice is any one that develops awareness or mindfulness of our body and our sense, of our mind and heart.”  — Jack Kornfield

Mindfulness and happiness quotes

Many great thinkers throughout history have suggested that mindfulness can be an important component of feeling happy and content. The following quotes explore this idea:

Examples of mindfulness and happiness quotes

• "As soon as we wish to be happier, we are no longer happy." — Walter Landor
• “Nothing is worth more than this day. You cannot relive yesterday. Tomorrow is still beyond your reach.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
• “Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand melting like a snowflake.” — Francis Bacon Sr.
• "Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside." —Ramana Maharshi
•  “Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions.” — Pema Chodron 
• "In today's rush, we all think too much, seek too much, want too much, and forget about the joy of just being." — Eckhart Tolle
• “Training your mind to be in the present moment is the #1 key to making healthier choices.” — Susan Albers 
• “People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.”
  ― Thich Nhat Hanh
• "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." — Dalai Lama
• "The basic root of happiness lies in our minds; outer circumstances are nothing more than adverse or favorable." — Matthieu Ricard
• "If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul." — Rabbi Harold Kushner
• "There's only one reason why you're not experiencing bliss at this present moment, and it's because you're thinking or focusing on what you don't have…but right now you have everything you need to be in bliss." —Anthony de Mello

Quotes on mindfulness and anxiety

Many mindfulness practices invite us to sit with our uncomfortable emotions, explore where they come from, and accept how we feel in the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing stress and anxiety. The quotes below reference this concept of sitting with challenging feelings as part of embracing a mindful state.

Example quotes on mindfulness and anxiety

• "If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath." — Amit Ray
• “If it’s out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind too.” — Ivan Nuru
• "The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently." — Pema Chodron
• "Suffering usually relates to wanting things to be different than they are." — Allan Lokos
• "To diminish the suffering of pain, we need to make a crucial distinction between the pain of pain, and the pain we create by our thoughts about the pain. Fear, anger, guilt, loneliness, and helplessness are all mental and emotional responses that can intensify pain." — Howard Cutler
• “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
• “Be where you are, otherwise you will miss your life.” — Buddha
• “The only way to live is by accepting each minute as an unrepeatable miracle.” — Tara Brach
• "The way to live in the present is to remember that 'This too shall pass'. When you experience joy, remembering that 'This too shall pass' helps you savor the here and now. When you experience pain and sorrow, 'This too shall pass' reminds you that grief, like joy, is only temporary." — Joey Green

Quotes on mindfulness and learning

Sitting in stillness through the practice of mindfulness has the potential to open doors for self-discovery, learning, and growth, which these quotes relate to:

Example quotes on mindfulness and learning

• "Wanting to reform the world without discovering one's true self is like trying to cover the world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns. It is much simpler to wear shoes." — Ramana Maharshi
• "The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." — Henry Miller
• "Wisdom says 'I am nothing'. Love says 'I am everything'. And between the two my life flows." —Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
• "Don't believe everything you think. Thoughts are just that—thoughts." — Allan Lokos
• “Be happy in the moment. That is enough.” — Mother Teresa
• “Everything is created twice. First in the mind and then in reality.” — Robin Sharma
• “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have.” — Eckhart Tolle 
• “The mind is just like a muscle—the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets and the more it can expand.” —Idowu Koyenikan

Staying balanced can be challenging

Find your center with a therapist's support

Exploring therapy for anxiety and other mental health concerns

For people who feel like they have a “messy life”, mindfulness can be a useful practice, especially when done in tandem with therapy. Some may even choose to seek out a therapist who practices a methodology that incorporates these techniques, such as mindfulness-based therapy (MBT).

Effectiveness of mindfulness interventions

Recent research has examined the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction, and found that these interventions are effective for conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress, and more. Other forms of therapy may also incorporate mindfulness techniques. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), one of the most widely practiced methodologies today, is another example. It’s based on the idea of helping clients learn to recognize and challenge unhelpful or distorted thought patterns, which begins by being aware of them.

Online therapy for depression, anxiety, and more

If you’re interested in learning more about mindfulness techniques through therapy, you can seek the support of a qualified counselor either in person or online. If you’re looking for a therapy option that’s more cost-effective and convenient than traditional in-person methods, you might consider online therapy. With a virtual therapy platform like BetterHelp, you can get matched with a licensed therapist who you can meet with via phone, video call, and/or in-app messaging from the comfort of your home or anywhere you have an internet connection. Research suggests that online therapy can offer similar benefits to in-office methods for treating anxiety, depression, and more, so it may be worth considering for those who find it more convenient or comfortable.