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Ultimately, the reason why love and compassion bring the greatest happiness is simply that our nature cherishes them above all else. The need for love lies at the very foundation of human existence. It results from the profound interdependence we all share with one another.

— Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

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More quotes by Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

I am convinced that everyone can develop a good heart and a sense of universal responsibility with or without religion.

Nobel acceptance speech (1989)

I am a simple Buddhist monk — no more, no less.

Nobel Prize Winners (1991)

Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.

The Dalai Lama: A Policy of Kindness (1990)

Time is always moving on; nothing can stop it. We can’t change the past, but we can shape the future. The more compassionate you are, the more you will find inner peace.

The Great Vehicle path requires the vast motivation of a Bodhisattva, who, not seeking just his or her welfare, takes on the burden of bringing about the welfare of all sentient beings.

The Dalai Lama at Harvard: Lectures on the Buddhist Path to Peace (1988)

All Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama quotes →

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Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.

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To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead.

Bertrand Russell Marriage and Morals (1929)

Not for the body, but for the heart; companion and company are needed.

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Love seldom haunts the breast where learning lies,
And Venus sets ere Mercury can rise.

Alexander Pope

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.