Encouragement Quotes by Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda (born January 2, 1928) is a Buddhist philosopher, prolific writer, poet, peace activist and educator.

I've been deeply encouraged by the beautiful words of Mr Ikeda. He offers wonderful and practical encouragement especially when one is facing life's great trials and tribulations.

It's been on my To-Do list to compile a small selection of his many quotes to share with you here for quite some time, and I'm glad I finally did it. It's my hope that his meaningful words would reach and encourage you in some ways.

Savor these quotes slowly and digest them! In times of crises or sufferings, come back to this page and be renewed, refreshed and inspired! When you're down and seeking hope, read his words again and be uplifted!

A person who cannot compliment others is lonely and has a narrow heart. Such a person cannot embrace others. On the other hand, when people praise one another, beautiful exchange becomes possible.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

A person's true nature is revealed at times of the greatest adversity.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

A pyramid isn't built from the top down. The apex is attained only by laying strong foundation stones, one by one. The same is true of achieving a lofty objective. The crucial thing is to lay the first stone, to take the first step.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

As long as we are human, we are bound to make mistakes. We all fall prey to flawed beliefs and views. What distinguishes a forward-looking person from an intransigent one, a virtuous person from a dishonest one, however, is whether one can candidly admit to one's mistakes and take bold steps to redress them.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Become like the sun. If you do so, all darkness will be dispelled. No matter what happens, live confidently with the conviction that you, yourself are the "sun." Of course, in life there are sunny days and cloudy days. But even on cloudy days, the sun is still the sun. Even when you are suffering, it is vital that you strive to keep the sun shining brightly in your heart.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Buckle down to your present task, giving it your all. Through such efforts, you will be able to develop fresh confidence and open up new prospects for the future.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Climbing a mountain entails difficulty. And the higher the mountain is, the greater are the difficulties that a climber faces. However, once he reaches the summit, he will be able to savor a state of mind far greater than that attained by those who handily climb lesser peaks.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Failure is an instrumental part of every success. Whether our life has been a triumph or tragedy can only be judged at its very end.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Fish rots from the head, as the saying goes. Organizations, too, degenerate from the top. Those who assume positions of leadership need to constantly strive to better themselves and to overcome the tendency to become arrogant.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Happiness is not something far away. It is to be found neither in fame nor in popularity. When you live with integrity, your hearts begin to fill with a happiness as vast as the universe. It’s about being true to yourself and starting from where you are. From there your happiness will expand and grow limitlessly.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Having the ability to advance, to press forward and make progress is proof of one's humanity. Even just one or two steps are sufficient. Even just one or two millimeters. The important thing is to be certain to advance each day. One who does so is a person of victory and a person of glory.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Hope transforms pessimism into optimism. Hope is invincible. Hope changes everything. It changes winter into summer, darkness into dawn, descent into ascent, barrenness into creativity, agony into joy. Hope is the sun. It is light. It is passion. It is the fundamental force for life's blossoming.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Human life possesses a potential deeper than the great wide ocean and vaster than the sky. We may tend to give up and resign ourselves to present circumstances, thinking "There is no way." But by breaking down these barriers in our minds, we can enjoy vibrant lives, filled with powerful life force like the sun.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

If everything is smooth sailing right from the beginning, we cannot become people of substance and character. By surmounting paining setbacks and obstacles, we can create a brilliant history of triumph that will shine forever. That is what makes life so exciting and enjoyable. In any field of endeavour, those who overcome hardships and grow as human beings are advancing towards success and victory in life.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

If you want to understand the causes made in the past, look at the results as they are manifest in the present. And if you want to know what results will be manifest in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present. The reality of your future self is forged by current action, in your behavior now.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

It takes courage to become happy -- courage to remain true to one's convictions, courage not to be defeated by one's weaknesses and negativity, courage to take swift action to help those who are suffering.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

In reality, everyone struggles with anxieties. The seed of happiness only blooms when one stays strong and never gives up.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Let us give something to each person we meet: joy, courage, hope, assurance, or philosophy, wisdom, a vision for the future. Let us always give something.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Life is a constant battle against deadlock. As long as we are alive, as long as we continue challenging ourselves, we are bound to come up against difficult obstacles that need to be overcome. If life were all smooth sailing, if we never encountered setbacks, that in itself would be a sign of stagnation.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Life without hardships may seem more attractive, but it is a shallow, lackluster thing.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Life's true joy and happiness can only be savored by those who live out the chosen path of their beliefs, no matter what others may say of them.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

More than anything, it is your own life that is important. Rather than compare yourself to others, it is sufficient to compare whether you have improved from what you were before. There is no need to be impatient with yourself or have an inferiority complex towards others.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

No one can better bask in summer's balm than those who have endured winter's bite. Similarly, it is those who have suffered through life's darkest hours who are able to truly savor the bright dawn of happiness. The person who has transformed the worst of fate into the best of fortune is life's champion.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

None of us can exist in isolation. Our lives and existence are supported by others in seen and unseen ways, be it by parents, mentors or society at large. To be aware of these connections, to feel appreciation for them, and to strive to give something back to society in a spirit of gratitude is the proper way for human beings to live.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Of course, people want to live long. But in the end, what matters more is what we have been able to leave behind -- the value we have created in our lives, the number of people we have made happy and how much we have been able to grow and expand as a person.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

One thing is certain: That is that the power of belief, the power of thought, will move reality in the direction of what we believe and conceive of it. If you really believe you can do something, you can. That is a fact.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Only by polishing yourself through repeated difficulties can you build a self that sparkles as brightly as a gem. Once you have developed such a system of life, nothing will faze you.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Rather than seeking to better themselves, jealous people focus their energies on dragging others down. Actions rooted in jealousy will only cause suffering and will not create any value or benefit for anyone. We are only able to develop our own good qualities to the extent that we can respect what is admirable in others.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Rise to the challenges that life presents you. You can't develop genuine character and ability by sidestepping adversity and struggle.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Success can never be genuine unless it is based on the accumulation of steady and strenuous efforts, expended day by day and from moment to moment.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

There is no such thing as a life without trials and tribulations. A life without meeting obstacles is a weak one. One cannot depend on someone who has not had to overcome difficulties.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

Those who are always complaining about their circumstances find that success continually eludes them. As do those who speak ill of others or who make excuses for their failures.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

When you encounter a severe difficulty, you may despairingly feel that it is the end of everything and give up. However, you should never succumb to such difficulties in life. You must win by all means. If you do, you will later be able to look back with a feeling of satisfaction on your days of desperate struggle.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

While it is important to win, it's even more important to remain undefeated no matter what happens.
-- Daisaku Ikeda

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