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People who are rooted in the here and now, who are not defeated by their limitations, who don’t compare themselves to others, who confidently advance along their chosen path-such people are happy, such people are truly great.

Daisaku Ikeda

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Daisaku Ikeda
Age: 96
Born: 1928
Born: January 2
Philosopher
Poet
President
Writer
City of Tokyo
Dazuo Chitian
Ta-tso Chʻih-tʻien
Great
Limitation
People
Compare
Chosen
Truly
Confidently
Along
Limitations
Path
Defeated
Happy
Advance
Others
Rooted

More quotes by Daisaku Ikeda

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There is no true joy in a life lived closed up in the little shell of the self. When you take one step to reach out to people, when you meet with others and share their thoughts and sufferings, infinite compassion and wisdom well up within your heart. Your life is transformed.
Daisaku Ikeda
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Everything begins with the resolve to take the first step. From that action, wisdom arises and change begins. Without action, nothing changes.
Daisaku Ikeda
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No matter what our personal circumstances may be, if we ourselves become a source of light, then there will be no darkness in the world.
Daisaku Ikeda
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I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind.
Daisaku Ikeda
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Strength is Happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose. But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact of your continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being.
Daisaku Ikeda
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A moment’s encounter can decide the direction of one’s entire life
Daisaku Ikeda
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So long as human history continues, we will face the perennial challenge of realizing, maintaining and strengthening peace through dialogue, of making dialogue the sure and certain path to peace. We must uphold and proclaim this conviction without cease, whatever coldly knowing smiles or cynical critiques may greet us.
Daisaku Ikeda
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Happiness does not exist as an isolated quality, nor does it conform to a single fixed pattern. Happiness is something that breathes and lives in the relationships between one person and another.
Daisaku Ikeda
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The heart is what is important. There is nothing more vulnerable, nothing more corruptible than the human mind nor is there anything as powerful, steadfast and ennobling.
Daisaku Ikeda
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What our world most requires now is the kind of education that foster love for humankind, that develops character-that provides an intellectual basis for realization of peace and empowers learners to contribute to and improve society.
Daisaku Ikeda
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Do something! Start something! As you make consistent efforts, you will begin to see your goals come into focus. You will discover your mission--the one only you can fulfill.
Daisaku Ikeda
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To possess both wisdom and compassion is the heart of our human revolution. If you have wisdom alone and lack compassion, it will be a cold, perverse wisdom. If you have compassion alone and lack wisdom, you cannot give happiness to others. You are even likely to lead them in the wrong direction, and you won't be able to achieve your own happiness.
Daisaku Ikeda
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Those who give up dreams, do injury to their own hearts and cannot possibly enjoy a profound sense of fulfillment in the end.
Daisaku Ikeda
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A great work of art is one that truly moves and inspires you. You yourself must be moved. Don't look at art with others' eyes. Don't listen to music with others' ears. You must react to art with your own feelings, your own heart and mind.
Daisaku Ikeda
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By changing our inner state of mind, we can change any suffering or hardship into a source of joy, regarding it as a means for forging and developing our lives. To turn even sorrow into a source of creativity - this is the way of life of a Buddhist
Daisaku Ikeda
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It is precisely when we have suffered defeat that we can determine to win and open the path to future victory.
Daisaku Ikeda
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We have both a weak self and a strong self the two are completely different. If we allow our weak side to dominate, we will be defeated. The thought ,I am still young and have a lot of time, so I can relax and take life easy is a function of our own weakness.
Daisaku Ikeda
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Having lived through the transition from totalitarianism, I am acutely mindful of the need to never take for granted the basic freedoms of thought, expression and belief that democracy brings.
Daisaku Ikeda
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The course of our lives is determined by how we react--what we decide and what we do--at the darkest of times. The nature of that response determines a person's true worth and greatness.
Daisaku Ikeda
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Just as a diamond can only be polished by another diamond, it is only through genuine, all-out engagement with others that people can polish their character, and help each other to reach greater heights.
Daisaku Ikeda