7 Wonderful Thich Nhat Hahn Quotes That Will Spark Joy

Use these quotes to make every day more joyful

Photo by Bradley Gossett on Unsplash

Would you like to experience more joy in your life?

The contemporary Zen Buddhist teacher and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh says peace can exist only in the present moment. I believe that thought extends to joy as well.

Overthinking the past can bring sorrow, pain, or regret. Projecting into the future can trigger fear, worries, and anxiety.

Either mental habit depletes joy, right?

Nevertheless, how much time do you spend on any given day in the past or future? How much in the present moment?

If joy only exists in the present moment, let’s consider how you can bring yourself into the now more and more.

One way would be to use these inspiring quotes from Thich Nhat Hahn as a reminder to return to the present moment and, once there, to touch into joy.

Read them daily. Put your favorites in a visible place so you see them often. Pin them to a bulletin board, stick them on your bathroom mirror, or place them behind a magnet on the door to your fridge.

Make it a practice to write one in your journal or planner daily.

Embrace these inspirational quotes even more deeply through journaling about each one. Explore one a week for seven weeks. Write about what it means to you, including your positive and challenging experiences related to the quote.

Get to know these quotes well so that when you feel pulled to the past or present, one immediately surfaces in your mind and prompts you to “Be here now!”

Let’s examine each quote and its meaning. I’ve interwoven a few mindfulness tips to enrich your understanding and practice.

Ready?

“When you contemplate the big, full sunrise, the more mindful and concentrated you are, the more the beauty of the sunrise is revealed to you.”

To fully experience a sunrise, don’t watch it with your eyes alone; engage as many senses as possible. As you delight in the brilliant colors, notice what you hear, feel, smell, or taste.

Perhaps you hear waves lapping, feel a cool breeze on your shoulders, smell the fragrance of nearby flowers, and taste the salty air. Mindfulness means keeping all your senses wide open.

When Thich Nhat Hahn says “concentrated,” he means fully present, not overly focused. Too much concentration brings tension, a common mistake those new to mindfulness or meditation make.

Instead, balance an alert mind with a relaxed mind for the best results in your mindfulness practice.

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

Feeling blue?

Smiling can elevate your mood. This 2010 study found that intentionally smiling when you feel down can boost your mood and increase positive thoughts.

Make it a practice to smile, even when you’re alone.

Smiling is contagious. It’s something you can do for yourself and others. Never fake it, of course. But remember, your smile could make a profound difference in someone’s day.

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”

Don’t equate mindfulness with moving like a turtle. After all, you must be extremely mindful to drive a race car successfully.

But in our busy times, when most of us multi-task at the speed of light, wouldn’t it be healing to slow down, get out of your head, and open yourself to the present moment?

Smiling can improve your mood, breathing can reduce stress, and going slowly allows you to notice all the beauty and goodness around you.

What a powerful trio!

“The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”

We all need to feel a connection to others. Even introverts desire connection, although they may prefer one or two people at a time.

When you attune to another through your mindful presence, they feel seen, heard, affirmed, and acknowledged. This attuned connection calms the nervous system and relieves stress, but there are a few provisos, which I explain in this piece: Connection: A Powerful Way to Ease Stress.

Connection naturally sets the stage for more joy.

“Anxiety, the illness of our time, comes primarily from our inability to live in the present moment.”

Anxiety and depression have skyrocketed in recent years. Mindfulness meditation, on the other hand, can help ease anxiety, depression, and pain.

We all have worries that block our joy, whether or not we have a clinical diagnosis of anxiety.

If you feel anxious or worried when lost in memories or anticipating the future, learn to bring your mind home to the present moment. Then, open your senses and reconnect with your environment in a way that sparks joy.

“We do not need to escape reality to harness the joy and peace that is possible with every breath we take — the power of mindfulness can heal us from the suffering caused by the many stresses that surround us.”

We often attempt to escape reality through addictive behaviors. Addictions may bring a transitory high, but so many troubles accompany them.

You might not be addicted to drugs or alcohol but beware of binge-watching Netflix, constantly browsing the internet, indulging in shopping sprees, or reaching for a box of cookies. You may be numbing yourself from feeling uncomfortable emotions.

What if you chose to be present to complicated feelings instead with an attitude of self-compassion?

Stay present with your feelings and how they manifest in your body without self-judgment. Notice the sensations that accompany the emotions without adding to the story. Feel the core emotion and observe how it might change into other feelings or dissolve altogether.

This won’t be easy at first. Begin with tiny increments. If you can be present with challenging emotions for 20 seconds, that’s a good start.

The more you repeat this process, the more you begin to see the transitory nature of thoughts and emotions. Where do they come from? Where do they go to? It’s all a mystery!

As you develop the ability to be mindful and present with your emotions, they slowly lose their power — even the difficult ones.

This takes time and practice but is the path to greater joy.

“The moment you wake up, right away, you can smile…. You are aware that a new day is beginning, that life is offering you twenty-four brand new hours to live, and that that’s the most precious of gifts.”

Decide to smile immediately upon waking. Take a moment to appreciate the gift of your life. Make this a daily practice, setting the stage for a more positive and joyful day.

Imagine how you’ll feel after 365 days of waking up and choosing joy.

Joy is not a random event that happens to you only on special occasions. Joy is an inner emotion that can be cultivated. With the right conditions, it can become a powerful force in one's life, like a seedling that grows into a majestic redwood tree.

In these inspiring quotes, Thich Nhat Hanh encourages us to be present in each moment, allowing ourselves more peace and joy. But ultimately, it’s not about seeking our happiness alone.

When we realize that everyone wants happiness and no one wants to suffer, our hearts open increasingly, and we feel interconnected with all humanity.

Make Joy a Habit

Here are a few takeaways:

• Joy only exists in the present moment.

• The more time you spend in the past or the future, the greater chance you’ll diminish your joy.

• Use these seven inspirational quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh to remind you to return to the present moment and connect with your immediate environment to spark joy. Read them aloud daily or put them in visible places so they become a constant reminder.

• When you feel joy, spread it to others.

I wish you limitless joy!

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