A selection of quotes from Daisaku Ikeda’s published works on inspiration for daily living.
2024-11-21
Month
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
01 November
Having the compassion to care for another person’s life itself becomes a powerful desire for peace.
02 November
Friendship and peace are not abstractions. They are a matter of how we treat those in our immediate environment. This is the road to real peace.
03 November
Our ability to empathize with others starts with having the capacity to imagine their sufferings. Consideration for others is the fruition of the ability to put ourselves in their shoes.
04 November
Those who withdraw into their own small shell, wishing only for their own happiness will never become truly happy. True happiness comes only when both you and those around you become happy.
05 November
Earnest determination is the source of limitless vitality and wisdom.
06 November
All people have strengths and shortcomings. Therefore, all you have to do is look at yourself, discover your good points and then try to develop them further. This, too, will create something of value.
07 November
When we overcome our challenges, we show people who are struggling with the same issues—indeed, all people—a new path to victory, giving them hope and courage.
08 November
In the process of challenging and achieving one immediate goal after another, we can forge the way for a glorious future for ourselves. A winner in life is someone who successfully surmounts each day’s hurdles.
09 November
We are not defeated by adversity but by the loss of the will to strive. However devastated you may feel, so long as you have the will to fight on, you can surely triumph.
10 November
Wherever the sun shines, all is bathed in the light of hope and flowers of happiness bloom in profusion.
11 November
Happiness is something we build ourselves. It is not something given to us by others.
12 November
The struggle with illness leads us to understand human life fully and forges in us an indomitable spirit.
13 November
The words we choose are important. To speak thoughtfully, attentive to the words we use, at tests to the depth of our consideration as a human being.
14 November
When we are grateful, we feel joy. When we are joyful, we also feel courageous. That leads us to want to do our utmost to show our appreciation to others.
15 November
Words spoken from the heart and filled with a powerful wish for someone’s happiness can deeply touch that person’s life and revive his or her spirit, even becoming a source of lifelong inspiration.
16 November
Human revolution [inner transformation] means constantly turning our mind, our focus, in the direction of hope and progress.
17 November
Fighting spirit spreads like fire from one person to another. A leader’s daring spirit will kindle flames of enthusiasm and inspire an entire organization.
18 November
Soka, meaning “value creation,” embodies our commitment as the Soka Gakkai to build a society whose guiding principle is the realization of happiness for both oneself and others through bringing into full play the human capacity to create value.
19 November
Humanism is not a special way of living; it’s the simple act of empathizing with others’ feelings—reaching out and encouraging those who are striving hard or suffering, and sharing the joys of those who are happy.
20 November
Unless we view things with our hearts, we can see nothing. But if we look at the world with a love of life, it will reveal its beauty to us.
21 November
When we awaken to a sense of mission, we can break through the barriers that are holding us back.
22 November
A person’s true worth is revealed at a crucial moment. What matters is our action at such a time, how earnestly and wholeheartedly we respond.
23 November
In any endeavor, the beginning is crucial. The initial steps we take can determine the results 10 or even 50 years hence.
24 November
A person fully awakened to the jewel-like dignity of their own life is capable of truly respecting that same treasure in others.
25 November
Sometimes, just a few words can cause a person worry or hurt. Similarly, just a few words can reassure or inspire courage.
26 November
Peace is a competition between despair and hope, between disempowerment and committed persistence.
27 November
The key to building a peaceful and humane global society in the twenty-first century lies in developing our ability to respect diversity and learn from different values and cultures.
28 November
A powerful resolve is the cause for great victory.
29 November
To the extent that we reflect on ourselves and elevate our state of life, we can deepen our understanding of others. Someone who does so is capable of treasuring other people’s individuality.
30 November
Dialogue is an adventure, an adventure available to anyone. And sometimes it’s an adventure whose outcome can change history.
