Daisaku Ikeda Quotes

The real duty of man is not to extend his power or multiply his wealth beyond his needs, but to enrich and enjoy his imperishable possession: his soul.

Happiness, contentment, the health and growth of the soul, depend, as men have proved over and over again, upon some simple issue, some single turning of the soul.

Our own self-realization is the greatest service we can render the world.

One way or another, we all have to find what best fosters the flowering of our humanity in this contemporary life, and dedicate ourselves to that.

My life isn't focused on results. My life is really focused on the process of doing all the things I'm doing, from work to relationships to friendships to charitable work.

Those who run after happiness will never be happy. Happiness is something that has to come to the fore from within.

There's more to life than physical and material.

Stardom is no longer the fuel of my soul. It is the deeper aspects of life that nurture me. And I realise I am very blessed.

After all it is those who have a deep and real inner life who are best able to deal with the irritating details of outer life.

Through a long and painful process, I've learned that happiness is an inside job - not based on anything or anyone in the outer material world. I've become a different and better person - not perfect, but still a work in progress.

People have to know there is more to living than physical things.

I would say I'm quite happy in my life the majority of the time. Earlier in my life I was more questioning, overly trying to figure things out. I like this way much better.

Don't go through life, grow through life.

I would like to learn, or remember, how to live.

I've worked all my life to shed myself of any character.

The only currency I value is the coin of the spirit. That's very important in my life.

One secures the gold of the spirit when he finds himself.

Eventually, we reach the point where we start to realize that we are not going to find peace, contentment, happiness, strength, fearlessness - all of the things that in our heart of hearts we wish we had - outside of us.

At this point in my life I'm not bent on proving anything, really.

I've got a lot of opportunities, a lot of love in my life, a lot of things going for me. Still, it's not complete. I know this is not the whole thing. There's much more.

Seek not good from without: seek it within yourselves, or you will never find it.

My theory on life is that life is beautiful. Life doesn't change. You have a day, and a night, and a month, and a year. We people change - we can be miserable or we can be happy. It's what you make of your life.

The man who can centre his thoughts and hopes upon something transcending self can find a certain peace in the ordinary troubles of life, which is impossible to the pure egoist.

My main hope for myself is to be where I am.

I think my capacity to change has given me tremendous happiness, because who I am today I am completely content to be.