Daisaku Ikeda Quotes

"With love and patience, nothing is impossible."

"Japan learned from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the tragedy wrought by nuclear weapons must never be repeated and that humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist."

"There are no greater treasures than the highest human qualities such as compassion, courage and hope. Not even tragic accident or disaster can destroy such treasures of the heart."

"A person, who no matter how desperate the situation, gives others hope, is a true leader."

"Divorced from the cosmos, from nature, from society and from each other, we have become fractured and fragmented."

"A genuinely happy person is one who has rendered others happy."

"When one takes action for others, one's own suffering is transformed into the energy that can keep one moving forward; a light of hope illuminating a new tomorrow for oneself and others is kindled."

"You must not for one instant give up the effort to build new lives for yourselves. Creativity means to push open the heavy, groaning doorway to life."

"But I think we need to remember that democracy everywhere is by its nature incomplete, a work in progress."

"No one should be left to suffer alone."

"We are not merely passive pawns of historical forces; nor are we victims of the past. We can shape and direct history."

"The reactions of the human heart are not mechanical and predictable but infinitely subtle and delicate."

"The effects of human rights education can be dramatic in awakening people to the value and power of their own lives, as shown in the following stories."

"Where there is an absence of international political leadership, civil society should step in to fill the gap, providing the energy and vision needed to move the world in a new and better direction."

"History is filled with tragic examples of wars that result from diplomatic impasse. Whether in our local communities or in international relations, the skillful use of our communicative capacities to negotiate and resolve differences is the first evidence of human wisdom."

"Likewise, education can direct people toward good or evil ends. When education is based on a fundamentally distorted worldview, the results are horrific."

"I believe that we must maintain pride in the knowledge that the actions we take, based on our own decisions and choices as individuals, link directly to the magnificent challenge of transforming human history."

"The eyes of a poet discover in each person a unique and irreplaceable humanity. While arrogant intellect seeks to control and manipulate the world, the poetic spirit bows with reverence before its mysteries."

"It is crucial that we develop real awareness of ourselves as citizens of Earth, linked by mutual and indissoluble bonds. When we clearly recognize this reality and ground ourselves in it, we are compelled to take a strict accounting of our way of life."

"Human rights will be a powerful force for the transformation of reality when they are not simply understood as externally defined norms of behavior but are lived as the spontaneous manifestation of internalized values."

"Living here on Earth, we breathe the rhythms of a universe that extends infinitely above us. When resonant harmonies arise between this vast outer cosmos and the inner human cosmos, poetry is born."

"A healthy vision of the future is not possible without an accurate knowledge of the past."

"The problems of aging present an opportunity to rethink our social and personal lives in order to ensure the dignity and welfare of each individual."

"The idea of interdependence is central to Buddhism, which holds that all things come into being through the mutual interactions of various causes and conditions."

"No one is born hating others."

"The determination to win is the better part of winning."

"A great revolution in just one single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a society and, further, will enable a change in the destiny of humankind."

"So long as nuclear weapons continue to exist, so will the temptation to threaten others with overwhelming military force."

"A commitment to human rights cannot be fostered simply through the transmission of knowledge. Action and experience play a crucial role in the learning process."

"It is only through such real-life daily struggles and challenges that a genuine sensitivity to human rights can be inculcated. This is a truth that is not limited to school education: it applies to all of us."