140 Calm Quotes To Help You Cool Down

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder and chief editor of WisdomQuotes. He has been writing and collecting quotes since 2004. He's also into personal development and productivity. Most of all, he's dedicated to help you live a simpler and more peaceful life. Learn more about him on his about page.

Here are 140 of the best calm quotes I could find. Hope you’ll find them useful if you’re going through tough times or if you simply need to cool down a bit. You’ll discover quotes by Buddha, Emerson, Rumi, Marcus Aurelius, and more. Enjoy!

Stay centered by accepting whatever happens to you. This is the ultimate. Chuang Tzu

The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength. Marcus Aurelius

A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought – they must be earned. Naval Ravikant

Your life will be in order when disorder ceases to bother you. James Pierce

People should learn how to just be there, doing nothing. Thich Nhat Hanh

calm quotes you cant force raging water have leave alone return its natural flow emotions same way thibaut wisdom

You can’t force raging water to be calm. You have to leave it alone and let it return to its natural flow. Emotions are the same way. @Thibaut

Insight emerges out of silence. B. D. Schiers

When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere. François de La Rochefoucauld

If he cannot stop the mind that seeks after fame and profit, he will spend his life without finding peace. Dogen

Understand: presence of mind is the ability to detach yourself, to see the whole battlefield, the whole picture, with clarity. Robert Greene

calm quotes those who act with few desires without worry fear buddha wisdom beach mountain water

Those who act with few desires are calm, without worry or fear. Buddha

To be calm is the highest achievement of the self. Zen proverb

Decide that wherever you are, is the best place there is. Once you start comparing, there’s no end to it. Sodo Yokoyama

Fear of change is a human instinct. Embracing change is a superhuman ability. Justin Kan

Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. Chinese proverb

Related: relax, inner peace, stoic, strength

The Best Calm Quotes

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No state is so bitter than a calm mind cannot find in it some consolation. Seneca

Rushing into action, you fail. Trying to grasp things, you lose them. Forcing a project to completion, you ruin what was almost ripe. Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, Amazon book)

With no desire, at rest and still, all things go right as of their will. Lao Tzu

Everything that happens is as simple and familiar as the rose in spring, the fruit in summer: disease, death, blasphemy, conspiracy… everything that makes stupid people happy and angry. Marcus Aurelius

To shrug it all off and wipe it clean — every annoyance and distraction — and reach utter stillness. Child’s play. Marcus Aurelius

The smarter you get, the more you appreciate silence. @orangebook_

On average, the deeper people’s knowledge of a topic, the more calmly they talk about it. Paul Graham

An infinite reservoir of cosmic wisdom resides in the depths of contemplation. Roy Gillett

Hurrying and delaying are alike ways of trying to resist the present. Alan Watts

To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden. Seneca

One thing we do know: Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment. Eckhart Tolle

Attain peace with self-understanding. Attain self-understanding with silence. Maxime Lagacé

Short-term thinking makes people desperate, ungenerous, impulsive. Long-term thinking makes people calm, gracious, controlled. The mighty pyramids and cathedrals were built by civilizations with a long time horizon, so it is with the life of a great man. @TheStoicEmperor

Let come what comes, and accommodate yourself to that, whatever it is. Henepola Gunaratana

If you feel offended about something, you haven’t been meditating enough. If you feel the need to defend yourself, or justify your opinion, you haven’t been meditating enough. If you can’t take joy in sitting under a tree on a beautiful day, you haven’t been meditating enough. Thibaut (Related quote topic: meditation)

Some time in your day today, try to turn off all the noises you can around you, and give yourself some ‘quiet time.’ In the silence, let yourself think about something. Or if possible, think about nothing. Fred Rogers

You don’t solve a maze by rushing through. You have to stop and think. You have to walk slowly and carefully, reining in your energy – otherwise you’ll get hopelessly lost. Ryan Holiday (Stillness Is the Key, Amazon book)

You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you need to breathe, calm down, look around, and improvise. Creativity is the key of life. Paulo Coelho

What you do not react to cannot drag you down in a futile engagement. Robert Greene

Related: thought of the day

Part 2. Calm Quotes That Are…

The Most Famous Calm Quotes

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Want more more famous quotes? Check out those by Churchill, Dalai Lama, Einstein, etc.

Keep calm and carry on. Winston Churchill

There is peace even in the storm. Vincent van Gogh

A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness. Albert Einstein

All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone. Blaise Pascal

I will be calm. I will be mistress of myself. Jane Austen

It takes a calm mind to be able to consider things from different angles and points of view. 14th Dalai Lama

Compassion enhances our self-confidence because a calm mind allows our marvellous human intelligence to bloom. When we’re angry, our thinking is distorted and we don’t see the different aspects of reality. A calm mind enables us to take a broader, more realistic view. 14th Dalai Lama

We don’t realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme self who is eternally at peace. Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love, Amazon book)

To a mind that is still, the entire universe surrenders. Zhuangzi

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Calm seas never made a good sailor. Franklin D. Roosevelt

I just feel that there isn’t enough silence, and I’m always asking people if they can just give some silence. Fred Rogers

Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions — not outside. Marcus Aurelius (Meditations, Amazon book)

Life isn’t as serious as my mind makes it out to be. Eckhart Tolle

Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. Ralph Waldo Emerson

The most effective way to convince people is quietly. Yoko Ono

Short Calm Quotes

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One-liners, short quotes, sayings, thoughts and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, backgrounds.

Calm is a superpower. Brené Brown

Freedom is a calm mind. Shane Parrish

Still waters run deep. English proverb

When you lose your temper, you lose your power. Rakesh Valand (Source)

In the madness, you have to find calm. Lupita Nyong’o

Take it easy, and remember “easy is right.” Osho

Learn to slow down. Get lost intentionally. Tim Ferriss

More patience, more presence, less anxiety. Naval Ravikant

Always study to secure your permanent peace. Publilius Syrus

Be an island of calm in the sea of craziness. @TheAncientSage

Train your mind to be calm in every situation. Unknown

The only thing you control is how you respond. Maxime Lagacé

You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather. Pema Chödrön

In a hyperactive world, stillness is the deepest rebellion. Donna D’Cruz

Calmness is the cradle of power. Josiah Gilbert Holland

If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place. Eckhart Tolle

Rushing or hurrying is creating what you don’t want. Relax. Rhonda Byrne (Source)

Inspirational Calm Quotes

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Remember: we don’t control what happens, we control how we respond. Ryan Holiday

Nothing can disturb the calm peace of my soul. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Do you pay regular visits to yourself? Start now. Rumi

When you keep the peace with yourself, you also bring peace to others. Rhonda Byrne

Being confident and outspoken is overrated. Being present and calm is underrated. Maxime Lagacé

Having a calm and compassionate mind enables us to use our natural intelligence more effectively. 14th Dalai Lama

When the mind is calm, how quickly, how smoothly, how beautifully you will perceive everything. Paramahansa Yogananda

The ability to stay calm and polite, even when people upset you, is a superpower. Vala Afshar (Source)

Everything turns on your assumptions about it, and that’s on you. You can pluck out the hasty judgment at will, and like steering a ship around the point, you will find calm seas, fair weather and a safe port. Marcus Aurelius

Everyone at a high level has a huge amount of chess understanding, and much of what separates the great from the very good is deep presence, relaxation of the conscious mind, which allows the unconscious to flow unhindered. Josh Waitzkin (The Art of Learning, Amazon book)

Before embarking on important undertakings, sit quietly, calm your senses and thoughts, and meditate deeply. You will then be guided by the great creative power of Spirit. Paramahansa Yogananda

The further the reward from the effort, the thinner the competition. Patience is the gatekeeper. Johnny Uzan

Our best and most lasting work comes from when we take things slow. Ryan Holiday (Stillness Is the Key)

If you want to be effective in business, you need a clear, calm, cool, collected mind. Naval Ravikant

Your sacred space is where you can find yourself over and over again. Joseph Campbell

You can control so much of your state of mind just by breathing. Justin Kan

Related: 12 Quick Mini-Meditations to Calm Your Mind and Body (psychologytoday.com)

Funny Calm Quotes

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Family vacations are the ultimate test of one’s equanimity. James Pierce

The ideal of calm exists in a sitting cat. Jules Renard

Always ask yourself: “What will happen if I say nothing?” Kamand Kojouri

If solitude is the school of genius, then the crowded, busy world is the purgatory of the idiot. Ryan Holiday (Stillness is the Key)

Be like a duck, paddling and working very hard inside the water, but what everyone sees is a smiling and calm face. Manoj Arora

In dealing with fools you must adopt the following philosophy: they are simply a part of life, like rocks or furniture. Robert Greene

When working alongside fools, do not fight them. Instead think of them the way you think of children, or pets, not important enough to affect your mental balance. Robert Greene

Fame and tranquility can never be bedfellows. Michel de Montaigne

Deep Calm Sayings

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You can’t buy a calm mind, you have to earn it. Shane Parrish

Until we know that death is equal to life, we live in fear. Byron Katie

Happiness and sadness alike are an assault on equanimity. James Pierce

The wise have self-understanding. The wisest have indifference too. Maxime Lagacé

At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it. Thich Nhat Hanh

The modern mind is overstimulated and the modern body is understimulated and overfed. Meditation, exercise, and fasting restore an ancient balance. Naval Ravikant

The chaos you see outside is within you. It’s your own projection. When you’re calm from within, you cease to create chaos without. And even if the external chaos is there, it no longer affects you. The world is turbulent if you’re turbulent. It’s calm when you’re calm. @TheAncientSage

Freedom is only for he who views happiness and sorrow as stray dogs barking in the night. Such a man needs neither self-help or spirituality. He needs neither fortune or blessings. For he lives the sort of life that almost no man can fathom. Kapil Gupta

I’m not doing anything, and yet I’m also doing the most important thing a man can do: I’m listening to what I needed to hear from myself. Paulo Coelho (Like The Flowing River)

The very desire to find shortcuts makes you eminently unsuited for any kind of mastery. Robert Greene

It is the vice of a vulgar mind to be thrilled by bigness. E. M. Forster

Do not view mountains from the scale of human thought. Dogen

Wise Calm Sayings And Proverbs

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If you want to travel the Way of Buddhas and Zen masters, then expect nothing, seek nothing, and grasp nothing. Dogen

Next time you have to make a decision, be sure to breathe in and out first. Thich Nhat Hanh

Just study Buddhism. Don’t follow the sentiments of the world. Dogen

When you try to stay on the surface of the water, you sink; but when you try to sink, you float. Zen proverb

Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself. Zen proverb

Only through constant self-awareness and self-knowledge can there be inward tranquillity. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Once you stop seeking outside what’s already inside, you become free and calm. Maxime Lagacé

The Master takes action by letting things take their course. He remains as calm at the end as at the beginning. Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)

It is not wise to rush about. If too much energy is used, exhaustion follows. This is not the way of Tao. Lao Tzu

Best be still; best be empty. In stillness and emptiness we find where to abide. Talking and moving we lose the place. Lao Tzu

Using order to deal with the disorderly, using calm to deal with the clamorous, is mastering the heart. Sun Tzu (The Art of War, Amazon book)

There is a simple way to become Buddha: When you refrain from unwholesome actions, are not attached to birth and death, and are compassionate toward all sentient beings, respectful to seniors and kind to juniors, not excluding or desiring anything, with no designing thoughts or worries, you will be called a Buddha. Do not seek anything else. Dogen

Prolong not the past. Invite not the future. Do not alter your innate wakefulness. Fear not appearances. There is nothing more than this. Ram Dass

The wise speak softly, for their words do not attempt to convince. James Pierce

The struggle is great, the task divine — to gain mastery, freedom, happiness, and tranquility. Epictetus

When you understand something, then it naturally calms you down. Naval Ravikant

The measure of wisdom is how calm you are when facing any given situation. Naval Ravikant

Everything is fine until you believe it’s not. Byron Katie

Calm Quotes: The Conclusion

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Don’t be too quick to interpret the moment. Just keep quiet. My encouragement would always be: never think anything is against you, everything is a blessing. Why should it be different? Just be quiet. Let it all work itself out. Mooji

Let’s recap:

The best way to stay calm? Accept whatever happens, as if you have chosen it.
Remember: Life is messy, fast, uncontrollable, unpredictable.
Learn to just “be” from time to time. Being busy leads to misery.
The benefits of being calm?
Quick tips to stay calm?
- Breathe deeply and slowly (See 8 techniques here)
- Have positive self-talk
- Stay organized by using lists
- Take a walk in nature
- Learn about meditation