100 Meditation Quotes (For Less Stress And More Calmness)

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder and chief editor of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm, peaceful and powerful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.

My #1 habit to feel calm and peaceful?

Meditation.

I’ve been meditating daily for 20+ minutes since 2015 and it changed my life.

Inspired by this, I wanted to share with you 100 of the most impactful meditation quotes I’ve collected over the years.

What’s my goal?

To inspire you to slow down, relax and enjoy this moment, as it is.

You’ll discover quotes by Einstein, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Gandhi, and many more.

Happy reading!

meditation quotes evasion serene encounter with reality thich nhat hanh wisdom woman standing mountain nature

Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality. Thich Nhat Hanh

Learn to be calm and you will always be happy. Paramahansa Yogananda

When you truly know yourself, you don’t try to impress people anymore. One way to know yourself is to meditate. Maxime Lagacé

Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. James Allen

Whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. What is soft is strong. Lao Tzu

meditation quotes mastered mind unwavering like flame candle windless place bhagavad gita wisdom sea water beach sun nature

When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a candle in a windless place. Bhagavad Gita

The best meditation is effortless. The best meditation is a gentle awareness. Maxime Lagacé

Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul. Marcus Aurelius

Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges. So relax. Bryant McGill

When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. Lao Tzu

meditation quotes quiet the mind soul will speak ma jaha sati bhagavati wisdom

Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak. Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati

When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace. Unknown

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. Buddha

Learn to slow down. Get lost intentionally. Observe how you judge both yourself and those around you. Tim Ferriss

Suffering is due to our disconnection with the inner soul. Meditation is establishing that connection. Amit Ray

The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. James Allen

Related

A few thoughts on meditation…

Most people are busy all the time.

In the modern world, doing nothing and relaxing may even seem strange and useless to some people.

Fortunately, I’ve been lucky enough to discover meditation after I’ve listened to many interviews by Tim Ferriss.

80% of the time, his podcast guests (all world-class in their fields) told Tim that they practiced meditation.

That’s when I decided to give it a shot.

How did I start?

By doing 5 minutes each morning just before starting to work.

After around 30 days, I noticed my mind stopped racing a little bit and I was feeling less stressed.

I then increased my meditation routine to 10-15 minutes.

Today, I still practice meditation for 20 minutes every day and even more sometimes.

Besides my daily run, it’s THE habit that contributes the most to my well-being.

And you, do you meditate?

If not, I suggest you give it a try.

The Best Meditation Quotes And Thoughts

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Whatever state I am in, I see it as a state of mind to be accepted as it is. Nisargadatta Maharaj

Meditation is the art of doing nothing. Naval Ravikant

Praying is talking to the Universe. Meditation is listening to it. Paulo Coelho

A few conscious-hearted, sincere, and energetic men and women can do more in a year than a mob in a century. Swami Vivekananda

To really do nothing, with perfection, is as difficult as doing everything. Alan Watts

Live the actual moment. Only this actual moment is life. Thich Nhat Hanh

Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated? David M. Bader

You have a treasure within you that is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer. Eckhart Tolle

Wisdom comes with the ability to be still. Just look and listen. No more is needed. Eckhart Tolle

Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already. Pema Chödrön

The mind is definitely something that can be transformed, and meditation is a means to transform it. 14th Dalai Lama

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

A quiet mind is more important than a positive mind. Deepak Chopra

In practicing meditation, we’re not trying to live up to some kind of ideal – quite the opposite. We’re just being with our experience, whatever it is. Pema Chödrön

Buddha spent six years meditating on the essence, causes, and cures for human anguish. In the end, he came to the realization that suffering is not caused by ill fortune, by social injustice, or by divine whims. Rather, suffering is caused by the behavior patterns of one’s minds. Yuval Noah Harari (Sapiens)

You are more than just your mind. You are more than just your habits. You are more than just your preferences. You’re a level of awareness. Naval Ravikant

To be concentrated means to live fully in the present. Erich Fromm

Whatever anyone does or says, I must be emerald and keep my colour. Marcus Aurelius

Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment. Alan Watts

Paradise is not a place, it’s a state of consciousness. Sri Chinmoy

What Is Meditation?

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Meditation is all about connecting with your soul. Deepak Chopra

Meditation is the ultimate mobile device; you can use it anywhere, anytime, unobtrusively. Sharon Salzberg

Meditation is intermittent fasting for the mind. Too much sugar leads to a heavy body, and too many distractions lead to a heavy mind. Time spent undistracted and alone, in self-examination, journaling, meditation, resolves the unresolved and takes us from mentally fat to fit. Naval Ravikant

Meditation is freedom from thought and a movement in the ecstasy of truth. Meditation is explosion of intelligence. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Meditation is to be aware of every thought and of every feeling, never to say it is right or wrong but just to watch it and move with it. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Meditation could be said to be the Art of Simplicity: simply sitting, simply breathing and simply being. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Meditation is not a withdrawal from life. Meditation is a process of understanding oneself. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Meditation is a death – death of all that you are now. Of course there will be a resurrection, but that will be a totally new, fresh original being which you are not even aware is hidden in you. Osho

Meditation is a way for nourishing and blossoming the divine within you. Amit Ray

Meditation is not spacing-out or running away. In fact, it is being totally honest with ourselves. Kathleen McDonald

Mindfulness meditation is the embrace of any and all mind states in awareness, without preferring one to another. Jon Kabat-Zinn

That’s an essential survival thing. Jerry Seinfeld

Part 2. Mediation Quotes That Are…

The Most Famous Meditation Quotes

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Seeking a famous meditation quote? Check out those by Dalai Lama, Bruce Lee, Carl Jung, etc.

Confine yourself to the present. Marcus Aurelius

Sleep is the best meditation. 14th Dalai Lama

All of man’s difficulties are caused by his inability to sit, quietly, in a room by himself. Blaise Pascal

On what meditation did for him: Everything. You know, one of the great things of meditation is it makes stress very easy to get rid of. It just kind of floats away instead of like finding a home in your mind. You learn how to just let go of things. Jerry Seinfeld

If you just sit and observe, you will see how restless your mind is. If you try to calm it, it only makes it worse, but over time it does calm, and when it does, there’s room to hear more subtle things – that’s when your intuition starts to blossom and you start to see things more clearly and be in the present more. Your mind just slows down, and you see a tremendous expanse in the moment. You see so much more than you could see before. Steve Jobs

The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness. Lao Tzu

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed. Thich Nhat Hanh

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. Carl Jung

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. Albert Einstein

Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more. Mother Teresa

Through meditation, the higher self is experienced. Bhagavad Gita

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One hour of contemplation surpasses sixty years of worship. Muhammad

We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. Swami Vivekananda

I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind. Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself. Hermann Hesse

If it weren’t for my mind, my meditation would be excellent. Pema Chödrön

Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man. Benjamin Franklin

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. Bruce Lee

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few. Shunryu Suzuki

The best cure for the body is a quiet mind. Napoleon Bonaparte

Short Meditation Quotes

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

Meditate. Slow down. There’s no rush. Maxime Lagacé

Life is available only in the present moment. Thich Nhat Hanh

Meditation is the action of silence. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Breathe and let be. Jon Kabat-Zinn

The act of meditation is being spacious. Sogyal Rinpoche

Meditation is the act of stopping to deny what is. Sven Schnieders

To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are. Eric Hoffer

Self-observation is the first step of inner unfolding. Amit Ray

The best meditation is being genuinely curious about the contents of your own mind. Naval Ravikant (Source)

Mind only thinks, meditation lives. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

The quiet mind is richer than a crown. Robert Greene

A meditator is both an artist and a warrior. Thich Nhat Hanh

How To Meditate? Our Best Tips And Quotes

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Don’t know how to meditate?

Don’t know where to start?

Here are the best tips and quotes on meditation I’ve found over the years.

And remember, meditation is about consistency, not intensity.

It’s better to do it for 5 minutes each day than 30 minutes once per week.

Also, keep it simple:

Find a calm place
Sit in a comfortable chair
Close your eyes
Just observe your thoughts and the present moment
Don’t try to control your mind
Beginner tip #1: repeat to yourself “I am present”
Beginner tip #2: focus on your breath if you prefer

The goal of meditation?

To see how your mind is out of control.

It’s always trying to predict the future and regret the past.

It’s never in the present.

Too much planning and regretting is stressful, useless, and lead to misery.

However, being present leads to inner peace.

Now, here are the tips and quotes on meditation:

One conscious breath in and out is a meditation. Eckhart Tolle

I just started with watching my breath and evolved from there. Naval Ravikant

Don’t try to solve anything, just “be”. Maxime Lagacé

No apps, no noise, no guidance. Sit in a comfortable position first thing in the morning, back upright, but ok to use cushions etc.. One hour at a time, no less. Just surrender to and accept whatever happens. No energy for and no energy against. Resist and reject nothing. Naval Ravikant

No effort. You’re just going to sit there and let whatever happens happen. Naval Ravikant

No intentions, just be. There can’t be any formula. It’s available to everyone or not at all. Naval Ravikant

If you have thoughts that’s perfectly ok. Let the thoughts happen. The key word is Surrender (to whatever is happening). Naval Ravikant

Tell yourself when you sit down, “my job is to do nothing. I’m taking a well deserved break from myself. Naval Ravikant

It’s hard to recommend a routine as it’s the ultimate single-player game. Try them all and see which one works for you. Naval Ravikant (Try routine 1, routine 2, routine 3)

Pick a dark, quiet place, first thing in the morning, just sit and observe (your breath). Let everything go, surrender to what happens. One hour per day for one week straight. Naval Ravikant

Sit down, close your eyes, get in a comfortable position, and whatever happens, happens. If you think, you think. If you don’t think, you don’t think. Don’t put any effort into it. Naval Ravikant

Meditation is not about trying to feel more relaxed. Meditation is about understanding the mind and becoming more at ease with the mind. Andy Puddicombe (Source)

If you are scoring points on meditation, you are doing it wrong. Naval Ravikant

When sitting in meditation, say, “That’s not my business!” with every thought that comes by. Ajahn Chah

When you begin to meditate you may notice changes right away. Or nothing much may seem to change. Don’t count on anything dramatic. Most changes happen slowly. Ram Dass

Meditate every single day. Not once in a while. Every single day. Khensu

Related: Headspace: Meditation and Sleep Made Simple (meditation app)

Conclusion

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To pray and work in the morning and to labor and rest in the afternoon, and to sit still again in meditation in the evening when night falls upon that land and when the silence fills itself with darkness and with stars. This is a true and special vocation. There are few who are willing to belong completely to such silence, to let it soak into their bones, to breathe nothing but silence, to feed on silence, and to turn the very substance of their life into a living and vigilant silence. Thomas Merton

Just sit, breathe, and pay attention to what it’s like to be you. Nothing to add. Nothing to take away. Nothing to fix, or change or do. Just you – sitting, breathing, paying attention. You are welcome here. Here you belong. Here you are enough. Breathe. Jason Garner

Let’s recap:

Meditation is the art of closing your eyes and doing nothing, for 2 minutes or more.
Even taking one breath, consciously, is meditation.
The benefits of meditation?
- Less affected by events
- Less rumination
- Less stress
- More presence
- More creativity
What happens when you meditate? You get to know yourself, which leads to inner peace.
Want to see clearly? Want to see reality? Learn to meditate today!