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 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
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
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
- 140 Calm Quotes To Help You Cool Down
- 100 Zen Quotes To Bring Stillness Into Your Life
- 100 Letting Go Quotes To Help You Live Free
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
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?
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
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
Do you want to become wiser than 95% of people?
Get our daily quotes by email today!
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
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
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
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!
Further Readings
- Topic: Happiness
- 81 Happiness Quotes That Will Light Up Your Day 😄
- 100 Spiritual Quotes To Nourish Your Soul
- The Scientific Power of Meditation (YouTube video)
- 50 Best Meditation Books of All Time (positivepsychology.com)
- 170 Silence Quotes To Make You Feel Grounded
- 100 Solitude Quotes That Will Soothe You
- 100 Mind Quotes To Make You Wiser
- 100 Mental Health Quotes To Comfort, Encourage, Inspire
- How To Improve Your Mental Health
- How To Be Happy
Hope you enjoyed these beautiful meditation quotes. If you did, please share them with a friend today!
Do you meditate? What’s your favorite meditation quote? Please let us know in the comment section below!
Meditation Video
1 Year of Meditation: What I’ve Learned
Table Of Contents
Part 1
Top 16 Images
Best Quotes
What Is Meditation?
Part 2
Meditation Quotes That ARE
Famous
Short
Part 3
How To Meditate?
Part 4
Conclusion
Video
Very very helpful quotes, am very appreciative.
I encourage everyone to meditate.
Thank you thank you so much.
Happy you liked Sekyaya. 🙂
Meditation is indeed powerful.
It has been a revelation for me.
So much relief and peace.
Best,
Maxime
I really appreciate these wonderful quotes that you have provided for us. I assure this would be beneficial for most of the people 😉
Glad you liked Defran!
Meditation gives our soul peace of mind. Before, when I was not meditating, I was constantly in a rush, but now I feel calm permanently. This is very cool, I really advise everyone to try meditation for themselves. I only managed to meditate on 8 of my attempts, it’s not easy, but it’s definitely worth it. It is also important to finish all your affairs before the meditation, then it will be easier to relax and meditate well. Sometimes I substitute meditation for yoga, but that is still not the case. And your quotes are just wonderful, after them, you immediately want to meditate!
Hi Sophie,
you’re right, meditation gives our soul “space to live”.
Also I’ve found that a daily 10 minute session is enough for me to feel the benefits.
I think people should not be so intimidated by it and start with only a few minutes.
The goal is not the number of minutes we put in it, but more about the habit of doing it.
Thank you,
Maxime
Excellent compilation. One of the best I found. I will use some of them as I post once a week for a meditation group.
I would like to share with you one of my favourites “Awareness is the essence of meditation”, Mingyur Rinpoche.
BTW, I was so surprised with the quote from Voltaire, that I checked if really was from him.
Regards,
Carles
Hi Carles,
no problem for sharing them.
Best,
Maxime