inner strength quotes

What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.

Nothing external to you has any power over you.

Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.

He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.

What you have outside you counts less than what you have inside you.

He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.

Talent is something that comes from within; it has nothing to do with age.

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else – means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.

Relish everything that’s inside of you, the imperfections, the darkness, the richness and light and everything. And that makes for a full life.

I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.

Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health.

Consider a tree for a moment. As beautiful as trees are to look at, we don’t see what goes on underground – as they grow roots. Trees must develop deep roots in order to grow strong and produce their beauty. But we don’t see the roots. We just see and enjoy the beauty. In much the same way, what goes on inside of us is like the roots of a tree.

Your love is not outside; it is deep within you. You can never lose it, and it cannot leave you. It is not dependent on some other body, some external form.

When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways – either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength. Thanks to the teachings of Buddha, I have been able to take this second way.

What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

A warrior is not a person that carries a gun. The biggest war you ever go through is right between your own ears. It’s in your mind. We’re all going through a war in our mind, and we have to callus our mind to fight that war and to win that war.

We have a choice about how we take what happens to us in our life and whether or not we allow it to turn us. We can become consumed by hate and darkness, or we’re able to regain our humanity somehow, or come to terms with things and learn something about ourselves.

The pressure of adversity does not affect the mind of the brave man… It is more powerful than external circumstances.

What I am looking for is not out there, it is in me.

Physical strength can never permanently withstand the impact of spiritual force.

I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great pope, Self.

You have within you right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you.

To live alone is the fate of all great souls.

In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.

Fight with a happy heart.

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.

I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.

Trouble has no necessary connection with discouragement. Discouragement has a germ of its own, as different from trouble as arthritis is different from a stiff joint.

Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience.

I more fear what is within me than what comes from without.

In the struggle between yourself and the world second the world.

Nobody can hurt me without my permission.

Courage is a kind of salvation.

Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.

I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.