Action Quotes

All actions have consequences

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We are the sum of a huge number of free actions for which we are the only ones responsible.  – Matthieu Ricard & Trinh Xuan Thuan

Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.
– John Stuart Mill

Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.
– Plato

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A moral being is one who is capable of reflecting on his past actions and their motives – of approving of some and disapproving of others.
– Charles Darwin

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By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
– Confucius

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Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.
– Robert Louis Stevenson

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All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
– Buddha

The way you behave toward and relate to other people determines how they relate to and behave toward you.      – Brian Tracey

In order to change the nature of things, either within yourself or in others, one should change, not the events but those thoughts which created those events.  – Tolstoy

It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one’s life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than “try to be a little kinder.” – Aldous Huxley

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does  – William James

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.  – Aesop

There are ways of living the fulfilling and contented lives we all desire which do not require religious belief.  To build a harmonious and peaceful world we need mutual tolerance and understanding.  The most promising avenue is to be found in a system of secular ethics grounded in a deep appreciation of our common humanity.
– The 14th Dalai Lama

 Each act of generosity is a recognition of our interdependence.
– Jack Kornfield

Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.
– Buddha

Every conflict begins with thoughts of fear, animosity and aggression, which pass through some people’s minds and spread like wildfire.
– Matthieu Ricard

Our actions, our words and our thoughts determine the happiness and the suffering that will be our lot.  – Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Mistakes are lessons of wisdom.  The past cannot be changed.  The future is yet in your power.    – Phyllis Bottome

Aggressive words damage and hurt others. They can be thrown in someone else’s face, or hidden among jokes; they can even mean telling friends their faults to their faces.  The result of these actions is a scorching, arid and thorny environment.
–Kalu Rinpoche

Never speak harsh words for they will rebound upon you.  Angry words hurt and the hurt rebounds.     –Buddha

When anger rises, think of the consequences. ― Confucius

We are what we repeatedly do.  ― Aristotle

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Self-respect is the root of discipline:  The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.  ― Abraham Joshua Heschel.

Words should be coherent and controlled, clear and pleasant, and should be spoken in a calm and gentle voice; they should express neither desire nor hatred.
–Shantideva

Knowing that the other person is angry, one who remains mindful and calm acts for his own best interest and for the other’s interest, too.
– Buddha

It is better to do nothing than to do what is wrong.
For whatever you do, you do to yourself.
– Buddha

A man is not a great man because he is a warrior and kills other men; but because he hurts not any living being he in truth is called a great man.
– Buddha

The true optimist not only expects the best to happen, but goes to work to make the best happen. The true optimist not only looks upon the bright side, but trains every force that is in him to produce more and more brightness in his life.
– Christian D. Larson

Your beliefs about yourself and your world create your expectations.
Your expectations determine your attitude.
Your attitude determines your behaviour and the way you relate to other people.
And the way you behave toward and relate to other people determines how they relate to and behave toward you.
– Brian Tracey

Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.
– Albert Einstein

The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into habit;
And habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings.
As the shadow follows the body,
As we think, so we become.
– Buddha

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For suggestions for Practical Activities and Resources related to All Actions Have Consequences go to Choosing Wise Actions.

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