110+ Daisaku Ikeda Quotes On Happiness, Hope And Victory

Daisaku Ikeda is a Japanese writer, philosopher, peace activist, and the president of the Soka Gakkai International, a Buddhist organisation. He is the author of over 100 books and has written extensively on Buddhist philosophy, peace studies, and education. Ikeda is also the founder of several educational, cultural, and peace research institutions, including the Min-On Concert Association, the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, and the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Daisaku Ikeda on life, happiness, hope.

Top 10 Daisaku Ikeda Quotes

1. If you lose today, win tomorrow. In this never-ending spirit of challenge is the heart of a victor.
2. If you lose today, win tomorrow. In this never-ending spirit of challenge is the heart of a victor.
3. With love and patience, nothing is impossible.
4. You must not for one instant give up the effort to build new lives for yourselves. Creativity means to push open the heavy, groaning doorway to life.
5. What may look like a small act of courage is courage nevertheless. The important thing is to be willing to take a step forward.
6. Freedom doesn't mean the absence of all restrictions. It means possessing unshakable conviction in the face of any obstacle.
7. Salute to the Smiling Faces of the 21st Century.
8. I cannot say this too strongly: Do not compare yourselves to others. Be true to who you are, and continue to learn with all your might.
9. Hope is the sun. It is light. It is passion. It is the fundamental force for life's blossoming.
10. Being sincere, dedicated and honest is the key. People of integrity triumph in the end.

Daisaku Ikeda Short Quotes

• While it is important to win, it’s even more important to remain undefeated no matter what happens.
• Those who always have a sense of appreciation and gratitude never reach an impasse in life.
• Effort and hard work construct the bridge that connects your dreams to reality.
• A person's true nature is revealed at times of the greatest adversity.
• The power of art can break the shackles that bind and divide human beings.
• A truly beautiful person is one who is good at discovering beauty.
• I can do more. I can grow. I can become a bigger and better human being.
• No one should be left to suffer alone.
• Increase your joy by doing the good you wish to have done to you.
• You must not for one moment give up the effort to build up new lives for yourself.

Daisaku Ikeda Quotes About Life

An attitude of compassion does not mean looking down on someone, pitying them in their misery. Compassion is based on respect. We discuss life as equals, learn from each other and strive together to improve our lives. — Daisaku Ikeda

In life when we feel we have reached a limit, that is when the true battle begins. Just when you despair and think it is impossible to go any further, will you become apathetic, or will you say it's not over and stand up with an unyielding spirit? The battle is decided by this single determination. — Daisaku Ikeda

Youthfulness is not determined by age. It is determined by one's life force. One who possesses hope is forever young. One who continually advances is forever beautiful. — Daisaku Ikeda

Life can unfold unlimitedly as long as we have a heart of appreciation and an undefeated mind. — Daisaku Ikeda

Like the ocean that remains calm in its depths even when waves rage over its surface, and like the sun that continues shining on high even during storms, we can at each moment create value and develop our state of life, enjoying our existence to the fullest in times of both suffering and joy. — Daisaku Ikeda

Health is not simply the absence of illness. Real health is the will to overcome every form of adversity and use even the worst of circumstances as a springboard for new growth and development. Simply put, the essence of health is the constant renewal and rejuvenation of life. — Daisaku Ikeda

Everything begins with the resolve to take the first step. From that action, wisdom arises and change begins. Without action, nothing changes. — Daisaku Ikeda

The person who lives life fully, glowing with life’s energy, is the person who lives a successful life. — Daisaku Ikeda

Creativity means to push open the heavy, groaning doorway to life. — Daisaku Ikeda

Life is painful. It has thorns, like the stem of a rose. Culture and art are the roses that bloom on the stem. The flower is yourself, your humanity. Art is the liberation of the humanity inside yourself. — Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda Quotes About Happiness

it is impossible to build one's own happiness on the unhappiness of others. This perspective is at the heart of Buddhist teachings. — Daisaku Ikeda

True happiness means forging a strong spirit that is undefeated, no matter how trying our circumstances. — Daisaku Ikeda

People who are rooted in the here and now, who are not defeated by their limitations, who don’t compare themselves to others, who confidently advance along their chosen path-such people are happy, such people are truly great. — Daisaku Ikeda

Strength is Happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose. But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact of your continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being. — Daisaku Ikeda

To be fearless no matter what happens-that is the root of true happiness. To move forward resolutely regardless of what lies in store-that is the spirit, the resolve, that leads to human victory. — Daisaku Ikeda

Leave behind the passive dreaming of a rose-tinted future. The energy of happiness exists in living today with roots sunk firmly in reality's soil. — Daisaku Ikeda

Strength is happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness — Daisaku Ikeda

It is by fighting and triumphing over the enemies of the Buddha that we ourselves become Buddhas. — Daisaku Ikeda

Buhhdism is wisdom. As long as we have wisdom, we can put all things to the best use, we can turn everything in the direction of happiness. — Daisaku Ikeda

Have the depth of faith to regard everything as a source for creating happiness and value. — Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda Quotes About Hope

A person, who no matter how desperate the situation, gives others hope, is a true leader. — Daisaku Ikeda

Prayer is the way to destroy all fear. It is the way to banish sorrow, the way to light a torch of hope. It is the revolution that rewrites the scenario of our destiny. — Daisaku Ikeda

No matter how hopeless or bleak things appear, the moment always comes when suddenly our spirit revives, and hope is reborn. That is why we must never give up. — Daisaku Ikeda

No matter what kind of difficult situation one may find oneself in, some opening, some opportunity to fight one's way out, can always be found. What's most important is to hold fast to Hope, to face the future with courage. — Daisaku Ikeda

Hope transforms pessimism into optimism. Hope is invincible. — Daisaku Ikeda

To communicate the truths of history is an act of hope for the future. — Daisaku Ikeda

Hope changes everything. It changes winter into summer, darkness into dawn, descent into ascent, barrenness into creativity, agony into joy. — Daisaku Ikeda

Hope is life's greatest treasure. If you have no hope, create some! — Daisaku Ikeda

Hopes, dreams, faith and a sense of mission enable us to open up our lives. — Daisaku Ikeda

Sometimes we complain without thinking much of it, but the frightening thing about complaining is that every time we do, a cloud descends over our heart, and our hope, appreciation and joy gradually wane. — Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda Quotes About Victory

The place where you are now is vital. The path toward victory opens from where you stand. — Daisaku Ikeda

The darker the night, the nearer the dawn. Victory in life is decided by that last concentrated burst of energy filled with the resolve to win. — Daisaku Ikeda

Strength is itself victory. — Daisaku Ikeda

It is precisely when we have suffered defeat that we can determine to win and open the path to future victory. — Daisaku Ikeda

The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success. — Daisaku Ikeda

Victory lies in not getting defeated. — Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda Quotes About Faith

Faith is to fear nothing, to stand unswayed, the power to surmount any obstacle. — Daisaku Ikeda

One's true worth as a human being is not a matter of outward appearance or title, but derives rather from the breadth of one's spirit. Everything comes down to faith and conviction. It is what is in one's heart, and the substance of one's actions that count. — Daisaku Ikeda

No matter how healthy, intelligent or affluent we may be, if our minds are weak, then our happiness will also be frail and brittle. Our minds of faith, moreover, enable us to bring out the full potential in all things and situations, so it is crucial that we strive to forge our minds of faith. — Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda Quotes About Courage

Dialogue starts from the courageous willingness to know and be known by others. It is the painstaking and persistent effort to remove all obstacles that obscure our common humanity. — Daisaku Ikeda

It is senseless to blame others or your environment for your miseries. Change begins from the moment you muster the courage to act. When you change, the environment will change. The power to change the world is found nowhere but within our own life. — Daisaku Ikeda

Courage and compassion are two sides of the same coin. Compassion without courage is not genuine. You may have a compassionate thought or impulse, but if you don’t do or say anything, it’s not real compassion. — Daisaku Ikeda

A truley heroic way of life lies in squarely confronting and courageously overcoming the pounding vicissitudes that life always throws in our paths — Daisaku Ikeda

It's important to resolve to yourself, 'I will absolutely win!' Then this firm commitment will serve as the wellspring of great wisdom and courage that surges forth from within. — Daisaku Ikeda

Bravely overcoming one small fear gives you the courage to take on the next. — Daisaku Ikeda

Let us give something to each person we meet: joy, courage, hope, assurance, or philosophy, wisdom, a vision for the future. Let us always give something. — Daisaku Ikeda

If you summon your courage to challenge something, you’ll never be left with regret. How sad it is to spend your life wishing, “If only I’d had a little more courage.” Whatever the outcome may be, the important thing is to step forward on the path that you believe is right. — Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda Quotes About Love

Ideal love is fostered only between two sincere, mature and independent people. Real love is not two people clinging to each other; it can only be fostered between two strong people secure in their individuality. — Daisaku Ikeda

What our world most requires now is the kind of education that foster love for humankind, that develops character-that provides an intellectual basis for realization of peace and empowers learners to contribute to and improve society. — Daisaku Ikeda

If we look at the world with a love of life, the world will reveal its beauty to us. — Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda Quotes About Peace

Even if things don't unfold the way you expected, don't be disheartened or give up. One who continues to advance will win in the end. — Daisaku Ikeda

Nothing is more precious than peace. Peace is the most basic starting point for the advancement of humankind. — Daisaku Ikeda

Let us join our efforts toward building the unshakable foundations for a culture of peace. — Daisaku Ikeda

World peace is not something that can be realized simply by politicians signing treaties, or by business leaders creating economic cooperation. True and lasting peace will be realized only by forging bonds of trust between people at the deepest level, in the depths of their very lives. — Daisaku Ikeda

I believe that a culture of peace must be the essential foundation of our efforts for peace. — Daisaku Ikeda

Peace will be realized only by forging bonds of trust between people at the deepest level, in the depths of their very lives. — Daisaku Ikeda

Music speaks directly to the heart. This response, this echo within the heart, is proof that human hearts can transcend the barriers of time and space and nationality. Exchanges in the field of culture can play an important role in enabling people to overcome mistrust and prejudice and build peace. — Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda Quotes About Inspiring

A great work of art is one that truly moves and inspires you. You yourself must be moved. Don't look at art with others' eyes. Don't listen to music with others' ears. You must react to art with your own feelings, your own heart and mind. — Daisaku Ikeda

People who cease to grow can't inspire others. Leadership begins with challenging oneself. — Daisaku Ikeda

We are responsible for our own destiny. What matters is how we improve ourselves from this moment forward. — Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda Quotes About Challenge

Patience is, in and of itself, a great challenge and it often holds the key to breaking through a seeming impasse. — Daisaku Ikeda

Often the biggest obstacle in meeting life’s challenges is actually our own fear of failure. — Daisaku Ikeda

Rise to the challenges that life presents you. You can't develop genuine character and ability by sidestepping adversity and struggle. — Daisaku Ikeda

When we have a genuine sense that, no matter how difficult our present circumstances, we are not alone-that we are vitally connected with others and with the world-we will, without fail, rise up to the challenge of living again. — Daisaku Ikeda

If you lose today, win tomorrow. In this never-ending spirit of challenge is the heart of a victor. — Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda Quotes About Heart

When we change, the world changes. The key to all change is in our inner transformation- a change of our hearts and minds. This is human revolution. We all have the power to change. When we realize this truth, we can bring forth that power anywhere, anytime, and in any situation. — Daisaku Ikeda

Whatever your circumstances, whatever your past, the forces that determine your future are nowhere but within your own heart and mind. It is here that the star of your destiny shines. — Daisaku Ikeda

You will pass through storms and heavy rains, and at times you will suffer defeat. The essence of the creative life, however, is not to give up in the face of defeat but to follow the rainbow that exists within your heart. — Daisaku Ikeda

Within the heart of every person exists the flame of wisdom that transforms all suffering into kindling for the fire of creative energy. — Daisaku Ikeda

The heart is what is important." There is nothing more vulnerable, nothing more corruptible than the human mind; nor is there anything as powerful, steadfast and ennobling. — Daisaku Ikeda

There is no true joy in a life lived closed up in the little shell of the self. When you take one step to reach out to people, when you meet with others and share their thoughts and sufferings, infinite compassion and wisdom well up within your heart. Your life is transformed. — Daisaku Ikeda

Genuine sincerity opens people's hearts, while manipulation causes them to close. — Daisaku Ikeda

‎"Those who give up dreams, do injury to their own hearts and cannot possibly enjoy a profound sense of fulfillment in the end. — Daisaku Ikeda

There is no one as strong as a person whose heart is always filled with gratitude. — Daisaku Ikeda

Take heart, and do not let disappointment or shame stop you from moving forward. The true outcome of life is only apparent at the very end. — Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda Famous Quotes And Sayings

Why doesn't constant trampling defeat the dandelion? The key to its strength is its long and sturdy root, which extends deep into the earth. The same priciple applies to people. The true victors in life are those who, enduring repeated challenges and setbacks, have sent the roots of their being to such a depth that nothing can shake them. — Daisaku Ikeda

The human spirit is as expansive as the cosmos. This is why it is so tragic to belittle yourself or to question your worth. No matter what happens, continue to push back the boundaries of your inner life. The confidence to prevail over any problem, the strength to overcome adversity and unbounded hope — all reside within you. — Daisaku Ikeda

As long as we are human, we are destined to make mistakes. We all fall prey to flawed beliefs and views. What separates a forward-looking person from an intransigent one, a virtuous person from a malevolent one, however, is whether one can candidly admit to ones mistakes and take bold steps to redress them. — Daisaku Ikeda

Self-centered anger generates evil, but wrath at social injustice becomes the driving force for reform. Strong language that censures and combats a great evil often awakens adverse reactions from society, but this must not intimidate those who believe they are right. A lion is a lion because he roars. — Daisaku Ikeda

Reality is harsh. It can be cruel and ugly. Yet no matter how much we grieve over our environment and circumstances nothing will change. What is important is not to be defeated, to forge ahead bravely. If we do this, a path will open before us. — Daisaku Ikeda

A person who respects others is respected by others in return. Those who treat others with compassion and concern are protected and supported by others. Our environment is essentially a reflection of ourselves — Daisaku Ikeda

What is defeat in life? It is not merely making a mistake; defeat means giving up on yourself in the midst of difficulty. What is true success in life? True success means winning in your battle with yourself. Those who persist in the pursuit of their dreams, no matter what the hurdles, are winners in life, for they have won over their weaknesses. — Daisaku Ikeda

Ultimately, the only way to make good friends is to become a good friend yourself. Good people gather around other good people. — Daisaku Ikeda

The greatest tragedy in life is not to die, it is to live as if dead, to let the life within us wither. Toward what goal or achievement are we striving in life? This is the important question to ask ourselves. — Daisaku Ikeda

True love should be transformative; a process that amplifies our capacity to cherish not just one person but all people. It can make us stronger, lift us higher and deepen us as individuals. Only to the extent that we polish ourselves now can we hope to develop wonderful bonds of the heart in the future. — Daisaku Ikeda

Before comparing yourself with others, win the battle with yourself. Strive to be better today than yesterday, and better tomorrow than today. — Daisaku Ikeda

It is much more valuable to look for the strength in others. You can gain nothing by criticizing their imperfections. — Daisaku Ikeda

Adversity gives birth to greatness. The greater the challenges and difficulties we face, the greater the opportunity we have to grow and develop as people. A life without adversity, a life of ease and comfort, produces nothing and leaves us with nothing. This is one of the indisputable facts of life. — Daisaku Ikeda

The differences between people need not act as barriers that wound, harm and drive us apart. Rather, these very differences among cultures and civilizations should be valued as manifestations of the richness of our shared creativity. — Daisaku Ikeda

Only when we connect to nature, engaged with nature, are we truly alive and vigorous. To really be alive, one must be under the sun, the moon, the shining stars and surrounded by the beautiful greenery and pure waters of the natural world. — Daisaku Ikeda

Culture is an elevated expression of the inner voice which the different peoples of the Earth have heard in the depths of their being, a voice which conveys the vibrant compassion and wisdom of the cosmic life. For different cultures to engage in interaction is to catalyze each other's souls and foster mutual understanding. — Daisaku Ikeda

All right, let's get to work again!-This is the spirit of people of genuine substance. Those who avoid hard work or neglect the things they have to do, who just while away their time, eating, sleeping, playing, watching television-such individuals will never experience true happiness, satisfaction or joy. — Daisaku Ikeda

The course of our lives is determined by how we react--what we decide and what we do--at the darkest of times. The nature of that response determines a person's true worth and greatness. — Daisaku Ikeda

Our voice resonates with life. Because this is so, it can touch the lives of others. The caring and compassion imbued in your voice finds passage to the listener's soul, striking his or her heart and causing it to sing out; the human voice summons something profound from deep within, and can even compel a person into action. — Daisaku Ikeda

By changing our inner state of mind, we can change any suffering or hardship into a source of joy, regarding it as a means for forging and developing our lives. To turn even sorrow into a source of creativity - this is the way of life of a Buddhist — Daisaku Ikeda

While conservatism and self-protection might be likened to winter, night, and death, the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize ideals evokes images of spring, morning, and birth. — Daisaku Ikeda

No matter how complex global problems may seem, it is we ourselves who have given rise to them. They cannot be beyond our power to resolve — Daisaku Ikeda

Just as cherry, plum, peach and damson blossoms all possess their own unique qualities, each person is unique. We cannot become someone else. The important thing is that we live true to ourselves and cause the great flower of our lives to blossom. — Daisaku Ikeda

Keep moving forward, even one or two steps, in your own way. Those who live out their lives to the fullest, unperturbed by the noisy clamor around them, are the true winners. — Daisaku Ikeda

Rather than turning away from the staggering scale and depth of misery caused by war, we must strive to develop our capacity to empathize and feel the sufferings of others. — Daisaku Ikeda

Just as a diamond can only be polished by another diamond, it is only through genuine, all-out engagement with others that people can polish their character, and help each other to reach greater heights. — Daisaku Ikeda

Life is filled with potential that is truly unfathomable. At last we are coming to see the enormous power it possesses. That is why we must never write anyone off. In particular, we mustn’t put boundaries on our own potential. In most cases, our so-called limitations are nothing more than our own decision to limit ourselves. — Daisaku Ikeda

People can only live fully by helping others to live. When you give life to friends you truly live. Cultures can only realize their further richness by honoring other traditions. And only by respecting natural life can humanity continue to exist. — Daisaku Ikeda

So long as human history continues, we will face the perennial challenge of realizing, maintaining and strengthening peace through dialogue, of making dialogue the sure and certain path to peace. We must uphold and proclaim this conviction without cease, whatever coldly knowing smiles or cynical critiques may greet us. — Daisaku Ikeda

We can bring brilliant flowers of victory to bloom in our lives when we weather the hardships of winter and emerge triumphant based on our practice of the Mystic Law. The key to victories lies in how hard we struggle when we are in winter, how wisely we use this time and how meaningful we live each day confident that spring will definitely come. — Daisaku Ikeda

We have both a weak self and a strong self; the two are completely different. If we allow our weak side to dominate, we will be defeated. The thought ,"I am still young and have a lot of time, so I can relax and take life easy" is a function of our own weakness. — Daisaku Ikeda

One thing is certain: That is that the power of belief, the power of thought, will move reality in the direction of what we believe and conceive of it. If you really believe you can do something, you can. That is a fact. — Daisaku Ikeda

There are some among the so-called elite who are overbearing and arrogant. I want to foster leaders, not elitists. — Daisaku Ikeda

But I think we need to remember that democracy everywhere is by its nature incomplete, a work in progress. — Daisaku Ikeda

A person fully awakened to the jewel-like dignity of their own life is capable of truly respecting that same treasure in others. — Daisaku Ikeda

You must not for one instant give up the effort to build new lives for yourselves. Creativity means to push open the heavy, groaning doorway to life. This is not an easy struggle. Indeed, it may be the most difficult task in the world, for opening the door to your own life is, in the end, more difficult than opening the doors to the mysteries of the universe. — Daisaku Ikeda

The institutions of human society treat us as parts of a machine. They assign us ranks and place considerable pressure upon us to fulfill defined roles. We need something to help us restore our lost and distorted humanity. Each of us has feelings that have been suppressed and have built up inside. There is a voiceless cry resting in the depths of our souls, waiting for expression. Art gives the soul's feelings voice and form. — Daisaku Ikeda

Buddhism holds that everything is in constant flux. Thus the question is whether we are to accept change passively and be swept away by it or whether we are to take the lead and create positive changes on our own initiative. While conservatism and self-protection might be likened to winter, night, and death, the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize ideals evokes images of spring, morning, and birth. — Daisaku Ikeda

Strength is Happiness. — Daisaku Ikeda

Rather than becoming discouraged, know that encountering a wall is proof of the progress that you have made so far. — Daisaku Ikeda

Envying another's beauty will diminish your own. But when you praise beauty in others your own beauty deepens. — Daisaku Ikeda

One cannot, without reflection, make some into bearers of goodness and others into miscreants, judging them by relative positive or negative criteria. These, like everything else, change according to historical circumstances, the character of a society, the time and subjective points of view. — Daisaku Ikeda

Life Lessons by Daisaku Ikeda

1. Daisaku Ikeda encourages us to strive for peace and harmony, to be compassionate and to work towards a better future for the world.
2. He emphasizes the importance of developing inner strength and resilience to face life's challenges and to never give up.
3. He encourages us to be mindful of our actions and to take responsibility for our choices in order to create a better future for ourselves and for others.