80 Mindfulness Quotes To Help You Be In The Moment
Picture a person sitting calmly on a garden bench, eyes shut, deeply attuned to the rustling leaves. This is mindfulness in practice - a peaceful state of active attention in the present. Read on for our curated selection of mindfulness quotes and sayings, from monks to motivational speakers, that reflect on the practice, benefits, and relevance of mindfulness as we go about our daily lives.
You can also check out our selection of mindfulness talks for a bit more pep in your day or our mental health quotes exploring lived experience in a related field.
Quick links to our selection of mindfulness quotes:
Best Mindfulness Quotes On Being Present
What happens when we substitute mindless autopilot with mindfulness? Mindfulness brings us to that point where our thoughts are weightless; they come and go without any implications. Our perception brightens as we can connect ourselves freely and easily to our present environment.
Savor your morning brew or feel the quiet rhythm of your heart as you reflect on the mindfulness quotes below.
"Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
"The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
"How we pay attention to the present moment largely determines the character of our experience, and therefore, the quality of our lives."
- Sam Harris
"With mindfulness, you can establish yourself in the present in order to touch the wonders of life that are available in that moment."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
"Life is an endurance sport, but endurance without compassion is torture. Living mindfully, we bring our whole heart to the event of being alive so that we can be present from beginning to end."
- Lauren Eckstrom
"Being mindful means that we suspend judgment for a time, set aside our immediate goals for the future, and take in the present moment as it is rather than as we would like it to be."
- J. Mark G. Williams
"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have."
- Eckhart Tolle
"Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand melting like a snowflake."
- Francis Bacon Sr.
Mindfulness Quotes About The Past And The Future
We tie many of the decisions we make and the actions we take to memories. As humans, we dwell so much on what has happened and what will happen that we sometimes forget “what is.” The past is done and can't be changed. The future will happen in its own time. The present is here for us to live fully, just once.
These quotes remind us that to truly live, we need to pay attention to this very moment. We should appreciate now for all it offers.
Related Read: Letting Go Quotes.
"There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live."
- Dalai Lama
"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."
- Buddha
"Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time — past and future — the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is."
- Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now
Mindfulness Quotes About Paying Attention
Often, we overlook the tiny miracles around us - the soft hum of bees, the soothing rustle of leaves, or even a gentle smile from a stranger. The beauty lies not in grandeur but in the unspoken harmony of life gently unfolding.
The mindfulness quotes in this section invite us to slow down, pay respect to the marvels of the present, and truly listen - to ourselves and others.
Related Read: Focus Quotes, Distraction Quotes.
"The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
"Mindfulness is deliberately paying full attention to what is happening around you– in your body, heart, and mind. Mindfulness is awareness without criticism or judgment."
- Jan Chozen Bays
"Cultivating a generous spirit starts with mindfulness. Mindfulness, simply stated, means paying attention to what is happening; it's about what is really going on."
- Nell Newman
"The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness."
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
"Mindfulness means paying attention on purpose, in the present moment and with compassion, curiosity, openness and flexibility."
- Shamash Alidina
Messages On Being Mindful Of Thoughts
Practicing mindfulness is similar to planting a garden. The seeds are our thoughts, and our mind is the fertile soil. When we cultivate a positive attitude, we sow seeds that blossom into positive situations. And even if things do not go our way, our mindset makes us resilient.
So, let’s be conscious of the seeds we're sowing today as we browse the mindfulness quotes below.
"Everything is created twice. First in the mind and then in reality."
- Robin Sharma
"When you focus on the good, the good gets better."
- Abraham Hicks
"A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it isn't open."
- Frank Zappa
"Mindfulness clears the windshield of the mind so that we can see things as they really are."
- Travis Eliot
"The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness."
- Sakyong Mipham
"The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?"
- Jack Kornfield
"When you focus on what works for you and what doesn't, you step out of that comparison cycle and spiral into your real, beautiful life."
- Robyn Conley Downs
"Mindfulness is a quality that's always there. It's an illusion that there's a meditation and post-meditation period, which I always find amusing, because you're either mindful or you're not."
- Richard Gere
Inspiring Mindfulness Quotes About Acceptance
Life can't always be rainbows and sunshine; storm clouds ought to roll in once in a while. This admission isn't defeat but acceptance of life's normal and integral patches of grey.
Being mindful is not just about gripping onto the present but comprehending its nature, regardless of whether it's a peaceful sea or a raging storm. Once we learn to accept, reaction transforms into thoughtful responses.
"Mindfulness isn't focused on fixing problems. Mindfulness emphasises acceptance first, and change may or may not come later."
- Shamash Alidina
"All the suffering, stress, and addiction comes from not realizing you already are what you are looking for. To drop into being means to recognize your interconnectedness with all life, and with being itself."
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
"The only way to live is by accepting each minute as an unrepeatable miracle."
- Tara Brach
"The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently."
- Pema Chödrön
"Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it."
- Eckhart Tolle
"Mindfulness meditation doesn't change life. Life remains as fragile and unpredictable as ever. Meditation changes the heart's capacity to accept life as it is."
- Sylvia Boorstein
"Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn't more complicated that that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it."
- Sylvia Boorstein
"Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
Mindfulness Quotes On Pausing And Making Better Choices
Have you ever experienced a stressful situation when time is ticking for a high-stakes decision? Our instinct might be to react impulsively. But let’s envision a new path —a pause, a deep breath, a moment of mindfulness before responding.
This pause doesn’t mean we’re giving up to the pressure. Our brain only takes a detour, re-evaluating and leading us to better choices. So, the next time you are in a pinch, let mindfulness serve as a compass to a more measured response.
"Mindfulness is a pause – the space between stimulus and response: that's where choice lies."
- Tara Brach
"Every time we ponder a thought, act on an impulse, or dwell on a desire, we are setting in motion a cause that will have a future effect. Mindfulness enables us to choose wisely."
- Tamara Levitt
"Training your mind to be the present moment is the number one key to making healthier choices."
- Susan Albers
"Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?"
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"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf."
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
"Practicing a mindful moment in the middle of the day, helps to bring you back to center, reset, and move into the rest of your day with greater clarity and focus."
- Christine Agro
Quotes About Mindfulness And Socializing With Others
Scientific evidence supports the positive effects that mindfulness has on relationships.
By practicing meditation focused on compassion, researchers found that willingness to help others increases. This shift is linked to more engaged brain regions responsible for emotion regulation and social cognition2.
So, as you engage with others, bear these words of wisdom in mind that encourage mindfulness and increased empathy.
"To listen entails a fundamental letting go of self-centeredness. We have to be willing to put down our own thoughts, views, and feelings temporarily to truly listen ."
- Oren Jay Sofer
"Look at other people and ask yourself if you are really seeing them or just your thoughts about them."
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
"A beautiful way to practice mindfulness, which is almost guaranteed to improve your social life, is to apply mindfulness toward others for the benefit of others. The idea is very simple – give your full moment-to-moment attention to another person with a nonjudgmental mind, and every time your attention wanders away, just gently bring it back. It is just like the meditation we have been practicing, except the object of meditation is the other person. You."
- Chade-Meng Tan
"The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes."
- Pema Chodron
Reminders To Stop Worrying
As discussed in previous sections, mindfulness is clearly beneficial to our well-being. Study results have even recommended it to manage stress effectively.
A 2015 study revealed mindfulness meditation reduces activity in the amygdala1, our stress response center. It also improves the connection between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain related to decision-making.
The next time a cloud is on the horizon, stop overthinking and apply these mindfulness quotes for work, home, and other situations.
"If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever."
- Dalai Lama
"Let go of the battle. Breathe quietly and let it be. Let your body relax and your heart soften."
- Jack Kornfield
"Worrying is stupid. It's like walking around with an umbrella waiting for it to rain."
- Wiz Khalifa
"Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges. So relax."
- Bryant McGill
"If it's out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind too."
- Ivan Nuru
"People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
"When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
Encouragements On Simply Living Life
As you read the following mindfulness quotes, focus on how you are living life in the present and how you truly want to live. In his quote below, James Baraz, a longtime mindfulness teacher and author of the Awakening Joy series, perfectly summarizes how we should live and accept everything life gives.
As you reflect on the other quotes, see the world as if for the first time. Allow wonders to unfold. Foster kindness and acceptance. Grab every chance to smile, laugh, and dance. In your next meditation session, focus on these kinds of positive thoughts.
"Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t)."
- James Baraz
"In today's rush, we all think too much, seek too much, want too much– and forget the joy of just being."
- Eckhart Tolle
"The little things? The little moments? They aren't little."
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
"Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more."
- Mother Teresa
"Mindful eating emphasizes a spirit of exploration, experimenting and flexibility in finding ways to make use of nutritional information."
- Jean L. Kristeller
"Mindful and creative, a child who has neither a past, nor examples to follow, nor value judgments, simply lives, speaks, and plays in freedom."
- Arnaud Desjardins
Connection Between Nature And Mindfulness
Practicing mindfulness takes a new dimension when nature is involved. Mother Earth’s quiet rhythm echoes the tranquility we seek within. So, grab every chance to walk under the forest canopy or feel the earth between your fingers as you garden.
The quote from Andy Puddicombe, co-founder of Headspace, a mindfulness-centered health company, figuratively connects the sky and clouds to our lives. Aside from the rejuvenation nature brings, it can also be a source of mindfulness metaphors.
Embody each mindfulness quote below as you connect with nature.
"We need enlightenment, not just individually but collectively, to save the planet. We need to awaken ourselves. We need to practice mindfulness if we want to have a future, if we want to save ourselves and the planet."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."
- Lao Tzu
"Remember the blue sky. It may at times be obscured by clouds, but it is always there."
- Andy Puddicombe
"The still waters of a lake reflect the beauty around it. When the mind is still, the beauty of the self is reflected."
- Vanda Scaravelli
"Adopt the pace of nature: Her secret is patience."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
More Quotes On How To Practice Mindfulness
Incorporating mindfulness into one's lifestyle requires dedication, whether it is 15 minutes or multiple hours a day. If meditation overwhelms you, try journaling. Find clarity as you freely write all your thoughts in a notebook. If writing is not for you, there are more journaling alternatives you can explore.
In the first quote below, Thich Nhat, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist, recommended an effortless practice – drinking tea slowly. In savoring these simple moments, we can genuinely be in the present.
Most importantly, consistency is key, as is patience, bearing in mind that the journey matters more than the destination. Cultivate a mindfulness habit and watch yourself grow towards a kinder, more centered soul.
"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future; live the actual moment. Only this moment is life."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
"I think I approach pressure by having discipline and learning to be calm in everyday life. I do this with a daily mindfulness practice and commitment."
- Christen Press
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
- Dalai Lama
"Mindfulness meditation should be more than just watching what you are doing. What you really need to watch is your motivation."
- Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
"Mindfulness is like taking your brain for a virtual walk. Like our bodies, our minds need time to recover after a difficult workout. It is a way to ‘walk’ it off—catch your breath, settle your muscles, and be fully present. Notice what you see, smell, feel, and hear. Be in the moment as you gain insight and nurture yourself. Even a few seconds or minutes is enough. Don't overthink—it isn't the formal practice of meditation … and you don't need sneakers."
- Lori Maney Lentini
"In our times, it is radical to choose to sit still and be silent, to resist an identity of busyness, ceaseless motion, and noise, and to reclaim our sanity and humanity by coming home to ourselves."
- Sumi Loundon Kim
Short Mindfulness Caption To Post Online
Sharing our mindfulness journey online can become an encouragement for others. By posting our challenges and learnings, we not only monitor our progress but also inspire others to start similar paths, thus building a kinder and more present community.
The following short captions range from the timeless wisdom of Plato and Marcus Aurelius to the mantra of brave activists like Maya Angelou. So, pick your favorite mindfulness quote now and share your thoughts on it on your social media platforms.
"Mindfulness helps us to live in harmony with our thoughts, words, and actions."
- Amit Ray
"You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather."
- Pema Chodron
"Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you're doing."
- Jon Kabat Zinn
"The first and best victory is to conquer self."
- Plato
"Nothing is wrong—whatever is happening is just 'real life.'"
- Tara Brach
"If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then is an empty desk a sign?"
- Albert Einstein
"I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it."
- Maya Angelou
"Mindfulness isn't difficult. We just have to remember to do it."
- Sharon Salzberg
"Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life."
- Marcus Aurelius
"In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you."
- Deepak Chopra
"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time."
- Leo Tolstoy
Other Mindfulness Quotes To Think About
Here are other insights from well-known figures for more mindfulness quotes with a different take.
For instance, a renowned mindfulness practitioner, Jon Kabat-Zinn, speaks on mindful parenting. He highlights how work can blind us to our children's growth and how parenthood, if fully embraced, becomes a worthy mindfulness practice itself.
Similarly, another influential figure, Jack Kornfield, warns against losing connection to our inner selves and others due to worldly busyness. He reminds us to resist distraction and stay rooted in the present.
"When you have children, you realize how easy it is to not see them fully, and perhaps miss all those early years. If you are not careful, you can be too absorbed in work, and they will be only too happy to tell you about it later. Being a parent is one of greatest mindfulness practices of all."
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
"When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another—and ourselves."
- Jack Kornfield
"When practicing mindfulness, it is important to recognize this judging quality of mind when it appears and to intentionally assume the stance of an impartial witness by reminding yourself to just observe it."
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
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| 2 | Weng, H. Y., Fox, A. S., Shackman, A. J., Stodola, D. E., Caldwell, J., Olson, M. C., Rogers, G. M., & Davidson, R. J. (2013). Compassion training alters altruism and neural responses to suffering. Psychological Science, 24(7), 1171–1180. |
Isabela is a determined millennial passionate about continuously seeking out ways to make an impact. With a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering with honors, Isabela’s research expertise and interest in artistic works, coupled with a creative mindset, offers readers a fresh take on different environmental, social, and personal development topics.
