Quotes by Daisaku Ikeda

"People need to be made conscious of a very simple reality: we have no choice but to share this planet, this small blue sphere floating in the vast reaches of space, with all of our fellow 'passengers.'"

"We are not merely passive pawns of historical forces; nor are we victims of the past. We can shape and direct history."

"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."

"It is natural for us, as human beings, to look forward. Our eyes naturally look ahead. In this sense, we are made for moving toward a goal."

"We must take steps to prevent further nuclear weapons development or modernization."

"A genuinely happy person is one who has rendered others happy."

"No one is born hating others."

"The reactions of the human heart are not mechanical and predictable but infinitely subtle and delicate."

"The eyes of a poet discover in each person a unique and irreplaceable humanity. While arrogant intellect seeks to control and manipulate the world, the poetic spirit bows with reverence before its mysteries."

"Poems and songs penned as an unstoppable outpouring of the heart take on a life of their own. They transcend the limits of nationality and time as they pass from person to person, from one heart to another."

"It is crucial that we develop real awareness of ourselves as citizens of Earth, linked by mutual and indissoluble bonds. When we clearly recognize this reality and ground ourselves in it, we are compelled to take a strict accounting of our way of life."

"When one takes action for others, one's own suffering is transformed into the energy that can keep one moving forward; a light of hope illuminating a new tomorrow for oneself and others is kindled."

"The determination to win is the better part of winning."

"Japan learned from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the tragedy wrought by nuclear weapons must never be repeated and that humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist."

"When human beings live together, conflict is inevitable. War is not."

"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."

"Divorced from the cosmos, from nature, from society and from each other, we have become fractured and fragmented."

"In the past, human society provided encouragement and opportunity for people to extend support to each other, especially in highly stressful situations."

"No one can live entirely on their own, nor can any country or society exist in isolation."

"I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind."