Quotes from 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.

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.

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.

Freedom doesn't mean the absence of all restrictions. It means possessing unshakable conviction in the face of any obstacle.

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.

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

A healthy vision of the future is not possible without an accurate knowledge of the past.

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

There's no need for us to be held back by the past or how things have been so far. The important thing is what seeds we are sowing now for the future.

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.

Do something! Start something! As you make consistent efforts, you will begin to see your goals come into focus. You will discover your mission--the one only you can fulfill.

With love and patience, nothing is impossible.