In short: the Buddha's path is full of quiet joy: "Let us live so very happily, we who have nothing. We shall feed on rapture" (Dhammapada 200). Here are five genuine quotes, each with its source.
1. Dhammapada 200
"Let us live so very happily, we who have nothing. We shall feed on rapture, like the gods of sublime luminosity."
Dhammapada 200
2. Dhammapada 301
"The disciples of Gotama always wake up refreshed, whose minds day and night delight in meditation."
Dhammapada 301
3. Dhammapada 373
"A mendicant who enters an empty hut with mind at peace finds a superhuman delight as they rightly discern the Dhamma."
Dhammapada 373
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4. Dhammapada 205
"Having drunk the nectar of seclusion and the nectar of peace— free of stress, free of evil, drink the joyous nectar of truth."
Dhammapada 205
5. Dhammapada 354
"The gift of the teaching surmounts all other gifts; the taste of the teaching surmounts all other tastes; the joy of the teaching surmounts all other joys; the ending of craving surmounts all suffering."
Dhammapada 354
All quotes are from the early Buddhist texts in Bhikkhu Sujato's translation on SuttaCentral, copied exactly. Last checked: 18 October 2026.
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What did the Buddha say about joy?
'Let us live so very happily, we who have nothing. We shall feed on rapture, like the gods of sublime luminosity' (Dhammapada 200).