In short: in the Buddha's words, karma is intentional action: "It is intention that I call deeds" (AN 6.63). We are "the owners of our deeds and heir to our deeds" (MN 135), and small actions add up like a pot filling drop by drop. Here are seven genuine quotes on karma, each with its source.
1. AN 6.63
"It is intention that I call deeds."
Karma means intentional action, not fate.
2. MN 135
"Student, sentient beings are the owners of their deeds and heir to their deeds. Deeds are their womb, their relative, and their refuge. It is deeds that divide beings into inferior and superior."
3. Dhammapada 122
"Think not lightly of goodness, that it won't come back to you. The pot is filled with water falling drop by drop; the attentive one is filled with goodness piled up bit by bit."
Small good deeds add up.
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4. Dhammapada 121
"Think not lightly of evil, that it won't come back to you. The pot is filled with water falling drop by drop; the fool is filled with wickedness piled up bit by bit."
5. Dhammapada 127
"Not in midair, nor mid-ocean, nor hiding in a mountain cleft; you'll find no place on the planet to escape your wicked deeds."
6. Dhammapada 165
"For it is by oneself that evil's done, one is corrupted by oneself. It's by oneself that evil's not done, one is purified by oneself. Purity and impurity are personal matters, no one can purify another."
Often shared as "no one saves us but ourselves": this is the real verse.
7. Dhammapada 1
"Intention is the leader of things; intention is first, they're made by intention."
All quotes are from the early Buddhist texts in Bhikkhu Sujato's translation on SuttaCentral, copied exactly. Last checked: 17 October 2026.
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What did the Buddha say about karma?
'It is intention that I call deeds' (AN 6.63). Karma means intentional action, and beings are 'the owners of their deeds and heir to their deeds' (MN 135).