In short: the Buddha described the mind as restless, "flighty, alighting where it will", but trainable: "it's good to tame the mind; a tamed mind leads to bliss" (Dhammapada 35). Here are eight genuine quotes on the mind, each with its source.
1. Dhammapada 33
"The mind quivers and quakes, hard to guard, hard to curb. The discerning straighten it out, like a fletcher an arrow."
The opening of the Dhammapada's chapter on the mind.
2. Dhammapada 35
"Hard to hold back, flighty, alighting where it will; it's good to tame the mind; a tamed mind leads to bliss."
3. Dhammapada 36
"So hard to see, so subtle, alighting where it will; the discerning protect the mind, a guarded mind leads to bliss."
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4. Dhammapada 42
"A wrongly directed mind would do you more harm than a hater to the hated, or an enemy to their foe."
Your own untrained mind can hurt you more than any enemy.
5. Dhammapada 43
"A rightly directed mind would do you more good than your mother or father or any other relative."
And a trained mind helps you more than anyone.
6. Dhammapada 1
"Intention is the leader of things; intention is first, they're made by intention."
The real source behind "what you think, you become".
7. AN 1.51
"This mind, mendicants, is radiant. But it is corrupted by visiting corruptions."
The mind's nature is bright; the clouds are visitors.
8. Ud 1.10
"In the seen will be merely the seen; in the heard will be merely the heard."
The Buddha's shortest instruction for an overthinking mind.
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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Questions people ask
What did the Buddha say about the mind?
That it is restless and hard to hold, but trainable: 'it's good to tame the mind; a tamed mind leads to bliss' (Dhammapada 35).