Krishna’s best lines, made simple

“You have a right to your work — never to its results.”

“Do your work with a steady mind. Evenness in success and failure — that is yoga.”

“Yoga is skill in action.”

“Do the work that is yours. Action is better than doing nothing.”

“Do the work in front of you without clinging to it — that is how you rise.”

“Whatever a leader does, others follow. Set the example.”

“Better your own path done imperfectly than someone else’s done perfectly.”

“Do your own work well, and the work itself becomes worship.”

“Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you give — do it as an offering.”

“Let go of cravings and of “me” and “mine” — and you find peace.”

“Act, but don’t cling — like a lotus leaf that water cannot wet.”

“Let go of the results and find lasting peace. Cling to them and you are trapped.”

“Content, depending on nothing — busy all day, yet untouched.”

“When you stop craving and are content within, your mind becomes steady.”

“Let go of selfish plans, and you reach the summit.”

“You can’t stop acting. But you can let go of the results — that is true renunciation.”

“Expect nothing, stay pure and untroubled — such a person is dear to me.”

“Reflect on this wisdom fully — then do as you choose.”

“Don’t give in to weakness. It doesn’t suit you. Stand up.”

“Pleasure and pain come and go. They don’t last. Bear them patiently.”

“No effort on this path is ever wasted. Even a little protects you from great fear.”

“Win or fall, you gain. So stand up and commit.”

“Whenever goodness fades and wrong rises, I appear.”

“To protect the good and restore what is right, I come again in every age.”

“Nothing is better than standing up for what is right.”

“Free from fear and anxiety, you don’t disturb the world, and the world doesn’t disturb you.”

“Even if you’ve made the worst mistakes, the boat of wisdom will carry you across.”

“Lift yourself up. Your mind can be your best friend — or your worst enemy.”

“Master yourself, and your mind becomes your friend.”

“When the mind wanders, gently bring it back.”

“The mind is restless, stormy and stubborn — as hard to hold as the wind.”

“Yes, the mind is restless. But practice and letting go can train it.”

“Like a lamp in a windless place, the still mind does not flicker.”

“A mind that chases the senses is blown off course like a boat in the wind.”

“Slowly, patiently, let the mind settle within.”

“What the world sleeps through, the wise are awake to.”

“Without peace, how can there be happiness?”

“With peace of mind, sorrows fall away.”

“Be like the ocean: rivers of desire pour in, and it stays still.”

“Find your joy within, and it never fades.”

“Happiness, delight and light — all within you.”

“Know the divine as the friend of every living being, and you find peace.”

“The deepest joy comes when restlessness grows quiet.”

“There is a joy beyond the senses. Once you touch it, you never drift from the truth.”

“The highest yogi feels others’ joy and pain as their own.”

“Dwelling on desire breeds attachment; attachment breeds craving; craving breeds anger.”

“Anger clouds judgement — and clouded judgement makes you fall.”

“Desire, and the anger that grows from it — know it as your real enemy.”

“Desire is a fire that is never satisfied.”

“Three gates to self-destruction: lust, anger and greed. Let all three go.”

“Whoever can handle the surge of desire and anger in this life is truly happy.”

“When likes and dislikes stop pushing you around, you find peace of mind.”

“Free from desire and anger, peace is close on every side.”

“Holding back the body while the mind keeps craving is fooling yourself.”

“Treat victory and defeat the same — then act.”

“Not shaken by sorrow, not hungry for pleasure, free from fear and anger — that is a steady mind.”

“Not thrilled by good news, not crushed by bad news.”

“At peace in heat and cold, praise and blame — that is mastery.”

“The same to friend and enemy, in honour and dishonour.”

“Take praise and blame alike, and be content with whatever comes.”

“To the steady, a stone and gold are the same.”

“Stay steady through pleasure and pain, and you are ready for true freedom.”

“See stillness in action and action in stillness — that is wisdom.”

“A leaf, a flower, a fruit, a little water — offered with love, I accept it.”

“To those who love me always, I bring what they lack and protect what they have.”

“I am the same to all beings. But those who love me are in me, and I am in them.”

“Hate no one. Be friendly and kind to all.”

“Everything is strung on me like pearls on a thread.”

“I am the self seated in the heart of every being.”

“Fill your mind with me and love me — you will come to me. I promise, because you are dear to me.”

“To those who love me with joy, I give the understanding that leads to me.”

“Tell the world boldly: no one who loves me is ever lost.”

“The soul is never born and never dies. It is eternal.”

“As we change old clothes for new, the soul leaves worn-out bodies for new ones.”

“Weapons cannot cut it, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it, wind cannot dry it.”

“Whatever is born will die, and whatever dies will be born again. Don’t grieve over the unavoidable.”

“As you move through childhood, youth and old age, you move on to another body.”

“There was never a time when you did not exist — and you will never stop existing.”

“Unseen before birth, seen for a while, unseen again. Why grieve?”

“What you keep returning to in life is where you go at the end.”

“It cannot be broken or burned. It is eternal, everywhere, unchanging.”

“Know me as the knower in every field.”

“The wise see the same spirit in a scholar, a cow, an elephant and a dog.”

“See yourself in all beings, and all beings in yourself.”

“Whoever sees me everywhere is never lost to me, and I am never lost to them.”

“Wherever you see beauty, power or glory — it is a spark of the divine.”

“The one who truly sees, sees the undying within the dying.”

“Nothing in this world purifies like wisdom.”

“I live in everyone’s heart.”

“Only the ego thinks, “I am the one doing everything.””

“Balance in eating and rest, work and play, sleep and waking — that ends sorrow.”

“Not too much, not too little — in food and in sleep.”

“Speak words that are true, kind, helpful — and never hurt.”

“Calm, gentle, quiet, self-controlled, pure of heart — this is discipline of the mind.”

“Cleanliness, honesty, self-restraint and non-violence — this is discipline of the body.”

“It’s hard without self-control. But whoever keeps trying gets there.”

“Fearlessness, a pure heart, generosity, self-control, integrity — the marks of a divine nature.”

“Truthfulness, compassion for all beings, freedom from anger, gentleness.”

“Wisdom looks like humility, honesty, patience and non-violence.”

“Let go of everything and take refuge in me. Don’t be afraid.”

“You are what you believe in.”

“Trust and dedication bring wisdom — and wisdom soon brings deep peace.”

“However people come to me, I meet them there. Every path leads to me.”

“With your mind on me, you will overcome every obstacle.”

“My confusion is gone. I remember who I am. I will do as you say.”

“Where there is Krishna and Arjuna, there is victory, fortune and wisdom.”

“Hold no hatred for any being, love, and let go of attachment — and you come to me.”

“After many lifetimes, the wise realise: the divine is everything.”