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A Human Being Isn't Meant To Be Some Kind Of Machine Designed Only For Production. No. Human Life Isn't Just For Work.
-Dalai Lama
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A Human Being Isn't

Dalai Lama
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A Human Being Isn't Meant To Be Some Kind Of Machine Designed Only For Production. No. Human Life Isn't Just For Work.

Understanding the Quote: "a human being isn't meant to be some kind of machine designed..."

This quote by Dalai Lama reflects deeply on the theme of work. It connects to the universal human journey of purpose, motivation, and reflection. Often categorized under Work, Machines, Kind, the quote offers insight, emotional clarity, and intellectual inspiration to readers worldwide.

Whether you’re a student exploring new ideas, a leader trying to motivate your team, or someone seeking direction in life — this quote provides value. It resonates because it’s more than words — it’s a bridge between experience and wisdom. It shows how Dalai Lama interprets life's core challenges and triumphs.

Lessons From the Quote

This quote teaches resilience and focus. It reminds readers that no matter where they stand in life, reflection and self-awareness lead to growth. Each word has meaning, and when studied, it becomes clear how impactful thoughtful language can be.

About Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama is celebrated for insightful thoughts on work and machines. Their legacy lives on through writings that guide, comfort, and inspire. Discover more on their profile page.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Reflect on how this quote applies to your current life path.
  • Share the message with someone who needs inspiration.
  • Write your thoughts on this quote in a journal or blog post.
  • Use it as a daily affirmation or reminder.

Closing Thoughts

Quotes like this endure because they capture universal truths. They comfort us in solitude and empower us in groups. Carry this quote forward — live by its wisdom, share its message, and keep its essence alive.

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Topic
Work
Machines
Kind
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Share
Planets
The Essence Of Buddhism Is If You Can, Help Others. If Not, Then At Least Refrain From Hurting Others.
Hurt
Buddhism
Helping Others
We Humans Have Existed In Our Present Form For About A Hundred Thousand Years. I Believe That If During This Time The Human Mind Had Been Primarily Controlled By Anger And Hatred, Our Overall Population Would Have Decreased. But Today, Despite All Our Wars, We Find That The Human Population Is Greater Than Ever. This Clearly Indicates To Me That Love And Compassion Predominate In The World. And This Is Why Unpleasant Events Are "news"; Compassionate Activities Are So Much A Part Of Daily Life That They Are Taken For Granted And , Therefore, Largely Ignored.
Buddhist
War
Believe
In Spiritual Growth, It Is Important To Avoid Imbalances Between Academic Or Intellectual Learning And Practical Implementation. Otherwise There Is A Danger That Too Much Intellectualiza Tion Will Kill The More Contemplative Practices And Too Much Emphasis On Practical Implementation Without Study Will Kill The Understanding. There Has Got To Be A Balance.
Spiritual
Buddhist
Learning
Non-violence Means Dialogue, Using Our Language, The Human Language. Dialogue Means Compromise; Respecting Each Other’s Rights; In The Spirit Of Reconciliation There Is A Real Solution To Conflict And Disagreement. There Is No Hundred Percent Winner, No Hundred Percent Loser—not That Way But Half-and-half. That Is The Practical Way, The Only Way.
Inspirational
Real
Mean
Love, Compassion And Concern For Others Are Real Sources Of Happiness. If You Have These In Abundance, You Will Not Be Disturbed Even By The Most Uncomfortable Circumstances. If You Nurse Hatred, However, You Will Not Be Happy Even In The Lap Of Luxury. Thus, If We Really Want Happiness, We Must Widen The Sphere Of Love. This Is Both Religious Thinking And Basic Common Sense.
Love
Happiness
Being Happy
I Never Dreamt, In My Dream, I'm Dalai Lama.
Dream
Lama
Dalai
It Is Important To Direct Our Intelligence With Good Intentions. Without Intelligence, We Cannot Accomplish Very Much. Without Good Intentions, The Way We Exercise Of Our Intelligence May Have Destructive Results.
Exercise
Important
May
Other Human Beings Have A Right To Peace And Happiness That Is Equal To Our Own; Therefore We Have A Responsibility To Help Those In Need.
Responsibility
Needs
Helping
We Must Realize That It Is Best To Focus On Our Oneness, To Re Emphasize What Is The Same About Each Of Us Rather Than Dwell On What Is Different.
Oneness
Focus
Different
I Feel That The Essence Of Spiritual Practice Is Your Attitude Toward Others. When You Have A Pure, Sincere Motivation, Then You Have Right Attitude Toward Others Based On Kindness, Compassion, Love And Respect.
Spiritual
Attitude
Kindness
Peace Of Mind Is The Basis Of A Healthy Body And A Healthy Mind; So Peace Of Mind, A Calm Mind, Is Very, Very Important.
Peace
Calm Mind
Healthy
Initially, Terrorism Was A Certain Mixture Of Politics, Economics, And Religion. Now, It Seems That Terrorism Is More Individual And Done To Avenge Personal Grudges. So There Are Two Kinds Of Terrorism.
Two
Done
Mixtures
There Is A True Feminist Movement In Buddhism That Relates To The Goddess Tārā. Following Her Cultivation Of Bodhicitta, The Bodhisattva's Motivation, She Looked Upon The Situation Of Those Striving Towards Full Awakening And She Felt That There Were Too Few People Who Attained Buddhahood As Women. So She Vowed, 'i Have Developed Bodhicitta As A Woman. For All My Lifetimes Along The Path I Vow To Be Born As A Woman, And In My Final Lifetime When I Attain Buddhahood, Then, Too, I Will Be A Woman.'
Motivation
Buddhism
People
The Purpose Of All The Major Religious Traditions Is Not To Construct Big Temples On The Outside, But To Create Temples Of Goodness And Compassion Inside, In Our Hearts.
Life
Spiritual
Religious
If One's Life Is Simple, Contentment Has To Come.
Simple
Contentment
Shelter
The World Has Also Learned That Economic Growth, By Itself, Cannot Close The Gap Between Rich And Poor.
Inspirational
Growth
World
Death Means Change Our Clothes. Clothes Become Old, Then Time To Come Change. So This Body Become Old, And Then Time Come, Take Young Body.
Mean
Clothes
Body
Smile If You Want A Smile From Another Face.
Want
Faces
Ifs
Don't Use Buddhism To Become A Buddhist. Use Buddhism To Become Better At Whatever Else In Your Life You Are Doing Already.
Life
Buddhist
Buddhism
In Order To Lead A Meaningful Life, You Need To Cherish Others, Pay Attention To Human Values And Try To Cultivate Inner Peace.
Meaningful
Order
Inner Peace
When We Consider Reality Itself We Quickly Become Aware Of Its Infinite Complexity, And We Realize That Our Habitual Perception Of It Is Often Inadequate. If This Were Not So, The Concept Of Deception Would Be Meaningless.
Humility
Reality
Deception
We Can Solve Many Problems In An Appropriate Way, Without Any Difficulty, If We Cultivate Harmony, Friendship And Respect For One Another.
Way
Problem
Harmony
We Live Within The Environment. So That Directly Relates With Our Survival, Our Life. So Through That Way, More Concern Of Well Being Of Humanity, Then Naturally Concerned About Environment.
Humanity
Survival
Way
Violence Will Only Increase The Cycle Of Violence.
Justice
Violence
Increase
A Genuine, Affectionate Smile Is Very Important In Our Day-to-day Lives.
Smile
Spiritual
Important
It Is Not Only Our Right As Members Of The Global Human Family To Protest When Our Brothers And Sisters Are Being Treated Brutally, But It Is Also Our Duty To Do Whatever We Can To Hep Them.
Brother
Members
Duty
When We Are Angry We Are Blind To Reality. Anger May Bring Us A Temporary Burst Of Energy, But That Energy Is Blind And It Blocks The Part Of Our Brain That Distinguishes Right From Wrong. To Deal With Our Problems, We Need To Be Practical And Realistic. If We Are To Be Realistic, We Need To Use Our Human Intelligence Properly, Which Means We Need A Calm Mind.
Block
Mean
Reality
Religion Is Important For Humanity, But It Should Evolve With Humanity. The First Priority Is To Establish And Develop The Principle Of Pluralism In All Religious Traditions. If We, The Religious Leaders, Cultivate A Sincere Pluralistic Attitude, Then Everything Will Be More Simple. It Is Good That Most Religious Leaders Are At Least Beginning To Recognize Other Traditions, Even Though They May Not Approve Of Them. The Next Step Is To Accept That The Idea Of Propagating Religion Is Outdated. It No Longer Suits The Times.
Religious
Attitude
Simple
The Nature Of The Mind Is Such That If Certain Mental Qualities Are Developed On A Sound Basis, They Not Only Remain, But They Also Increase. In Fact, Once Properly Developed, The Mind's Good Qualities Eventually Increase Indefinitely. Therefore Spiritual Practice Brings Us Long-term Happiness And Inner Strength.
Spiritual
Practice
Long
Once You Develop Confidence In Your Own Ability, You'll Be Able To Make A Real Contribution To Creating A Better World. Self-confidence Is Very Important. Not In The Sense Of Blind Pride, But As A Realistic Awareness Of What You Can Do. As Human Beings We Can Transform Ourselves By Our Good Qualities And Reducing Our Faults. Our Intelligence Enables Us To Judge What Is Good From What Is Harmful.
Real
Self Confidence
Pride
Look At Situations From All Angles, And You Will Become More Open.
Looks
Angle
Situation
The Very Purpose Of Religion Is To Control Yourself, Not To Criticise Others.
Spiritual
Purpose
Criticise
For Those Who May Not Find Happiness To Exercise Religious Faith, It's Okay To Remain A Radical Atheist; It's Absolutely An Individual Right, But The Important Thing Is With A Compassionate Heart - Then No Problem.
Religious
Atheist
Heart
Attachment Constrains Our Vision So That We Are Not Able To See Things From A Wider Perspective.
Attachment
Perspective
Vision
Give The Ones You Love Wings To Fly, Roots To Come Back And Reasons To Stay.
Inspirational
Life
Travel
I Have Found A Much Greater Appreciation Of Buddhism Because I Couldn't Take It For Granted Here In Exile.
Appreciation
Buddhism
Granted
All I Can Do Is Engage With Complete Sincerity. Then Whatever Happens, There Is No Regret.
Inspirational
Motivational
Regret
By Far The Single Greatest Danger Facing Humankind - In Fact, All Living Beings On Our Planet - Is The Threat Of Nuclear Destruction.
Nuclear
Facts
Destruction
Unfortunately, Love And Compassion Have Been Omitted From Too Many Spheres Of Social Interaction For Too Long. Usually Confined To Family And Home, Their Practice In Public Life Is Considered Impractical, Even Naive. This Is Tragic.
Home
Compassion
Practice
Let Us Have That Kind Of Effort From All, Except Those Child Or Handicapped Or Too Old. But The Many People, They Sort Of Have The Opportunity To Create Trouble Or To Create A Good Thing, Now Should Think More Seriously, Should Not Indulge Any Work To Create More Problems.
Children
Thinking
Opportunity
In Twenty Years' Time I'll Be Eighty-three, Just An Old Man With A Stick Moving Like A Sloth Bear. While I'm Alive, I Am Fully Committed To Autonomy, And I Am The Person Who Can Persuade The Tibetan People To Accept It.
Moving
Men
Years
Happiness That Depends Mainly On Physical Pleasure Is Unstable; One Day It's There, The Next Day It May Not Be.
Next Day
One Day
May
We Cannot Learn Real Patience And Tolerance From A Guru Or A Friend. They Can Be Practiced Only When We Come In Contact With Someone Who Creates Unpleasant Experiences. According To Shantideva, Enemies Are Really Good For Us As We Can Learn A Lot From Them And Build Our Inner Strength.
Real
Tolerance
Enemy
A Human Being Isn't Meant To Be Some Kind Of Machine Designed Only For Production. No. Human Life Isn't Just For Work.
Work
Machines
Kind
Each Individual Has A Universal Responsibility To Shape Institutions To Serve Human Needs.
Hero
Responsibility
Needs
Be Kind Whenever Possible. It Is Always Possible.
Inspirational
Motivational
Inspiring
Certain Beliefs Must Accompany Every Action: One Should Act Without Selfishness, Cultivate Compassion For All Living Things, And Develop Respect For Others.
Compassion
Selfishness
Belief
The Future Will Be In The Hands Of Those Of You Who Belong To The 21st Century. You Have The Opportunity And Responsibility To Build A Better Humanity. This Means Developing Warm-heartednes S In This Very Life, Here And Now. So, Do Whatever Work You Do, But Ask Yourselves Now And Then, 'how Can I Contribute To Human Beings Being Happier And More Peaceful?'
Mean
Responsibility
Opportunity
Everyone Wants To Be Happy; Happiness Is A Right. And While On A Secondary Level Differences Exist Of Nationality, Faith, Family Background, Social Status And So On, More Important Is That On A Human Level We Are The Same. None Of Us Wants To Face Problems, And Yet We Create Them By Stressing Our Differences. If We See Each Other Just As Fellow Human Beings, There'll Be No Basis For Fighting Or Conflict Between Us.
Stress
Fighting
Differences
Spiritual Practice . . . Involves, On The One Hand, Acting Out Of Concern For Others' Well-being. On The Other, It Entails Transforming Ourselves So That We Become More Readily Disposed To Do So.
Spiritual
Hands
Practice
External Circumstances Can Contribute To One's Happiness And Well-being, But Ultimately Happiness And Suffering Depend On The Mind.
Mind
Suffering
Circumstances
Only Through Kindness And Love Can Peace Of Mind Be Achieved.
Kindness
Mind
Peace Of Mind
For A Better, Happier, More Stable And Civilized Future, Each Of Us Must Develop A Sincere, Warm-hearted Feeling Of Brotherhood And Sisterhood.
Sisterhood
Feelings
Brotherhood
Cultivating A Close, Warmhearted Feeling For Others Automatically Puts The Mind At Ease.
Feelings
Mind
Ease
Mutual Respect Is The Foundation Of Genuine Harmony.
Foundation
Harmony
Genuine
There Are A Number Of Qualities Which Are Important For Mental Peace, But From The Little Experience I Have, I Believe That One Of The Most Important Factors Is Human Compassion And Affection: A Sense Of Caring.
Believe
Caring
Compassion
The Many Factors Which Divide Us Are Actually Much More Superficial Than Those We Share. Despite All Of The Things That Differentiate Us - Race, Language, Religion, Gender, Wealth And So On - We Are All Equal Concerning Our Fundamental Humanity.
Buddhist
Equality
Race
We Need To Make Material Progress, But We Need Inner Development Too ... Remember That The Real Development We Seek Is Not In The Buildings But In Our Hearts And Minds.
Real
Heart
Mind
Compassion Automatically Brings Happiness And Calmness. Then, Even If You Receive Disturbing News, It Will Be Easier To Take, As Your Mind Is Still.
Spiritual
Compassion
Mind
One Who Is Caught In Thought Loses One's Original Nature. All He Knows Are Words And Descriptions. When He Sees The Actual Thing, He Fails To Perceive It.
Failing
Description
Caught
We Must Openly Accept All Ideologies And Systems As A Means Of Solving Humanity's Problems. One Country, One Nation, One Ideology, One System Is Not Sufficient.
Country
Mean
Humanity
We Need To Find Secular Ways To Cultivate Warm-heartedness. We Need Secular Ways To Educate Ourselves About Inner Values. The Source Of A Happy Life Is Within Us. Trouble Makers In Many Parts Of The World Are Often Quite Well Educated, So It Is Not Just Education That We Need. We Need To Pay Attention To Inner Values.
Happy Life
Needs
Attention
It Is Maybe Not The Best Choice To Have A Favorite Anything.
Spiritual
Choices
Compassion Is The Radicalism Of Our Time.
Life
Spiritual
Inspiration
We Can't Blame The Entire Muslim Society Because Of The Mischievous Acts Of A Few Individuals. Therefore, At The General Public Level We Must Cultivate The Notion Of Not Just One Religion, One Truth, But Pluralism And Many Truths. We Can Change The Atmosphere, And We Can Modify Certain Ways Of Thinking.
Thinking
Atmosphere
Levels
Until You Have The Inner Discipline That Brings Calmness Of Mind, External Facilities And Conditions Will Never Bring The Joy And Happiness You Seek. On The Other Hand, If You Possess This Inner Quality, Calmness Of Mind, A Degree Of Stability Within, Even If You Lack The Various External Factors That You Would Normally Require To Be Happy, It Will Still Be Possible To Live A Happy And Joyful Life.
Hands
Discipline
Joy
It May Seem Unrealistic To Think We Can Ever Become Free From Hatred, But Buddhists Have Systematic Methods For Gradually Developing A Tolerance Powerful Enough To Give Such Freedom.
Buddhist
Powerful
Thinking
You Have To Start Giving First And Expect Absolutely Nothing.
Giving
Firsts
Absolutely Nothing
I Believe The Twenty-first Century Can Become The Most Important Century Of Human History. I Think A New Reality Is Emerging. Whether This View Is Realistic Or Not, There Is No Harm In Making An Effort.
Inspirational
Believe
Reality
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