Tibetan Proverbs

Tibetan proverbs distill wisdom from the high Himalayan plateau and Buddhist monastic learning. They prize compassion, inner calm, and endurance—guides for life amid thin air, long journeys, and shifting fortunes.

To change the world we must first change ourselves.

Tibetan Proverb

To set fire to the wood, you need the help of the wind.

Tibetan Proverb

Traveling is a return to the essentials.

Tibetan Proverb

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Tibetan Proverb

Water in the mouth before eating; water in the eyes when the bill comes.

Tibetan Proverb

When a king is about to lose his power his orders burn more intensely than fire.

Tibetan Proverb

When drinking water, think about the source.

Tibetan Proverb

When you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.

Tibetan Proverb

Who can say with certainty that one will live to see the morrow?

Tibetan Proverb

A child without education is like a bird without wings.

Tibetan Proverb

As a thing is viewed, so it appears.

Tibetan Proverb

Credulity breeds credulity and ends in hypocrisy.

Tibetan Proverb

Landing a single punch on your enemy's nose is more satisfying than hearing well-intentioned advice from your elders.

Tibetan Proverb

Learn to stand up where one falls.

Tibetan Proverb

Luck that lasts is always suspected.

Tibetan Proverb

Master and servant - both have the same body odor.

Tibetan Proverb

Men will always lose the battle against cholera and bureaucracy.

Tibetan Proverb

My enemy's liver is the sheath of my sword.

Tibetan Proverb

Rebellious thoughts are like an abandoned house overtaken by robbers.

Tibetan Proverb

The father may well be a horse, but it's most likely that the son will be a mule.

Tibetan Proverb

The moon grows darker as it gets nearer to the sun.

Tibetan Proverb

The person who gets stuck on trivial prosperity will not attain great prosperity.

Tibetan Proverb