--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Often, we feel that we need a leader…" description: "\"Often, we feel that we need a leader outside of ourselves -a Buddha, a Gandhi, or a Martin Luther King, Jr.- to show the way. But we have the Buddha in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/nhat-hanh-515_buddha_often-we-feel-that-we-need-a-leader-outs_812371.png" --- # Often, we feel that we need a leader outside of ourselves… ![“Often, we feel that we need a leader outside of ourselves -a Buddha, a Gandhi, or a Martin Luther King, Jr.- to show the way. But we have the Buddha inside of us. We have Gandhi and King inside of us as well. We are interconnected. We don't need to wait for some other person to be the change we…” quote by Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/nhat-hanh-515_buddha_often-we-feel-that-we-need-a-leader-outs_812371.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/nhat-hanh-515_buddha_often-we-feel-that-we-need-a-leader-outs_812371.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/nhat-hanh-515_buddha_often-we-feel-that-we-need-a-leader-outs_812371.png) > “Often, we feel that we need a leader outside of ourselves -a Buddha, a Gandhi, or a Martin Luther King, Jr.- to show the way. But we have the Buddha inside of us. We have Gandhi and King inside of us as well. We are interconnected. We don't need to wait for some other person to be the change we want to see in the world” [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True leadership resides within each person; external figures symbolize qualities we already possess. **In simple terms:** We already have the qualities we seek in leaders. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner wisdom instead of waiting for others. Themes self‑reliance inner wisdom interconnectedness Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal growth - spiritual practice - community building Key Concepts Buddhism psychology leadership Questions to Reflect On - What inner qualities do you need to develop? - How can you embody the change you desire? A Different Perspective External leaders can still inspire but may cause dependency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddha/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [India is the land of Buddha and Gandhi. Equal respect for all religions must be in the DNA of every Indian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/india-is-the-land-of-buddha-and-gandhi-equal-respect-for-all/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [If you find yourself in some difficulty, step aside, and allow Buddha to take your place. The Buddha is in you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/if-you-find-yourself-in-some-difficulty-step-aside-and-allow-buddha/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [The real power of the Buddha was that he had so much love. He saw people trapped in their notions of small separate self,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-real-power-of-the-buddha-was-that-he-had-so-much-love-he-saw/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/it-is-possible-that-the-next-buddha-will-not-take-the-form-of-an/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [One day I saw a picture of the Buddha on a Buddhist magazine and he was sitting on the grass, and he was sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/one-day-i-saw-a-picture-of-the-buddha-on-a-buddhist-magazine-and-he/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [One Buddha is not enough; we need to have many Buddhas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/one-buddha-is-not-enough-we-need-to-have-many-buddhas/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [The root-word "buddha" means to wake up, to know, to understand; and he or she who wakes up and understands is call a Buddha.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-root-word-buddha-means-to-wake-up-to-know-to-understand-and-he-or/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [In order for our country and economy to get on the right track again, we need a leader who understands how the real economy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-for-our-country-and-economy-to-get-on-the-right-track-again/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think you need to be a leader, not a captain. You may have seen a lot of captains in this country, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-gambhir/i-think-you-need-to-be-a-leader-not-a-captain-you-may-have-seen-a-lot/) [Gautam Gambhir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-gambhir/) > [Most churches make the mistake of selecting as leaders the confident, the competent, and the successful. But what you most need in a leader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/most-churches-make-the-mistake-of-selecting-as-leaders-the-confident/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [I need to be the leader day in and day out - and I will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-trubisky/i-need-to-be-the-leader-day-in-and-day-out-and-i-will-be/) [Mitchell Trubisky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-trubisky/) > [We know we are all tarnished, so we doubt everyone else too. It is sad situation, where we need a leader but cannot really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chetan-bhagat/we-know-we-are-all-tarnished-so-we-doubt-everyone-else-too-it-is-sad/) [Chetan Bhagat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chetan-bhagat/) > [That's all you need in a leader - somebody that works hard, does what he has to do, period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-chung/that-s-all-you-need-in-a-leader-somebody-that-works-hard-does-what-he/) [Patrick Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-chung/) > [You know, you don't need a leader to sort of administer something that's going very well. In fact, in one sense, an overly ambitious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-v-gerstner-jr/you-know-you-don-t-need-a-leader-to-sort-of-administer-something-that/) [Louis V. Gerstner, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-v-gerstner-jr/) > [We need to ensure that the government agencies that are supposed to be regulating the financial system are actually doing their jobs. We must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/we-need-to-ensure-that-the-government-agencies-that-are-supposed-to/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) ## More by Nhat Hanh > [Happiness is the cessation of suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/happiness-is-the-cessation-of-suffering/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [We need enlightenment, not just individually but collectively, to save the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/we-need-enlightenment-not-just-individually-but-collectively-to-save/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [If you really know how to live, what better way to start the day than with a smile?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/if-you-really-know-how-to-live-what-better-way-to-start-the-day-than/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Contemplating the bowl, it is possible to see the interdependent elements which give rise to the bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/contemplating-the-bowl-it-is-possible-to-see-the-interdependent/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Our joy, peace and happiness depend very much on our practice of recognizing and transforming habit energies. There are positive habit energies that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/our-joy-peace-and-happiness-depend-very-much-on-our-practice-of/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [I vow to live fully in each moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/i-vow-to-live-fully-in-each-moment/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Silence is something that comes from your heart, not from outside. Silence doesn't mean not talking and not doing things; it means that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/silence-is-something-that-comes-from-your-heart-not-from-outside/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Freedom is the real foundation of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/freedom-is-the-real-foundation-of-happiness/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Wisdom is a living stream, not an icon to be preserved in a museum. Only when a practitioner finds the spring of wisdom in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/wisdom-is-a-living-stream-not-an-icon-to-be-preserved-in-a-museum/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [We may think of peace as the absence of war, that if the great powers would reduce their weapons arsenals, we could have peace.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/we-may-think-of-peace-as-the-absence-of-war-that-if-the-great-powers/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [If you are capable of brushing your teeth in mindfulness, then you will be able to enjoy the time when you take a shower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/if-you-are-capable-of-brushing-your-teeth-in-mindfulness-then-you/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [If I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have dessert, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/if-i-am-incapable-of-washing-dishes-joyfully-if-i-want-to-finish-them/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [When we have anger in us, we suffer. When we have discrimination in us, we suffer. When we have the complex of superiority, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/when-we-have-anger-in-us-we-suffer-when-we-have-discrimination-in-us/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/every-morning-when-we-wake-up-we-have-twenty-four-brand-new-hours-to/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [It is best if we do not listen to or look at the person whom we consider to be the cause of our anger.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/it-is-best-if-we-do-not-listen-to-or-look-at-the-person-whom-we/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) [Explore all 507 Nhat Hanh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) ## More Buddha quotes > [Of course the Dharma-body of the Buddha was the hedge at the bottom of the garden. At the same time, and no less obviously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/of-course-the-dharma-body-of-the-buddha-was-the-hedge-at-the-bottom/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [The birds fly in the sky but they don't leave any footmarks. That's what Buddha says, that the man who is awakened lives in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-birds-fly-in-the-sky-but-they-don-t-leave-any-footmarks-that-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Buddha gave his first talks, and three or four ascetics became his first disciples. They recognized his enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-buddha-gave-his-first-talks-and-three-or-four-ascetics-became-his/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I went on a Buddha jag. I read 'Confession of a Buddhist Atheist' by Stephen Batchelor and Karen Armstrong's biography of Buddha, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-o-hare/i-went-on-a-buddha-jag-i-read-confession-of-a-buddhist-atheist-by/) [Denis O'Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-o-hare/) > [The Buddha, the Godhead, resides quite as comfortably in the circuits of a digital computer or the gears of a cycle transmission as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/the-buddha-the-godhead-resides-quite-as-comfortably-in-the-circuits/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [Why don't the names of Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius offend people? The reason is that these others didn't claim to be God, but Jesus did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/why-don-t-the-names-of-buddha-mohammed-confucius-offend-people-the/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [When people suffer, their relationships usually suffer as well. Period. And we all suffer because, as the Buddha says, that's the nature of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-karr/when-people-suffer-their-relationships-usually-suffer-as-well-period/) [Mary Karr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-karr/) > [The real power of the Buddha was that he had so much love. He saw people trapped in their notions of small separate self,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-real-power-of-the-buddha-was-that-he-had-so-much-love-he-saw/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [“Then Maitreya Bodhisattva thought: “Now the World-Honored One has displayed a marvelous sign. But what is the cause or reason for this auspicious sign?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-reeves/then-maitreya-bodhisattva-thought-now-the-world-honored-one-has/) Gene Reeves > [It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/it-is-possible-that-the-next-buddha-will-not-take-the-form-of-an/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [“The foundational Vajrakilaya is the sun shining in the sky behind the clouds. The path Vajrakilaya is the removal of the clouds from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyatrul-rinpoche/the-foundational-vajrakilaya-is-the-sun-shining-in-the-sky-behind-the/) Gyatrul Rinpoche > [Inside we are all Golden Buddha's, but we grew to believe we were made of clay. Our ego's false perceptions led us to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/inside-we-are-all-golden-buddha-s-but-we-grew-to-believe-we-were-made/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [The mind is the Buddha, and the Buddha is the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/the-mind-is-the-buddha-and-the-buddha-is-the-mind/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [“In the eyes of Buddha, there are no evil people, only people who don't yet have light in their hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lijia-zhang/in-the-eyes-of-buddha-there-are-no-evil-people-only-people-who-don-t/) Lijia Zhang > [I hold that all the Teachers of the world have attained that Life which is the fulfilment of life. Hence, whenever anyone enters that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/i-hold-that-all-the-teachers-of-the-world-have-attained-that-life/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) [Browse all 411 Buddha quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddha/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Often, we feel that we need a leader outside of ourselves -a Buddha, a Gandhi, or a Martin Luther King, Jr.- to show the way. But we have the Buddha inside of us. We have Gandhi and King inside of us as well. We are interconnected. 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