---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Buddha said, 'Nothing can survive…"
description: "\"The Buddha said, 'Nothing can survive without food.' This is a very simple and very deep truth. Love and hate are both living phenomena. If we do not n..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/nhat-hanh-515_dies_the-buddha-said-nothing-can-survive-with_566230.jpg"
---

#  The Buddha said, 'Nothing can survive without food.' This…

![“The Buddha said, 'Nothing can survive without food.' This is a very simple and very deep truth. Love and hate are both living phenomena. If we do not nourish our love, it will die and may turn into hate. If we want love to last, we have to nurture it and give it food every day. Hate is the same…” quote by Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/nhat-hanh-515_dies_the-buddha-said-nothing-can-survive-with_566230.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/nhat-hanh-515_dies_the-buddha-said-nothing-can-survive-with_566230.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/nhat-hanh-515_dies_the-buddha-said-nothing-can-survive-with_566230.jpg)

> “The Buddha said, 'Nothing can survive without food.' This is a very simple and very deep truth. Love and hate are both living phenomena. If we do not nourish our love, it will die and may turn into hate. If we want love to last, we have to nurture it and give it food every day. Hate is the same; if we don't feed it, it cannot survive.”

[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.

Emotions need care to persist; neglect leads them to fade or transform into opposite feelings.

**In simple terms:** Love and hate must be nurtured or they die.

Key Takeaway

Feed positive emotions daily.

Themes

emotions care growth

Mood

reflective calm

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- relationships
- personal development
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

attachment impermanence mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you nurture love?
- What happens when you ignore negative emotions?

A Different Perspective

Neglect can also cause emotional numbness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Feed Survive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feed-survive-941927/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love and hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-and-hate/) [Love Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-hate/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Motivational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivational/) [Nourish Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nourish-love-2211256/) [Nurture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nurture/) [Our love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-love/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Survive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survive/) [Survive Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survive-food-1165781/) [Truth love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-love/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Very deep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very-deep/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/)

## Related quotes

> [Some people are mistaken, they think birds need feed to survive, but they don't. The main reason to feed birds is to enjoy them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-elizabeth-jones/some-people-are-mistaken-they-think-birds-need-feed-to-survive-but/)

[Maggie Elizabeth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-elizabeth-jones/)

> [Oh, Lord, nourish me not with love, but with the desire for love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-arabi/oh-lord-nourish-me-not-with-love-but-with-the-desire-for-love/)

[Ibn Arabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-arabi/)

> [“If our heart and mind are focused on experiencing food as a love note from God, eating becomes not only a way to nourish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-cousens/if-our-heart-and-mind-are-focused-on-experiencing-food-as-a-love-note/)

[Gabriel Cousens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-cousens/)

> [Be ready for love when it does come. Prepare the field and be ready to nourish love. Be loving, and you will be lovable.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/be-ready-for-love-when-it-does-come-prepare-the-field-and-be-ready-to/)

[Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/)

> [You can quit smoking, and never have to have a cigarette again to survive. But with food, it is a daily challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/you-can-quit-smoking-and-never-have-to-have-a-cigarette-again-to/)

[Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/)

> [If the English can survive their food, they can survive anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/if-the-english-can-survive-their-food-they-can-survive-anything/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [What did a person need to survive? Food. Water. Shelter. Warmth in cold weather. And something else... books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/what-did-a-person-need-to-survive-food-water-shelter-warmth-in-cold/)

[Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/)

> [What I need to survive is food, water, shelter, love and ballet. If I didn't have any one of them I'd probably wither away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/what-i-need-to-survive-is-food-water-shelter-love-and-ballet-if-i/)

[Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/)

> [Listening is a very deep practice. You have to empty yourself. You have to leave space in order to listen especially to people we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/listening-is-a-very-deep-practice-you-have-to-empty-yourself-you-have/)

[Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/)

> [The first thing I learned was that even if you have a lot of money and power and fame, you can still suffer very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-first-thing-i-learned-was-that-even-if-you-have-a-lot-of-money/)

[Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/)

> [And when an architect has designed a house with large windows, which is a necessity today in order to pull the daylight into these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-jacobsen/and-when-an-architect-has-designed-a-house-with-large-windows-which/)

[Arne Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-jacobsen/)

> [For me 'Thank You'. This word has a very deep meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yunho/for-me-thank-you-this-word-has-a-very-deep-meaning/)

[Yunho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yunho/)

> [On the sequel, you've lost the element of surprise. Usually, on the first one you may not go very, very deep into character; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/on-the-sequel-you-ve-lost-the-element-of-surprise-usually-on-the/)

[Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/)

> [And indeed nothing but the most determined scepticism, along with a great degree of indolence, can justify this aversion to metaphysics. For if truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/and-indeed-nothing-but-the-most-determined-scepticism-along-with-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [I think enlightenment is something that you decide to do after you have met someone who is enlightened. Something touches your heart, your being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-enlightenment-is-something-that-you-decide-to-do-after-you/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## 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 Dies quotes

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [Don't even think for a moment that you are not going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/don-t-even-think-for-a-moment-that-you-are-not-going-to-die/)

[Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/)

[Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/)

> [I wonder: when a Jehovah's Witness dies and goes to Heaven, does God hide behind the door and pretend He's not home?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/i-wonder-when-a-jehovah-s-witness-dies-and-goes-to-heaven-does-god/)

[Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/)

> [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/)

[Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/)

> [“When he stops giving you butterflies, Love dies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-blanchard/when-he-stops-giving-you-butterflies-love-dies/)

[Michelle Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-blanchard/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [I don't want to just die a normal death, I wanna be killed twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/i-don-t-want-to-just-die-a-normal-death-i-wanna-be-killed-twice/)

[Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/)

> [My father thrives on fear. You know that prayer If I should die before I wake? I had sheets that said that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/my-father-thrives-on-fear-you-know-that-prayer-if-i-should-die-before/)

[Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/)

> [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/)

[Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/)

> [If you’re going to die on screen, you’ve got to be strong and in good health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-garbo/if-you-re-going-to-die-on-screen-you-ve-got-to-be-strong-and-in-good/)

[Greta Garbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-garbo/)

[Browse all 7,484 Dies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Buddha said, 'Nothing can survive without food.' This is a very simple and very deep truth. Love and hate are both living phenomena. If we do not nourish our love, it will die and may turn into hate. If we want love to last, we have to nurture it and give it food every day. Hate is the same; if we don't feed it, it cannot survive.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nhat Hanh"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-buddha-said-nothing-can-survive-without-food-this-is-a-very/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dies"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-buddha-said-nothing-can-survive-without-food-this-is-a-very/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/nhat-hanh-515_dies_the-buddha-said-nothing-can-survive-with_566230.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/nhat-hanh-515_dies_the-buddha-said-nothing-can-survive-with_566230.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/nhat-hanh-515_dies_the-buddha-said-nothing-can-survive-with_566230.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Buddha said, 'Nothing can survive without food.' This is a very simple and very deep truth. Love and…” — Nhat Hanh",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Nhat Hanh",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Buddha said, 'Nothing can survive...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-buddha-said-nothing-can-survive-without-food-this-is-a-very/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-buddha-said-nothing-can-survive-without-food-this-is-a-very/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
