---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The internet can be enormously helpful…"
description: "\"The internet can be enormously helpful, just like books can, but I don't think it's the be all and end all for really practicing Buddhism. At a certain..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/tenzin-palmo-1431_book_the-internet-can-be-enormously-helpful-j_2970505.png"
---

#  The internet can be enormously helpful, just like books…

![“The internet can be enormously helpful, just like books can, but I don't think it's the be all and end all for really practicing Buddhism. At a certain point, as with learning any skill, we need personal instruction from someone who is more advanced than us.” quote by Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/tenzin-palmo-1431_book_the-internet-can-be-enormously-helpful-j_2970505.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/tenzin-palmo-1431_book_the-internet-can-be-enormously-helpful-j_2970505.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/tenzin-palmo-1431_book_the-internet-can-be-enormously-helpful-j_2970505.png)

> “The internet can be enormously helpful, just like books can, but I don't think it's the be all and end all for really practicing Buddhism. At a certain point, as with learning any skill, we need personal instruction from someone who is more advanced than us.”

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Digital resources aid learning, but personal guidance from experienced teachers remains essential.

**In simple terms:** Books help, but teachers are vital.

Key Takeaway

Seek mentors alongside online study.

Themes

education technology tradition

Mood

reflective practical

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- Buddhism
- skill acquisition
- personal development

Key Concepts

spiritual mentorship practical learning

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance online tools with personal instruction?
- What qualities should you look for in a mentor?

A Different Perspective

May undervalue self-study.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [If we want to be musicians, dancers or sportspeople, we can download a certain amount and watch DVDs and read books, but in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-we-want-to-be-musicians-dancers-or-sportspeople-we-can-download-a/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [I'm a Buddhist and active in my Buddhist's Association, and I'm actually a National Young Women's representative for the organization, so I travel a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinessa-shaw/i-m-a-buddhist-and-active-in-my-buddhist-s-association-and-i-m/)

[Vinessa Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinessa-shaw/)

> [I've been practicing Buddhism for a while. So, I call myself a Jew-Bu, because my tribe is still Jew. But my philosophy and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie-hawn/i-ve-been-practicing-buddhism-for-a-while-so-i-call-myself-a-jew-bu/)

[Goldie Hawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie-hawn/)

> [The study of law, medicine and the arts, in each of these instances, the developed mindset is very helpful to one who is practicing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-study-of-law-medicine-and-the-arts-in-each-of-these-instances-the/)

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

> [I think if you really start practicing, the energy comes. I was always very happy and grateful for the opportunity to have the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/i-think-if-you-really-start-practicing-the-energy-comes-i-was-always/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [When you learn an instrument, it takes an awful lot of time to just learn the scales, and then eventually when you have completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/when-you-learn-an-instrument-it-takes-an-awful-lot-of-time-to-just/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [A large part of the art of instruction lies in making the difficulty of new problems large enough to challenge thought, and small enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-large-part-of-the-art-of-instruction-lies-in-making-the-difficulty/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [The Buddha taught complete honesty, with the extra instruction that everything a person says should be truthful and helpful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/the-buddha-taught-complete-honesty-with-the-extra-instruction-that/)

[Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/)

> [“Together as a church we are practicing, learning the strokes that teach us to live our lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tish-harrison-warren/together-as-a-church-we-are-practicing-learning-the-strokes-that/)

[Tish Harrison Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tish-harrison-warren/)

> [“Joy is a practice, not an involuntary state.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/joy-is-a-practice-not-an-involuntary-state/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [There is no such thing as getting anything easy. Trust and believe. Even if you're good at what you do, you still should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jones/there-is-no-such-thing-as-getting-anything-easy-trust-and-believe/)

[Leslie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jones/)

> [I'm practicing a kind of meandering faith, or faithful meandering. I just trust that something is coming. I don't know what it is. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jones/i-m-practicing-a-kind-of-meandering-faith-or-faithful-meandering-i/)

[Sarah Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jones/)

> [I was the first to win a major with a belly putter, and I've spent hours practicing that way, so I hope they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/i-was-the-first-to-win-a-major-with-a-belly-putter-and-i-ve-spent/)

[Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/)

> [“Start the daily practice of joyful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/start-the-daily-practice-of-joyful-living/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

## More by Tenzin Palmo

> [All of us are playing roles, and there's nothing wrong with playing roles because we have to live in this world - the problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/all-of-us-are-playing-roles-and-there-s-nothing-wrong-with-playing/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [I really don't know what I could teach and don't really plan to teach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/i-really-don-t-know-what-i-could-teach-and-don-t-really-plan-to-teach/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [To really be of benefit to others as the Buddha always taught, we ourselves must first get out of the swamp. One of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/to-really-be-of-benefit-to-others-as-the-buddha-always-taught-we/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [For any practice to work, the mind which is meditating on the object must merge. Often they are facing each other. One has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/for-any-practice-to-work-the-mind-which-is-meditating-on-the-object/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [I've often said that the seventh paramita should be a sense of humor, so we don't take ourselves too seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/i-ve-often-said-that-the-seventh-paramita-should-be-a-sense-of-humor/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [If you take the time to study how to be a doctor and how to use your scalpel and your medicine, then there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-take-the-time-to-study-how-to-be-a-doctor-and-how-to-use-your/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [If we want to be musicians, dancers or sportspeople, we can download a certain amount and watch DVDs and read books, but in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-we-want-to-be-musicians-dancers-or-sportspeople-we-can-download-a/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [Realization is wonderful, but you have to expand it until there's not a single defilement left in the mind and the mind is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/realization-is-wonderful-but-you-have-to-expand-it-until-there-s-not/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [It's not a matter of how much you know or can define, or how many millions of mantras or thousands of prostrations you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/it-s-not-a-matter-of-how-much-you-know-or-can-define-or-how-many/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [We have compassion because of the incredible pain and suffering which we as unenlightened beings cause to ourselves and all others through our ignorance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/we-have-compassion-because-of-the-incredible-pain-and-suffering-which/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [When I look back I can think that of course I've been lazy and haven't practiced as much as I could have and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/when-i-look-back-i-can-think-that-of-course-i-ve-been-lazy-and-haven/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [We do have the precious opportunity of this human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/we-do-have-the-precious-opportunity-of-this-human-life/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [I think the problem with Western students is they're very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/i-think-the-problem-with-western-students-is-they-re-very-ambitious/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

[Explore all 242 Tenzin Palmo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The internet can be enormously helpful, just like books can, but I don't think it's the be all and end all for really practicing Buddhism. At a certain point, as with learning any skill, we need personal instruction from someone who is more advanced than us.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tenzin Palmo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-internet-can-be-enormously-helpful-just-like-books-can-but-i-don/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-internet-can-be-enormously-helpful-just-like-books-can-but-i-don/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/tenzin-palmo-1431_book_the-internet-can-be-enormously-helpful-j_2970505.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/tenzin-palmo-1431_book_the-internet-can-be-enormously-helpful-j_2970505.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/tenzin-palmo-1431_book_the-internet-can-be-enormously-helpful-j_2970505.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The internet can be enormously helpful, just like books can, but I don't think it's the be all and end all…” — Tenzin Palmo",
                "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": "Tenzin Palmo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The internet can be enormously helpful,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-internet-can-be-enormously-helpful-just-like-books-can-but-i-don/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-internet-can-be-enormously-helpful-just-like-books-can-but-i-don/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
