Social action is a particular way of caring for others. The fact that human beings live together in societies is proof that we need one another’s care. Because we are all profoundly interconnected, one person’s well-being is intimately connected to the well-being of their community. If we create social systems that honour our basic interconnectedness, our society will be aligned with the reality of our existence. This will give us the basis for a society that is stable, and also supportive of human happiness.

17th Karmapa

from the book The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out

translated by Ngodup Tsering Burkhar & Damchö Diana Finnegan


Read a random quote or see all quotes by the 17th Karmapa.

Further quotes from the book The Heart Is Noble:

• Protective Inner Wisdom
• The Wealth of Contentment
• Life in Balance
• Boxing Love with Our Expectations
• Just Love
• There are no fixed starting points
• Nothing is intrinsically bad
• Difference without Division
• Breaking barriers
• Healthy relationships
• Take joy in your sincere intentions
• Just not been introduced before
• Finding our nobility of heart
• Authentic love toward others
• There are no fixed starting points
• Expanding our sense of ourselves
• Our life is vast
• Open-minded
• Greed is a recipe for dissatisfaction