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Karma quotes are all around you: "What goes around comes around." "Do unto others as you would have them do to you." "You get back the same energy you put out." "You reap what you sow." Over the millennia, people have come up with many different ways to talk about the type of cosmic justice that says people are fated to get what they deserve—good or bad. People who believe in this call it karma, generally speaking, and see it as a way of making life fair, at least in the end.
© rd.com, Getty Images But the word "karma" comes from Hindu and Buddhist practices and is specifically talking about how a person's actions in this and previous states of existence decide their fate in future lives. Rather than being just an act of revenge, it encourages people to take responsibility for their actions and to expect and accept the consequences. And it's not always a bad thing, as these true stories of good karma prove.
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Religious or secular, karma can be one of those hard-to-define things that fall into the "you know it when you see it" category. These karma quotes will get you thinking about what you believe about the concept of karma, how it works in your life, and how it affects your actions. If you're seeking greater enlightenment and inspiration, meditate on positive affirmations to bring you joy and read up on good morning quotes, Monday motivation quotes, Bible quotes, and spiritual quotes.
Life is a boomerang
What goes around comes around, according to these karma quotes.
1. "Live a good and honorable life. Then, when you are older, you can look back and enjoy it a second time." —Dalai Lama
2. "When you truly understand karma, then you realize you are responsible for everything in your life." —Keanu Reeves
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3. "It is impossible to build one's own happiness on the unhappiness of others. This perspective is at the heart of Buddhist teachings." —Daisaku Ikeda
4. "The universe does not carry debts. It always returns back to you what you gave it." ―Drishti Bablani
5. "People pay for what they do, and, still more, for what they have allowed themselves to become. And they pay for it simply: by the lives they lead." —James Baldwin
6. "Realize that everything connects to everything else." —Leonardo da Vinci
7. "How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours." —Wayne Dyer
8. "There are the waves, and there is the wind, seen and unseen forces. Everyone has these same elements in their lives, the seen and unseen, karma and free will." —Kuan Yin
9. "Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity." —Edwin Hubbell Chapin
10. "Your believing or not believing in karma has no effect on its existence, nor on its consequences to you. Just as a refusal to believe in the ocean would not prevent you from drowning." —F. Paul Wilson
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11. "Sometimes you get what's coming around. And sometimes you are what's coming around." ―Jim Butcher
12. "But this was what happened when you didn't want to visit and confront the past: The past starts visiting and confronting you." —Bret Easton Ellis
13. "This is your karma. You do not understand now, but you will understand later." —H. Raven Rose
© rd.com, Getty Images 14. "Before you act, you have freedom, but after you act, the effect of that action will follow you whether you want it to or not. That is the law of karma." —Paramahansa Yogananda
15. "If your actions were to boomerang back on you instantly, would you still act the same?" —Alexandra Katehakis
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Love begets love
The best way to get love is to give it, these karma quotes say.
16. "Most times, how you treat your children is how they grow up to treat you." —Terry Mark
17. "The more love you give away, the more love you will receive." —Unknown
18. "When someone has a strong intuitive connection, Buddhism suggests that it's because of karma, some past connection." —Richard Gere
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19. "Even chance meetings ... are the result of karma. ...things in life are fated by our previous lives. That even in the smallest events there's no such thing as coincidence." —Haruki Murakami
20. "The love you send into the world, you will find, is the love that returns to you." ―Avina Celeste
21. "When you plant a seed of love, it is you that blossoms." —Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
© rd.com, Getty Images 22. "Everyone gets dumped, and everyone gets hurt, and there's karma to love in regards to what you've done to other people." —Marina and the Diamonds
23. "When the karma of a relationship is done, only love remains. Let go. It's safe." —Elizabeth Gilbert
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Good deeds are their own reward
You reap what you sow, or so these karma quotes believe.
24. "There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life—happiness, freedom, and peace of mind—are always attained by giving them to someone else." —Peyton Conway March
25. "Men are not punished for their sins but by them." —Kin Hubbard
26. "Karma: getting what you deserve and deserving what you get." —Unknown
27. "Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely. —Buddha
© rd.com, Getty Images 28. "Karma is extremely efficient, if one is extremely patient." ―Efrat Cybulkiewicz
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29. "By each crime and every kindness, we birth our future." —David Mitchell
30. "Karma is justice. It does not reward or punish, because we have to earn all that we receive." —Mary T. Brown
31. "It's called karma, and it's pronounced ha ha." —Unknown
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Karma is the best revenge
There's no need for revenge with karma around, according to these karma quotes.
32. "There's a natural law of karma that vindictive people, who go out of their way to hurt others, will end up broke and alone." —Sylvester Stallone
33. "If you're really a mean person, you're going to come back as a fly and eat poop." —Kurt Cobain
34. "You cannot do harm to someone because someone has done harm to you. You will pay just like they will." —Ericka Williams
35. "When karma comes back to punch you in the face, I want to be there. Just in case it needs help." —Unknown
36. "That game of consequences to which we all sit down, the hanger-back not least." —Robert Louis Stevenson
37. "I want revenge, but I don't want to screw up my karma." —Susan Colasanti
© rd.com, Getty Images 38. "Often when someone hurts you, they aren't hurting you because you are you. They are hurting you because they are them." —Karen Salmansohn
39. "Karma is a tricky thing. To serve karma, one must repay good karma to others. To serve karma well, one must sometimes deliver bad karma where it is due." —M.R. Mathias
40. "Karma is like a rubber band. You can only stretch it so far before it comes back and smacks you in the face." —Unknown
41. "Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another." ―Arthur Conan Doyle
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42. "You might have burned me with your lies, but karma is about to set you on fire." —Unknown
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Kindness is the ultimate karma
Need kindness in your life? According to these karma quotes, you get what you give.
43. "You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
© rd.com, Getty Images 44. "I never kill insects. If I see ants or spiders in the room, I pick them up and take them outside. Karma is everything." —Holly Valance
45. "When you carry out acts of kindness, you get a wonderful feeling inside. It is as though something inside your body responds and says, 'Yes, this is how I ought to feel.'" —Harold Kushner
46. "Show a little faith in someone when they need it. It's amazing how it comes back around to you." ―Garon Whited
47. "Remember to honor the hand which reached out for you when you needed it, by being that hand to someone else who is struggling." ―Greg Dutilly
48. "In the long run, every man will pay the penalty for his own misdeeds. The man who remembers this will be angry with no one, indignant with no one, revile no one, blame no one, offend no one, hate no one." ―Epictetus
49. "The meaning of karma is in the intention. The intention behind action is what matters." —The Bhagavad Gita
50. "If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another." —Buddha
Now that you've been inspired by these karma quotes, check out some quotes about change that will make you optimistic about the future.
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Not going for the max
What you contribute annually to your IRA is paramount to how much you will have in your nest egg, later on. It may be better to feel a slight sting each year, than a huge pain, after you retire. "Back when I opened my first Individual Retirement Account (IRA) in March 1983, I wasn't particularly diligent about maxing out my annual contributions. So when I'd begin working on my income taxes each year, I'd look at my bank accounts to see how much I could afford to contribute to my IRA. The maximum annual contribution back then was $2,000 per year; but I often contributed only half that amount. I now know that underfunding my IRA by $1,000 per year for 31 years (assuming an average annual return of 6.9 percent from an IRA invested in an S&P 500 index mutual fund) meant $100,180 less in my retirement kitty at the age of 62! If I'd realized how much it would ultimately cost me to underfund my IRA, I'd have figured a way to come up with that extra $1,000 annually. After all, how many retirees can give up $100,000 in retirement?" says Timothy G. Wiedman. D.B.A., PHR, SHRM-CP, retired associate professor of Management & Human Resources at Doane University in Crete, Nebraska.
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Touching their 401Ks
Life is full of surprises, and not all of them are pleasant. Even if you've been diligent about saving, you may find yourself up against large medical bills, or lost employment. Even so, dipping into your retirement fund is bound to hurt even worse, in the long run. Take it from retiree Dave Bernard, a contributor to U.S. News & World Report's "On Retirement" blog. "The one thing I wish I knew then I know now: Never touch your retirement savings accounts, no matter how tempting. I cashed out 401k accounts numerous times with job changes, and sacrificed the increases that could have made a significant impact on my retirement lifestyle," he explains. Find out the ten best places in America to retire.
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Giving into fear
Throwing caution to the wind is not a great strategy for retirement saving, but neither is visualizing yourself living under a bridge and living in fear. "Fear of running out of money after retirement is natural, and quite common. But, it is a very unlikely occurrence. If you have planned, and invested well enough to consider retirement, then you already have the proper skills to make what you have be sufficient. Your expenses are largely under your control, and your lifestyle can be adjusted, to match your income. Once you retire, you will find that experiences are much more important than things," shares Bob Lowry, who writes about his post-retirement adventures at the A Satisfying Retirement blog.
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Not understanding the magic of compounding interest earlier
Retiree Akaisha Kaderli, who blogs about the joys of early retirement, along with husband Billy, regrets being in the dark about compounding, earlier in her life. "I wish I would have known about the power of compounding when I was ten years old. I would have saved aggressively, and with purpose. I wish I would have known that ordinary people like you and me could become financially independent. One does not have to be born into it, nor does one have to be a movie star, a rock star or a sports figure. This goal is achievable, and had I known about compounding when I was young, it would have placed me square into this path of financial freedom at an earlier age," she shares. Billy, of course, agrees. "We retired at the age of 38, because we built a foundation on which our finances could grow. We learned about no-load mutual funds, and index investing, then let the power of compounding work for us. My advice to everyone is to start investing in the financial markets as young as possible using VTI, Vanguard Total Stock Market Index. Time is on your side. Use the power of compounding. Create a retirement account outside your company's provided retirement accounts, and outside Social Security for your future, and you, too, can become financially independent," he adds. Need to keep on working? Check out the list of best jobs for seniors.
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Not diversifying investments
Leave it to a military man to tell you that you need to map out your retirement early. "Save for retirement, start early (when you start to work), and diversify your investments so you will have multiple sources of income, says Norman S. Nuzzi, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, who stresses the need to have a long-term plan for retirement, which includes physical and mental wellness, as well as financial solvency. "Keeping active, mentally and physically, as well as monetarily, is critical to longevity, peace of mind, and enjoying your retirement. This triple-pronged plan should be thought through long in advance, so you know how much you will need to save, and where you must spend that money," he adds. Make sure to avoid these common money mistakes once you do retire.
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Supporting the kids for too long
As difficult (or painful) as it might be, it's OK to say no to your children when they need to "borrow" money for a major purchase, such as a car, wedding, or house. "As a single mom, it was incredibly hard to put anything away while my kids were growing up. I want nothing more than to give them down payments on their own homes someday, but I also know that if I do, I'll wind up in dire straights financially. It's not selfish to keep the money you made your whole life for yourself if you need it to live on, as you age," says retired teacher Marjorie Lerner, who enjoys spending money on her brand new grandchild.
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Monetize your home earlier
Your property is an asset you may be able to monetize, the way retiree, John Yates, did. Yates learned that earning extra money to stow away for retirement doesn't necessarily mean taking on a side job. "There are a lot of empty nesters out there like me who own a home and have unused space that they can rent out to a long-term housemate. By leveraging your home this way, you can make some extra money every month that can go toward your nest egg, your housing costs or your living expenses. Plus, you'll probably find that it's nice to have the company. "I used an online service called Silvernest to find my housemate, and it's worked out great financially, and socially, for both of us," he says.
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Social Security—not so much
Many people believe that Social Security is a money panacea, but of course, that isn't so. The money you contributed into the system during your entire working life may feel like a lot when it's being taken out of your paycheck, but it won't translate into much if it is your only source of income later on. "I would look at that deduction every month and think wow, I can't believe how much is being taken out," confides Elaine Suskowitch, a retiree who was widowed young, and took reduced benefits at age 62. Social Security has a quick calculator you can use, which will help you determine your benefits, and its an eye-opener. It may be tempting to quit the workforce early, but waiting until you are 70 to collect can make a huge difference to your bottom line. Even so, the benefits will not typically be enough for you to live on, and should not be your sole retirement plan. According to a Japanese doctor, this is the best age to retire.
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Failing to realize little amounts can add up to big amounts
Do you really need those shoes, or dinner out again this week? Saving small amounts weekly can add up, but it usually requires some willpower around saving. "When I look back now, there were so many things I wasted my money on. I sure wish I could get the money back from all the hardcover books I bought, and the extra suits I rarely (or never) wore," says Harry Stoakes, a retired fashion executive. Stoakes loved going out on the town, and indulging in hobbies, ranging from voracious reading, to collecting fine art. "I earned a great salary, but hardly saved anything at all, after my divorce. I calculated it recently, and if I had just used the library instead of buying new, hardcover books, I would have saved close to $9,000. That was a big-time ouch," he says. Here are seven ways to read books for free online.
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The post 50 Powerful Karma Quotes on Love, Life, Rewards, and Revenge appeared first on Reader's Digest.
How to choose the right credit card for you .
How to choose the right credit card for you will depend on what kind of credit card you need. For example, you might be looking for a card that offers cash back rewards, while someone else will prefer one that features travel rewards. And you’ll also likely want to look for a card that fits your credit profile. If you don’t have excellent credit, your priority may be to find a card that you’re likely to be approved for.But given that everyone is different, within each category some choices may be better for you than others. Let’s take a closer look.