9 Interfaith Quotes and Prayers to Find Peace of Mind and Heart

There is an African proverb that says, “When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” So, how do you find peace of mind and heart?

In a world of distracting chaos, depressing conflict, distressing challenges, and addictive consumerism, finding inner peace can feel elusive. Yet, timeless spiritual and religious teachings offer helpful insights and comforting prayers to guide all of us on our journeys. 

Explore how the following quotes and prayers from world religions and ancient spiritual traditions can unlock a peaceful, resilient spirit and bring tranquility to both your heart and mind.

Baha’i Quotes About How to Find Peace of Mind and Heart

If you’re wondering how to find peace of mind and heart, the Baha’i writings offer helpful guidance on this subject. 

First, we can’t have a peaceful mind and heart without having a loving mind and heart. At a talk in New York in 1912, Abdu’l-Baha, one of the central figures of the Baha’i Faith, was asked, “Is peace a greater word than love?” 

Abdu’l-Baha exclaimed, “No! Love is greater than peace, for peace is founded upon love. Love is the objective point of peace, and peace is an outcome of love. Until love is attained, peace cannot be…”

When we are kindled by the fire of the love of God in our hearts and look for the loveable divine qualities in every person and created thing, we will find that we are more at peace with ourselves and everyone around us. 

In a treatise written by Abdu’l-Baha in 1875, he identified the different capabilities that an individual needs to develop to experience pleasure and peace. He explained that “the happiness and greatness, the rank and station, the pleasure and peace, of an individual have never consisted in his personal wealth, but rather in his excellent character, his high resolve, the breadth of his learning, and his ability to solve difficult problems.” 

It’s important that we strengthen and develop these qualities, as they enhance our personal happiness and peace and build the resilience that we need to navigate the challenging moments in our lives.

A Buddhist Quote About the Importance of a Peaceful Mind

It’s fascinating that breadth of learning not only fosters peace but that peace of mind is also conducive to greater knowledge. 

In the Dhammapada, the Buddha states, “If a man’s thoughts are unsteady, if he does not know the true law, if his peace of mind is troubled, his knowledge will never be perfect.” 

When our thoughts are flighty, unsettled, and anxious, it’s difficult to focus, think deeply, and meditate on divine guidance. So, we have to clear and calm our minds to receive greater insights and understanding.

Yogic, Buddhist, and Cherokee Quotes About the Importance of a Peaceful Heart

As a yoga fan, I enjoy the peace of mind and body that yoga often brings. However, I was even more excited to learn about the spiritual teachings that ancient yogis have shared about how important a peaceful heart is for fostering harmonious relationships.

In “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,” it says, “Where the heart is full of kindness which seeks no injury to another, either in act or thought or wish, this full love creates an atmosphere of harmony, whose benign power touches with healing all who come within its influence. Peace in the heart radiates peace to other hearts, even more surely than contention breeds contention.”

Likewise, The Sutra Collection, a sacred Buddhist text, asks us to abstain from calumny and slander —also regarded as grievous sins in the Baha’i Faith — and avoid repeating what would “raise a quarrel against the people.”

A Cherokee proverb beautifully captures this spirit of compassionate silence and open-hearted communication: “O Great Spirit, help me always to speak the truth quietly, to listen with an open mind when others speak, and to remember the peace that may be found in silence.”

Continuing in this spirit, The Sutra Collection concludes, “Thus he lives as a binder together of those who are divided, an encourager of those who are friends, a peacemaker, a lover of peace, impassioned for peace, a speaker of words that make for peace.”

A Taoist Prayer for Peace of Mind and Heart

“Lao-Tsu’s Peace Prayer” beautifully illustrates how important peaceful hearts are for creating a peaceful world. He wrote:

If there is to be peace in the world,

There must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations,

There must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities,

There must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors,

There must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home,

There must be peace in the heart.

A Baha’i Prayer for Peace of Mind and Heart

As we strive to cultivate inner peace, turning to prayer can be a powerful balm and refuge. The following Baha’i prayer offers profound words of solace and strength, imploring our Creator to renew your spirit and restore peace to your mind and heart: 

Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a tranquil conscience within me, O my Hope! Through the spirit of power confirm Thou me in Thy Cause, O my Best-Beloved, and by the light of Thy glory reveal unto me Thy path, O Thou the Goal of my desire! Through the power of Thy transcendent might lift me up unto the heaven of Thy holiness, O Source of my being, and by the breezes of Thine eternity gladden me, O Thou Who art my God! 

Let Thine everlasting melodies breathe tranquillity on me, O my Companion, and let the riches of Thine ancient countenance deliver me from all except Thee, O my Master, and let the tidings of the revelation of Thine incorruptible Essence bring me joy, O Thou Who art the most manifest of the manifest and the most hidden of the hidden!