Karma is a Vedic Sanskrit word derived from the word “karman” which means action, work, or deed. It is originally a Hindu religious philosophy or a school of thought wherein the deeds, words, thoughts, and commands can greatly affect a person’s life.

Actions done with good intent can benefit a person, whereas bad actions can lead to a troubled life. The effect of good or bad karma is not always immediate, and can be passed onto one’s soul after rebirth or reincarnation.

In Hinduism, it is believed, that the future generations of a person can also bear the brunt of someone’s bad karma, or can benefit from someone’s good karma.

The earliest use and discussion of karma can be found in the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. While in the Rigveda, the word occurs about 40 times.

Today we will treat you with an appetizing collection of inspirational Karma quotes, which will satiate your hunger for spirituality.

Karma is the Central component of the Hindu ethical worldview:

Karma is the force of retributive justice that guides the believers to follow the path of righteousness, which is their Dharma— the moral order of the universe.

The concept of karma was first introduced by Indian religions, and philosophies. Hence, it became an integral part of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism teachings. However, each religious philosophy holds a different view on karma and its implication.

Understanding Karma through the lens of Hinduism:

Karma is the core content of Hinduism, as it is believed that one’s karmic actions affect the reincarnation of their soul. If a person has good karma, their soul will reincarnate as a human. While bad karma can make someone reincarnate as an animal, or other non-human life forms.

Whereas, the non-theistic, non-orthodox, or atheist school of Hinduism believes that, karma is the principle of cause and effect, where every individual is rewarded or, punished for their deeds without the intervention of a deity.

Check out our unique collection of best Karma Quotes by famous personalities, religious leaders, and spiritual philosophies.

Here is a Collection of 90 Best Quotes on Karma

Karma Quotes from the Bhagavad Gita:

The Bhagavad Gita is full of wisdom and contains every deep advice you will ever need in to combat problems in life and to annihilate inner demons. Here are some karma quotes from the Bhagavad Gita to to increase your wisdom:

1. “The meaning of Karma is in the intention. The intention behind action is what matters. Those who are motivated only by desire for the fruits of action are miserable, for they are constantly anxious about the results of what they do.”

2. “No one who does good work will ever come to a bad end, either here or in the world to come.”

3. “At the beginning of time I declared two paths for the pure heart: jnana yoga, the contemplative path of spiritual wisdom, and karma yoga, the active path of selfless service.” – Krishna, Bhagavad Gita Karma Quotes

4. “It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.”

5. All actions are performed by the Gunas of Prakriti [attributes of nature]; he who is deluded by the ego thinks, ‘I am the doer.’ – Chapter 3:27, Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Karma

Swami Vivekananda Quotes on Karma:

Swami Vivekananda played a key role in introducing the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the western world. Here are some best karma quotes by Swami Vivekananda:

6. “The three essentials of Hinduism are belief in God, in the Vedas as revelation, in the doctrine of Karma and transmigration.”

7. “Every act of charity, every thought of sympathy, every action of help, every good deed, is taking so much of self-importance away from our little selves and making us think of ourselves as the lowest and the least, and, therefore, it is all good. Here we find that Jnana, Bhakti, and Karma – all come to one point.” – Swami Vivekananda Karma Quotes

8. “The secret of karma yoga which is to perform actions without any fruitive desires is taught by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita.”

9. “Karma is the eternal assertion of human freedom. Our thoughts, our words, and deeds are the threads of the net which we throw around ourselves.”

10. “We are the makers of our own lives. There is no such thing as fate. Our lives are the result of our previous actions, our karma, and it naturally flows that, having been ourselves the makers of our karma, we must also be able to unmake it.” – Swami Vivekananda Quotes on Karma

11. “Let us blame none, let us blame our own Karma.”

12. “Now is wanted intense Karma-Yoga with unbounded courage and indomitable strength in the heart. Then only will the people of the country be roused.”

13. “We are suffering from our own Karma. It is not the fault of God. What we do is our own fault, nothing else. Why should God be blamed?”

14. “Jnana, bhakti, yoga and karma – these are the four paths which lead to spiritual freedom. One must follow the path for which one is best suited. But in this age, special stress should be laid on karma yoga.”

Also Check: 30 Evergreen Buddhist Quotes on Karma to Teach you the Importance of your Actions

Mahatma Gandhi Quotes on Karma:

Here are some rare Mahatma Gandhi quotes on karma that changed the view of the world, and spread the message of peace around the world.

15. “The path of bhakti, karma and love as expounded in the Gita leaves no room for the despising of man by man.”

16. “The sum total of karma is God.”

17. “To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being.”

18. “It is nature’s kindness that we do not remember past births. Life would be a burden if we carried such a tremendous load of memories.” – Mahatma Gandhi Quotes on Karma

Buddha Quotes on Karma:

19. “Just as one can make a lot of garlands from a heap of flowers, so man, subject to birth and death as he is, should make himself a lot of good karma.”

20. “When action comes out of nothing it creates no karma.”

 21. “Not even death can wipe out our good deeds.”

22. “Everything is based on mind, is led by mind, is fashioned by mind. If you speak and act with a polluted mind, suffering will follow you, as the wheels of the oxcart follow the footsteps of the ox.” – Buddha, Buddhist Quotes on Karma

23. “One who previously made bad karma, but who reforms and creates good karma, brightens the world like the moon appearing from behind a cloud.”

Karma Quotes from Rigveda:

The Rigveda is the oldest known Vedic Sanskrit text. It is full of ancient wisdom and knowledge. So here are some chosen karma quotes from the Rigveda:

24. “One should, perform karma with nonchalance without expecting the benefits because sooner of later one shall definitely gets the fruits.”

25. “If a householder moulds himself according to the circumstances just like nature moulds Herself according to seasons and performs his Karma then only shall he acquire happiness. One who does this successfully gains in all walks of life.”

26. “The person desirous of success and strength should perform good karma continuously.”

27. “The karma yogi puts efforts and naturally gets the fruits although he does not expect them.”

28. “A person who performs good Karma (deeds) is always held in high esteem.”

29. “In order to achieve good result, a pious-objective is determined first and then followed by good Karma for its accomplishment.”

30. “In order to achieve good result, a pious-objective is determined first and then followed by good Karma for its accomplishment.”

Funny Karma Quotes:

Don’t miss out on these funny karma quotes, because adding a pinch of humour in your daily life makes everything taste better.

31. “Karma is like a rubber band. It can only stretch so far until it comes back and smacks you in the face.” – Funny Karma Quotes

32. “I believe that the laws of karma do not apply to show business, where good things happen to bad people on a fairly regular basis.” – Chuck Lorre, Karma Quotes

33. “Karma has no menu. You get served what you deserve.” – Funny Karma Quotes

34. “I always thought that Mario was kind of the bad guy, because if you know about the game, there was supposed to be a back story where Mario was teasing the ape, and the ape stole his girlfriend, and this was kind of karma for Mario, you know?” – Rich Moore, Karma Quotes

35. “If you’re a really mean person you’re going to come back as a fly and eat poop.” – Kurt Cobain Quotes on Karma, Funny Karma Quotes

Karma Quotes by Celebrities:

Here are some karma quotes by famous celebrities that you can easily relate to:

36. “How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.” – Wayne W. Dyer

37. “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, Karma Quotes

38. “Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.” – Eckhart Tolle

39. “I try to live with the idea that karma is a very real thing. So I put out what I want to get back.”- Megan Fox

40. “If you give a good thing to the world, then over time your karma will be good, and you’ll receive good.”- Russell Simmons

41. “Karma comes after everyone eventually. You can’t get away with screwing people over your whole life, I don’t care who you are. What goes around comes around. That’s how it works. Sooner or later the universe will serve you the revenge that you deserve.” – Jessica Brody, The Karma Club

42. “Karma moves in two directions. If we act virtuously, the seed we plant will result in happiness. If we act non-virtuously, suffering results.” – Saying Lipham

43. “If you send out goodness from yourself, or if you share that which is happy or good within you, it will all come back to you multiplied ten thousand times. In the kingdom of love there is no competition; there is no possessiveness or control. The more love you give away, the more love you will have.” – John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom, Karma Quotes

44. “As long as karma exists, the world changes. There will always be karma to be taken care of.”- Nina Hagen

45. “You cannot do harm to someone because someone has done harm to you. You will pay just like they will.” – Ericka Williams

46. “Karma bides it’s time. You will always have to watch out. Karma is unforgiving and always gets payback.” – Benjamin Bayani, Karma Quotes

47. “Still others commit all sorts of evil deeds, claiming karma doesn’t exist. They erroneously maintain that since everything is empty, committing evil isn’t wrong. Such persons fall into a hell of endless darkness with no hope of release. Those who are wise hold no such conception.”- Bohidharma, Karma Quotes

48. “Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself.” – Ben Mikaelsen, Touching Spirit Bear

49. “Without the existence of people to acknowledge or dispute your greatness, your greatness is irrelevant. You are because they are. Without them, no matter how they treat you, you would not exist. Treat all the world as if you owe it your gratitude, because even the cruel and heartless define who you are.” – Jayleigh Cape

50. “Karma has a surprising way of taking care of situations. All you have to do is to sit back and watch.” – Karma Quotes

51. “Contrary to popular misconception, karma has nothing to do with punishment and reward. It exists as part of our holographic universe’s binary or dualistic operating system only to teach us responsibility for our creations – and all things we experience are our creations.” – Sol Luckman

53. “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, Karma Quotes

54. “Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny.”- Tryon Edwards, Karma Quotes

Bad Karma Quotes:

55. “The person who is basically evil by nature will always be averse to virtuous deeds. He is always engaged in bad karma.” – Sri Guru Granth Sahib Quotes on Karma

56. “The jealous are troublesome to others, but torment to themselves.” – William Penn

57. “Let them fall into the snare which they have laid.” – A Latin Quote on Karma

58. “Men may not get all they pay for in this world; but they must certainly pay for all they get.” – Frederick Douglas

59. “Remember! What goes around comes around three times harder than before. Karma is a bitch and one day it will come for you.” – Crescans Master

60. “Karma is nothing more than a reminder that we are one. Harming others we ultimately end up harming ourselves.” – Gordana Biernat

61. “Karma moves in two directions. If we act virtuously, the seed we plant will result in happiness. If we act non-virtuously, suffering results.” – Sakyong Mipham, Karma Quotes

Good Karma Quotes:

62. “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

63. “If you send out goodness from yourself, or if you share that which is happy or good within you, it will all come back to you multiplied ten thousand times. In the kingdom of love, there is no competition; there is no possessiveness or control. The more love you give away, the more love you will have.” – John O’Donohue

64. “Not only is there often a right and wrong, but what goes around does come around, Karma exists, chickens do come home to roost, and as my mother, Phyllis, liked to say, “There is always a day of reckoning.” The good among the great understand that every choice we make adds to the strength or weakness of our spirits—ourselves, or to use an old-fashioned word for the same idea, our souls. That is every human’s life work: to construct an identity bit by bit, to walk a path step by step, to live a life that is worthy of something higher, lighter, more fulfilling, and maybe even everlasting.” – Donald Van de Mark

65. “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 Quotes on Karma

66. “I think the best explanation for karma I’ve ever heard was that karma is kind of like a box. When you do something good, you put it in the box. When you do something bad, you put it in the box. Periodically, you’ll reach into the box and pull something out. If you do more good things, you increase your chances of getting something good out of the box. If you do bad things frequently, you’re more likely to get something less than ideal out of the box.” – Karma Quotes

67. “Put your heart into even the smallest seemingly insignificant acts possible. Then be patient enough for the universe to give back to you what you reap.” – Matthew Donnelly

68. “In other words, if you’re not motivated to be nice because of the good karma, be motivated to be nice because ultimately it saves time” – Jocelyn K. Glei

69. “The reason why I try to be a good person is because I think it’s the right thing to do. If I commit fewer bad acts there will be fewer bad acts, maybe other people will join in committing fewer bad acts, and in time there will be fewer and fewer of them.” – Daniel Handler

70. “Karma isn’t revenge; it is a mirror of your soul’s mistakes and for those that wish bad karma for you, it is also a mirror for their mistakes. Karma was never meant to be a punishment. It is a reminder of your soul’s true self to be better than all the insecurities that hurt others because of your own fear and lack in faith that God has a plan for you.” – Shannon L. Alder, Karma Quotes

Karma Quotes for Entrepreneurs:

Here are some popular karma quotes that will surely help you in your entrepreneurial journey:

71. “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” – Steve Jobs Karma Quotes

72. “Always believe in karma. Give your best, be master of your own though with strong belief. Decide your own Destiny.” – Bill Gates

73. “Whether you succeed or fail, they are all the results of your own actions. This is known as karma.” – Karma Quotes

74. “Karma happens to be the actions of one individual which can bring either success or failure in the long run.”

Sadhguru Quotes on Karma:

Sadhguru is a famous Indian yogi, mystic, and best selling author/poet, who loves sharing his wisdom with people across the world. Here are some enlightening karma quotes by Sadhguru that you might like.

75. “Every moment of your life, you perform action – physically, mentally, emotionally, and energy-wise. Each action creates a certain memory. That is Karma”

76. If your thought is powerful enough, if your visualization is powerful enough, it can even break the bonds of karma.” – Sadhguru Quotes on Karma

77. “Time has its own intelligence and flows according to certain parameters of karmic information and energy allotment that is available in one’s system.”

78. “Devotion demolishes karma and leads to liberation.” – Sadhguru

79. “You cross the limits of madness, then you become perfectly sane. You are born with the madness – the karma itself is madness.”

80. “Karma is not in your action – it is in your volition. It is not the content of your life but the context that creates karma.”

81. “Karma is like old recordings that keep replaying. Yoga means to make life not just a replay but a profound possibility and experience.” (source)

Beatles Quotes on Karma:

82. “Instant Karma is going to get you.”

83. “The whole thing of life and all the answers to everything are in one divine law, Karma action and reaction.” – George Harrison

84. “Unless you’re doing some kind of God conscious thing and you know that He’s the one who’s really in charge, you’re just building up a lot of karma and not really helping yourself or anybody else.” – George Harrison on Karma

85. “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” – Paul McCartney

Miscellaneous Karma Quotes:

86. “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

Nothing happens by chance, by fate. You create your own fate by your actions. That’s Karma.

Like gravity, karma is so basic we often don’t even notice it”. – Sakyong Mipham

87. “Karma moves in two directions. If we act virtuously, the seed we plant will result in happiness. If we act non-virtuously, suffering results.” – Lipham

88. “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

89. “Everybody comes from the same source. If you hate another human being, you’re hating part of yourself.” – Elvis Presley

90. “You must acknowledge and experience this part of the universe. Karma is intricate, too vast. You would, with your limited human senses, consider it too unfair. But you have tools to really, truly love. Loving the children is very important. But love everyone as you would love your children.” – Kuan Yin

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