Like a beautiful flower, full of colour, but without scent, are the fine but fruitless words of him who does not act accordingly.
Buddha Dhammapada, Verse 51, Flowers (300 BCE) Translated by F. Max Müller
Source checked by an editor
When and why it was written
- When
- From the chapter on flowers in the Dhammapada.
- Why
- The verse is paired with the next one, about words that are matched by action.
What it means
Words without action are pleasant to look at and leave nothing behind. The scent is what the deed adds.
It is a quiet check on any resolution written down: what will I actually do?
Our reading of the passage cited above, not a quotation from a commentary.
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Dhammapada by Traditional (Pali Canon), 300 BCE
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