"I believe that all human beings are of the same nature, mentally and emotionally. We all have the potential to be happy and nice people, and we also have the potential to be bad and harmful. The important thing is to try to promote the positive and useful aspects in each of us and to try to reduce the negative. Though the negative aspects may occasionally bring some short-term satisfaction, in the long term they will always bring us misery.
"Positive things always bring us inner strength. With inner strength we have less fear and more self-confidence, and it becomes much easier to extend our sense of caring to others without any barriers, whether religious, cultural or other. It is thus very important to recognise this potential for both good and bad, and then to observe and analyse it carefully. This is what I call the promotion of human value.
"My main concern is how to promote an understanding of deeper human value. This deeper human value is compassion, a sense of caring and commitment. These basic human qualities are very important whether you are a believer or a nonbeliever, and no matter what religion.
"Without them, you can’t be happy."
- His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama