Daily Inspiration Quote by Saskya Pandita

Steel yourself against the crowd, Saskya Pandita insists, because the crowd is fickle and its verdicts are rarely about you. “Not to be cheered by praise, not to be grieved by blame” is less a self-help mantra than a leadership doctrine from a world where reputation was political currency and moral authority had to survive factional noise. As a major Buddhist scholar-statesman navigating Mongol power and Tibetan rivalries, Pandita knew that public approval can be purchased, weaponized, or withdrawn overnight. He’s warning leaders not to outsource their inner weather to other people’s mouths.

The real pivot comes with “to know thoroughly one’s own virtues or powers.” That verb - know - is doing the heavy lifting. It’s not “believe in yourself,” which can shade into vanity, and it’s not “ignore criticism,” which can shade into delusion. It’s rigorous self-audit: an inventory of strengths, limits, and responsibilities that doesn’t depend on applause to feel real. Subtext: praise can be as corrupting as blame is crushing, because both tempt you into performance rather than judgment.

Rhetorically, the quote balances two negative imperatives with a single positive one, like a moral scale: don’t rise, don’t sink, but stand. “Excellent man” isn’t a compliment; it’s a standard. In an era of negotiated sovereignty and religious legitimacy, that steadiness becomes strategy: the leader who isn’t emotionally bribable is the leader who can’t be easily steered.