We all know karma can be a bitch, but what exactly is karma? These karma quotes will explain exactly what karma is and how it works!
To be a little more technical, though, in Hinduism and Buddhism, karma is the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.
More informally, we refer to karma as a sort of destiny and fate or a cause-and-effect flow.
How is yoga related to karma?
At the heart of our yoga practice lies the profound and universal truth of Karma: the idea that our intentions, thoughts, and actions today shape our tomorrow. It’s a spiritual reminder that we craft our future with the choices we make in the present.
When dealing with the yoga community, there are three types of karma: Sanchitta, Prarabdha, and Agami. Sanchitta refers to the accumulated works and actions that you have done.
We can not change these and must wait for them to come to fruition.
It also includes your accumulated karma from your past life. Prarabdha refers to past karma that handles the present. What you did before this moment molded you into who you are today.
You can not change or avoid Prarabdha, and it has to be experienced.
Agami is the Karma we create for ourselves at the moment we are living right now.
It encompasses the actions and choices we make right now.
Best Karma Quotes to Inspire Reflections on Action and Consequence
Karma, a concept as ancient as it is profound, speaks to the universal law of action and consequence. Originating from the Sanskrit word for “action,” it holds that our present intentions and actions carve the path for our future.
“Men are not punished for their sins, but by them.” ― Elbert Hubbard
“When you do something bad, it comes back to you later.” ― Unknown
- “By each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” ― David Mitchell
“A boomerang returns back to the person that throws it.” ― Vera Nazarian
“Realize that everything connects to everything else.” ― Leonardo Da Vinci
“I want revenge, but I don’t want to screw up my karma.” ― Susane Colasanti
- “Sooner or later, everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.” ― Robert Louis Stevenson
“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Karma is like a rubber band. You can only stretch it so far before it comes back and smacks you in the face.” ― Unknown
“When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your own weak points.” ― Confucius
Karma Quotes: Celebrities on the Ripple Effects of Our Actions
Celebrities share their personal insights into karma, the timeless belief that our actions, thoughts, and intentions reverberate through time, shaping our experiences and those around us.
“Karma comes after everyone, eventually.” ― Jessica Brody
“Is Fate getting what you deserve, or deserving what you get?” ― Jodi Picoult
- “Every moment of your life, you perform an action–physically, mentally, emotionally, and energy-wise. Each action creates a certain memory. That is karma.” – Sadhguru Karma
“I’m a believer in karma, and I’m also a believer that things happen for a reason.” ― Bill Goldberg
“I’m a true believer in karma. You get what you give, whether it’s bad or good.” ― Sandra Bullock
“I’m a very firm believer in karma and put it this way: I get a lot of good parking spots.” ― Al Jourgensen
“I don’t have any reason to hate anybody; I believe in good karma and spreading good energy.” ― Vanilla Ice
“As long as karma exists, the world changes. There will always be karma to be taken care of.” ― Nina Hagen
“I believe in karma, and I believe if you put out positive vibes to everybody, that’s all you’re going to get back.” ― Kesha
“I believe in Karma. If the good is sown, the good is collected. When positive things are made, that returns well.” ― Yannick Noah
“Do I believe in reincarnation? Well, let’s say that I believe in karma. I think you make your own karma.” ― Diane von Furstenberg
Quotes About Karma That Explain What ‘Karma Is’
Karma refers to all actions or deeds. Karma includes physical and mental acts. These karma quotes will help you answer what karma is or give you an Instagram-worthy quote.
“Karma is a cruel mistress.” ― Kelley York
“I heard that karma is vengeful and is also a light sleeper.” ― Rudy Francisco
“Like gravity, karma is so basic we often don’t even notice it.” ― Sakyong Mipham
“Karma is not just about the troubles, but also about surmounting them.” ― Rick Springfield
“Karma is only in space, time, and causality. Your real self resides non-locally.” ― Deepak Chopra
“Karma is a tricky thing. To serve Karma, one must repay good Karma to others.” ― M.R. Mathias
“The meaning of karma is in the intention. The intention behind action is what matters.” ― The Bhagavad Gita
“Karma is karma. Karma is in life. You do the wrong things, you get the wrong things out of it.” ― Antonio Brown
“Karma, when properly understood, is just the mechanics through which consciousness manifests.” ― Deepak Chopra
“Karma is experience, and experience creates memory, and memory creates imagination and desire, and desire creates karma again. If I buy a cup of coffee, that’s karma. I now have that memory that might give me the potential desire for having cappuccino, and I walk into Starbucks, and there’s karma all over again.” ― Deepak Chopra
Witty and Insightful Karma Quotes to Inspire Positivity
Each one of these karma quotes serves as a reminder that the energy we emit through our intentions, choices, and interactions has a way of returning to us, often amplified and transformed.
It’s a spiritual nod to the universal balance, encouraging us to sow seeds of kindness and positivity, nurturing a future where what comes around reflects the good we’ve contributed to the world.
“Karma is not a punishment, it’s a consequence. Choose wisely.” ― Unknown
“As she has planted, so does she harvest; such is the field of karma.” ― Sri Guru Granth Sahib
“Karma bides its time. You will always have to watch out. Karma is unforgiving and always gets payback.” ― Benjamin Bayani
“Not only is there often a right and wrong, but what goes around does come around. Karma exists.” ― Donald Van de Mark
“Plant seeds of happiness, hope, success, and love; it will all come back to you in abundance. This is the law of nature.” ― Steve Maraboli
“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
“The beauty of karma is when you do good for others, and even if they don’t appreciate it, you definitely get rewarded for it in some form or the other.” ― Shiva Negi
“I would never disrespect any man, woman, chick, or child out there. We’re all the same. What goes around comes around, and karma kicks us all in the butt in the end of the day.” ― Angie Stone
- “Those who pray for your downfall are concentrating negative thoughts towards you, without taking cognizance of the slippery ground in which they are standing, which could lead to their downfall.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson
“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
Karma Quotes About What Karma Means and How It Works
“Nobody deserves misery, but sometimes it’s just your turn.” ― Unknown
“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.” ― Wayne Dyer
“One who speaks ‘completely’ negative creates karmic obstructions.” ― Dada Bhagwan
“You have to be careful when involving yourself with someone else’s karma.” ― Brownell Landrum
“Karma can be seen as a curse or a gift because it keeps us attached to this world.” ― Abdullah Fort
“Even chance meetings are the result of karma… Things in life are fated by our previous lives.” ― Haruki Murakami
“Your karma should be good, and everything else will follow. Your good karma will always win over your bad luck.” ― Rohit Shetty
“It is impossible to build one’s own happiness on the unhappiness of others. This perspective is at the heart of Buddhist teachings.” ― Daisaku Ikeda
“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
“Problems or successes, they all are the results of our own actions. Karma. The philosophy of action is that no one else is the giver of peace or happiness. One’s own karma, one’s own actions are responsible to come to bring either happiness or success or whatever.” ― Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
The Circle of Karma and the Power of Positive Action
Karma might sound a bit hippy-dippy, and if you don’t believe in past lives, then it can be a lot to unpack. However, aside from the spiritual aspect, I believe we can all relate to karma (paid link).
The universe does not carry debts. It always returns back to you what you gave it.
—Drishti Bablani
Most religions have some kind of theory about treating people the way you want to be treated or getting back from the universe what you put in it.
I know I have often had a similar sentiment to this karma quote by Ottilie Weber, “Dear Karma, I really hate you right now. You made your point.”
My favorite thing to do is tease my husband; whenever he does something I don’t like or doesn’t listen to me, and then something happens to him. I tell him it’s his karma coming back to bite him.
He often jokes that I am trying to balance the karmic scales for both of us. Hopefully, you can use these karma quotes to inspire you to try to avoid bad karma!
Do you and karma vibe like that? How do you balance your own karmic scales in your life story? Do you not believe karma is a real thing? Let us know your thoughts about these karma quotes in the comment section below.
Ooh these are powerful! I love this list.