The second area in which the teachings of the Dhammapada are timelessly relevant are in the Buddha's constant insistence on the necessity of training and "guarding" the mind. No other person in history has analyzed with such calm ruthlessness how our ongoing reality mirrors the inner state of our thoughts and intentions. The unexamined life held no charm whatsoever for the Buddha. He knew how savage and destructive its thoughtlessness could be, and he knew how hard it is to keep the mind constantly in the stream of compassion and insight, and so he stressed meditation and intense dedication to spiritual practice. The greatest of all pragmatists makes it clear to all seekers that on the path to self-realization no magical solutions or quick fixes will work. What will work in the end is work. As the Buddha said on his deathbed, refusing one last time to flatter or make any false promises, "Work out your own salvation with diligence." As it is said in the Dhammapada: "By one's self is evil left undone; by one's self one is purified....Be not thoughtless, watch your thoughts! Draw yourself out of the evil way, like an elephant sunk in mud."
---Andrew Harvey, in his Foreword to Jack Maguire's Annotated and Explained Dhammapada---
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