an.2.19 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

19
“Mendicants, give up the unskillful.
It is possible to give up the unskillful.
If it wasn’t possible, I wouldn’t say:
‘Give up the unskillful.’
But it is possible, and so I say:
‘Give up the unskillful.’
And if giving up the unskillful led to harm and suffering, I would not say:
‘Give up the unskillful.’
But giving up the unskillful leads to welfare and happiness, so I say:
‘Give up the unskillful.’
Mendicants, develop the skillful.
It is possible to develop the skillful.
If it wasn’t possible, I wouldn’t say:
‘Develop the skillful.’
But it is possible, and so I say:
‘Develop the skillful.’
If developing the skillful led to harm and suffering I wouldn’t say:
‘Develop the skillful.’
But developing the skillful leads to welfare and happiness, so I say:
‘Develop the skillful.’”