Caring, Compassion, Kindness, Generosity, Forgiveness


“I expect to pass through the world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness I can show to any creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer it, for I shall not pass this way again.” — Stephen Grellet, 18th/19th-century French/American religious leader

“Men are only great as they are kind.” — Elbert Hubbard, 19th/20th-century American entrepreneur and philosopher (founder of Roycroft)

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 18th- century French philosopher

“A kind word is like a spring day.” — Russian proverb

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” — Aesop, ancient Greek moralist

“Our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires but according to our powers.” — Henry F. Amiel

“If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.” — Lucy Larcom

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” — Edith Wharton, 19th-century American author

“Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out.” — Frank A. Clark

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” — Albert Pike, 19th-century Scottish Rite Freemason

“We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers.” — Seneca, Roman statesman and author

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” — Mohandas Gandhi, 20th-century Indian nonviolent civil rights leader

“If one man dies, it is a tragedy; if a thousand men die, it is a statistic.” — Phillipe Berthelot “One must care about a world one will never see.” — Bertrand Russell, 20th-century British mathematician and philosopher

“It is the characteristic of the magnanimous man to ask no favor but to be ready to do kindness to others.” — Aristotle, ancient Greek philosopher

“Unshared joy is an unlighted candle.” — Spanish proverb

“The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.” — Swedish proverb “You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who cannot repay you.” — Ruth Smeltzer “Compassion is the basis of morality.” — Arnold Schopenhauer, early 19th-century German philosopher

“Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.” — Albert Schweitzer, 20th-century German Nobel Peace Prize-winning mission doctor and theologian