19 English quotes

Quotes about kindness

Quotes about kindness, compassion and treating other people well.

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
– Often attributed to Aesop
Meaning: Even a tiny kind act matters and can come back to help you. The idea comes from the fable of the lion who spares a mouse, and the mouse later saves him.
no matter how
– however; it doesn't matter how
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
– Often attributed to Ian Maclaren
Meaning: Everyone has private problems you can't see, so treat people gently. The original 1897 wording was "Be pitiful, for every man is fighting a hard battle."
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”
– Often attributed to Dalai Lama
Meaning: The first sentence sounds like there are times when kindness isn't possible. The second says there never are: we can always choose to be kind.
“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”
– Henry James
Meaning: By repeating the same answer three times, James says kindness is the most important thing in life, more than anything else.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
– Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love (1963)
Meaning: Answering hate with more hate only makes things worse. Only love and kindness can end it, just as only light can end darkness.
drive out
– force something to leave
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”
– Mother Teresa
Meaning: Try to make every person you meet feel a little better after spending time with you.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
– Often attributed to Mother Teresa
Meaning: Few people can change the world in big ways, but everyone can do everyday tasks with care and love, and that matters too.
“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.”
– The Bible, Luke 6:31
Meaning: Treat other people the way you want them to treat you. This is often called the Golden Rule.
ye
– an old word for "you" (plural)
likewise
– in the same way
“The quality of mercy is not strained; it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.”
– William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice (c. 1597)
Meaning: Mercy can't be forced. It must be given freely and naturally, like soft rain falling from the sky.
mercy
– kindness to someone you could punish
strained
– here, forced
droppeth
– an old form of "drops"
“Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full o' th' milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way.”
– William Shakespeare, Macbeth (c. 1606)
Meaning: Lady Macbeth worries that her husband is too gentle to do something cruel to become king. "The milk of human kindness" is still used today for natural kindness.
thy
– an old word for "your"
milk of human kindness
– natural kindness and care for others
catch the nearest way
– take the quickest (and here, most ruthless) route
“That best portion of a good man's life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.”
– William Wordsworth, "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey" (1798)
Meaning: The best part of a good person's life is the many small kind things they do that nobody remembers or names.
portion
– part
nameless
– without a name; not noticed
“Wherever there is a human being there is the opportunity for a kindness.”
– Seneca, On the Happy Life (c. AD 58)
Meaning: Every person you meet gives you a chance to be kind. Opportunities for kindness are everywhere.
“When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.”
– Abraham Joshua Heschel
Meaning: With age and experience, we learn that being kind is more valuable than being smart.
admired
– respected and looked up to
“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”
– Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile (1762)
Meaning: Of all the wise ideas in the world, none is more important than simply being kind.
“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”
– Wayne Dyer, Quoted in R. J. Palacio's Wonder (2012)
Meaning: Winning an argument matters less than how you treat people. If being right would hurt someone, kindness is the better choice.
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
– Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness (1998)
Meaning: Caring about other people's suffering helps them, and it also makes us happier ourselves.
compassion
– caring about other people's suffering and wanting to help
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
– Often attributed to Desmond Tutu
Meaning: You don't have to fix everything. If everyone does small good things where they live, together they make a huge difference.
overwhelm
– have a very strong effect on
“If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”
– Roald Dahl, The Twits (1980)
Meaning: Kind thoughts make a person beautiful, whatever they look like. Inner goodness shows on the outside.
sunbeams
– rays of sunlight
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'”
– Fred Rogers
Meaning: Even when terrible things happen, there are always kind people helping. Noticing them gives us hope.