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e1dc247 People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway. goodness happiness honesty kindness misattributed-to-mother-teresa world Kent M. Keith
2562b6a Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike. kindness relationships J.K. Rowling
5895de0 For attractive lips, speak words of kindness beauty charity inspirational kindness misattributed-audrey-hepburn Sam Levenson
20c6903 Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely. attitude choice choices giving happiness inspiration inspirational inspirational-attitude inspirational-life inspirational-quotes inspire inspiring kindness life life-and-living life-lessons life-quotes living motivation motivational optimism optimistic positive positive-affirmation positive-life positive-thinking respect Roy T. Bennett
21bbaac Be mindful. Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind. gratitude inspiration inspirational inspirational-quotes kindness life life-and-living life-quotes living-life mindful mindfulness optimism optimistic positive positive-affirmation positive-life positive-thinking truth Roy T. Bennett
61290d9 Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people. being-human goodness human human-nature humanism humanity inspiration inspirational inspirational-attitude inspirational-life inspirational-quote inspirational-quotes inspire inspiring kindness life life-and-living life-lessons life-philosophy life-quotes living love optimism optimistic positive positive-affirmation positive-life positive-thinking smile smiles Roy T. Bennett
13754ad Life becomes easier and more beautiful when we can see the good in other people. goodness inspiration inspirational inspirational-quotes inspire inspiring kindness life life-quotes living optimism optimistic positive positive-affirmation positive-life positive-thinking Roy T. Bennett
31a2cb9 Acts of Kindness inspiration inspirational inspirational-quotes inspire inspiring kind kindness life life-quotes living optimism optimistic positive positive-affirmation positive-life positive-thinking Roy T. Bennett
92dd79b Treat everyone with politeness and kindness, not because they are nice, but because you are. inspiration inspirational inspirational-quotes kind kindness life life-quotes living-life Roy T. Bennett
7efa4c5 Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. inspirational kindness Mark Twain
bffe041 Always find opportunities to make someone smile, and to offer random acts of kindness in everyday life. acts-of-kindness happiness inspiration inspirational inspirational-attitude inspirational-life inspirational-quotes inspire inspiring kindness life life-and-living life-lessons life-quotes living opportunity optimism optimistic positive positive-affirmation positive-life positive-thinking smile Roy T. Bennett
9cc5e00 Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return. give giving inspiration inspirational inspirational-quotes inspire inspiring kindness life life-quotes living Roy T. Bennett
c5e1f8e How would your life be different if...You stopped making negative judgmental assumptions about people you encounter? Let today be the day...You look for the good in everyone you meet and respect their journey. action assumption change compassion inspirational judging kindness life respect success Steve Maraboli
34b1fff We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over. heart kindness Ray Bradbury
9eb56ba Kindness is not a business. True kindness expects nothing in return and should never act with conditions. inspiration inspirational inspirational-attitude inspirational-life inspirational-quotes inspire inspiring kindness life life-and-living life-lessons life-quotes living optimism optimistic positive positive-affirmation positive-life positive-thinking Roy T. Bennett
0d457f0 But remember, boy, that a kind act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword. kind kindness powerful sword inspirational Rick Riordan
025e191 Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things. evil humanity kindness Terry Pratchett
b8bf2a4 It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters, attention compassion happiness happy-life inspirational kindness life love meaning-of-life meditation money oneness peace perspective philosophy positive-attitude positive-living purpose purpose-in-life purpose-of-life purposeful-living respect revelation self-awareness self-discovery spirit spirituality wisdom Amit Ray
a884735 Always have a willing hand to help someone, you might be the only one that does. giving inspiration inspirational inspirational-quotes inspire inspiring kind kindness kindness-quotes life life-quotes living optimism optimistic positive positive-affirmation positive-life positive-thinking Roy T. Bennett
1026c43 One of the most spiritual things you can do is embrace your humanity. Connect with those around you today. Say, "I love you", "I'm sorry", "I appreciate you", "I'm proud of you"...whatever you're feeling. Send random texts, write a cute note, embrace your truth and share it...cause a smile today for someone else...and give plenty of hugs. action compassion humanity inspirational kindness life living-now motivational seize-the-day spirituality success Steve Maraboli
927e2e2 This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. brain ethics inspirational kindness life morality philosophy simple temple Dalai Lama XIV
a74a595 The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention. deeds kindness Kahlil Gibran
75ed31a I would rather make mistakes in kindness and compassion than work miracles in unkindness and hardness. christian-values compassion inspirational kindness Mother Teresa
7e9aa20 If nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that--warm things, kind things, sweet things--help and comfort and laughter--and sometimes gay, kind laughter is the best help of all. giving inspirational kindness givers Frances Hodgson Burnett
4ab94da It's important that what thoughts you are feeding into your mind because your thoughts create your belief and experiences. You have positive thoughts and you have negative ones too. Nurture your mind with positive thoughts: kindness, empathy, compassion, peace, love, joy, humility, generosity, etc. The more you feed your mind with positive thoughts, the more you can attract great things into your life. belief compassion empathy experiences generosity humility inspiration inspirational inspirational-quotes inspire inspiring joy kindness life life-quotes living love mind motivation motivational optimism optimistic peace positive positive-affirmation positive-life positive-thinking thoughts Roy T. Bennett
b4000aa The real loneliness is living among all these kind people who only ask one to pretend! family friends insincerity kindness loneliness pretense Edith Wharton
244ea00 It only takes a split second to smile and forget, yet to someone that needed it, it can last a lifetime. compassion inspirational kindness smile Steve Maraboli
dc13d3f One man practicing kindness in the wilderness is worth all the temples this world pulls. kindness serenity Jack Kerouac
59337d6 Conquer the angry one by not getting angry; conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the stingy by generosity, and the liar by speaking the truth anger generosity goodness inspirational kindness knowledge love truth wisdom Siddh?rtha Gautama
c39c9c9 I must be cruel only to be kind; Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind. kindness William Shakespeare
51c01d8 We're all born with selfish desires, so we can all relate to those feelings in others. But kindness is something made individually by each person...so it's easy to misunderstand when others are trying to be kind to you. kindness misunderstanding Natsuki Takaya
74d19d6 What I want is so simple I almost can't say it: elementary kindness. kindness life simplicity Barbara Kingsolver
6166706 It is only with true love and compassion that we can begin to mend what is broken in the world. It is these two blessed things that can begin to heal all broken hearts. blessings broken-heart compassion inspirational kindness love true-love Steve Maraboli
d150455 Do you know what people really want? Everyone, I mean. Everybody in the world is thinking: I wish there was just one other person I could really talk to, who could really understand me, who'd be kind to me. That's what people really want, if they're telling the truth. kindness Doris Lessing
6308393 The motive behind criticism often determines its validity. Those who care criticize where necessary. Those who envy criticize the moment they think that they have found a weak spot. bad-intentions criticism envy good-intentions inspirational intentions kindness motives necessary purity sincerity spot validity weakness Criss Jami
56996f3 If you have kindness in your heart, you offer acts of kindness to touch the hearts of others wherever you go--whether they are random or planned. Kindness becomes a way of life. inspiration inspirational inspirational-attitude inspirational-life inspirational-quotes inspire inspiring kindness life life-and-living life-lessons life-quotes living optimism optimistic positive positive-affirmation positive-life positive-thinking Roy T. Bennett
b309828 You have a unique gift to offer this world. Be true to yourself, be kind to yourself, read and learn about everything that interests you and keep away from people who bring you down. When you treat yourself kindly and respect the uniqueness of those around you, you will be giving this world an amazing gift... YOU! be-you be-yourself happiness inspirational kindness motivational respect self-esteem success Steve Maraboli
5e5e218 You don't always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it too. kindness Anne Lamott
fd1d050 Why should we place Christ at the top and summit of the human race? Was he kinder, more forgiving, more self-sacrificing than ? Was he wiser, did he meet death with more perfect calmness, than ? Was he more patient, more charitable, than ? Was he a greater philosopher, a deeper thinker, than ? In what respect was he the superior of ? Was he gentler than , more universal than ? Were his ideas of human rights and duties superior to those of ? Did he express grander truths than ? Was his mind subtler than 's? Was his brain equal to 's or 's? Was he grander in death - a sublimer martyr than ? Was he in intelligence, in the force and beauty of expression, in breadth and scope of thought, in wealth of illustration, in aptness of comparison, in knowledge of the human brain and heart, of all passions, hopes and fears, the equal of , the greatest of the human race? baruch-spinoza bruno buddha buddhism cicero epictetus epicurus gautama-buddha giordano-bruno isaac-newton johannes-kepler kepler kindness laozi newton patience shakespeare socrates spinoza stoicism william-shakespeare wisdom zeno zeno-of-citium zoroaster Robert G. Ingersoll
6834909 If, by the virtue of charity or the circumstance of desperation, you ever chance to spend a little time around a Substance-recovery halfway facility like Enfield MA's state-funded Ennet House, you will acquire many exotic new facts [...] That certain persons simply will not like you no matter what you do. Then that most nonaddicted adult civilians have already absorbed and accepted this fact, often rather early on [...] That sleeping can be a form of emotional escape and can with sustained effort be abused [...] That purposeful sleep-deprivation can also be an abusable escape. That gambling can be an abusable escape, too, and work, shopping, and shoplifting, and sex, and abstention, and masturbation, and food, and exercise, and meditation/prayer [...] That loneliness is not a function of solitude [...] That if enough people in a silent room are drinking coffee it is possible to make out the sound of steam coming off the coffee. That sometimes human beings have to just sit in one place and, like, hurt [...] That there is such a thing as raw, unalloyed, agendaless kindness [...] That the effects of too many cups of coffee are in no way pleasant or intoxicating [...] That if you do something nice for somebody in secret, anonymously, without letting the person you did it for know it was you or anybody else know what it was you did or in any way or form trying to get credit for it, it's almost its own form of intoxicating buzz. That anonymous generosity, too, can be abused [...] That it is permissible to want [...] That there might not be angels, but there are people who might as well be angels. alienation kindness loneliness David Foster Wallace
59810fd People who love themselves come across as very loving, generous and kind; they express their self-confidence through humility, forgiveness and inclusiveness. generosity inspirational kindness self-love Sanaya Roman
5849788 Stop comparing yourself to others. Always strive to improve yourself to become better today than you were yesterday to serve those around you and the world. authentic-living be-yourself growth inspiration inspirational inspirational-quotes inspire inspiring kindness life life-quotes living motivation motivational optimism optimistic positive positive-affirmation positive-life positive-thinking Roy T. Bennett
06ae62a My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. god kindness peace trust truth Anonymous
3038c71 A gift. A gift from a queen who had seen another woman in hell and thought to reach back a hand. With no thought of it ever being returned. A moment of kindness, a tug on a thread. kindness Sarah J. Maas
a3b4d36 I admire those who do good and expect nothing in return. goodness inspiration inspirational inspirational-quotes inspire inspiring kindness life life-quotes living optimism optimistic positive positive-affirmation positive-life positive-thinking Roy T. Bennett
31a2d32 I was helpless in trying to return people's kindness, but also helpless to resist it. Kindness is a scarier force than cruelty, that's for sure. Cruelty isn't that hard to understand. I had no trouble comprehending why the phone company wanted to screw me over; they just wanted to steal some money, it was nothing personal. That's the way of the world. It made me mad, but it didn't make me feel stupid. If anything, it flattered my intelligence. Accepting all that kindness, though, made me feel stupid. Human benevolence is totally unfair. We don't live in a kind or generous world, yet we are kind and generous. We know the universe is out to burn us, and it gets us all the way it got Renee, but we don't burn each other, not always. We are kind people in an unkind world, to paraphrase Wallace Stevens. How do you pretend you don't know about it, after you see it? How do you go back to acting like you don't need it? How do you even the score and walk off a free man? You can't. I found myself forced to let go of all sorts of independence I thought I had, independence I had spent years trying to cultivate. That world was all gone, and now I was a supplicant, dependent on the mercy of other people's psychic hearts. grief kindness Rob Sheffield
e087aad I prefer you to make mistakes in kindness than work miracles in unkindness. inspirational kindness Mother Teresa
f127b88 No truth can cure the sadness we feel from losing a loved one. No truth, no sincerity, no strength, no kindness, can cure that sorrow. All we can do is see that sadness through to the end and learn something from it, but what we learn will be no help in facing the next sadness that comes to us without warning. kindness learning sadness sincerity sorrow strength truth warning Haruki Murakami
3de83aa If you've ever been homesick, or felt exiled from all the things and people that once defined you, you'll know how important welcoming words and friendly smiles can be. kindness Stephen King
8e0f580 God damn it, you've got to be kind. kindness Kurt Vonnegut
22d3ac5 You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should've behaved better. genuineness honesty kindness self-awareness truth-telling Anne Lamott
fe7abe4 You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. kindness Debbie Macomber
60481c0 But remember, boy, that a kind act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword. As a mortal, I was never a great fighter or athlete or poet. I only made wine. The people in my village laughed at me. They said I would never amount to anything. Look at me now. Sometimes small things can become very large indeed. kindness small-things wine Rick Riordan
0d36fa9 Kindness is strength. Good-nature is often mistaken for virtue, and good health sometimes passes for genius. Anger blows out the lamp of the mind. In the examination of a great and important question, every one should be serene, slow-pulsed, and calm. Intelligence is not the foundation of arrogance. Insolence is not logic. Epithets are the arguments of malice. arrogance epithets genius good-nature insolence intelligence kindness logic malice serene strength virtue Robert Green Ingersoll
63e66b4 How good life is when one does something good and just! goodness justice kindness Fyodor Dostoyevsky
e9a2b03 The wine god sighed. 'Oh Hades if I know. But remember, boy, that a kind act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword. As a mortal, I was never a great fighter or athlete or poet. I only made wine. The people in my village laughed at me. They said I would never amount to anything. Look at me now. Sometimes small things can become very large indeed.' He left me alone to think about that. And as I watched Clarisse and Chris singing a stupid campfire song together, holding hands in the darkness, where they thought nobody could see them, I had to smile. gods greek greek-gods greek-mythology inspirational kindness percy-jackson smile wine-god Rick Riordan
f0a8ae4 There is more beauty than our eyes can bear, precious things have been put into our hands and to do nothing to honor them is to do great harm. brave courage deception eyes fortitude grace inspirational kind kindness life love precious stewardship world Marilynne Robinson
347c1ec He felt in his heart cruelty and cowardice, the things which made him brave and kind. fantasy kindness T.H. White
0644ecd I'll pray that you grow up a brave man in a brave country. I will pray you find a way to be useful. I'll pray, and then I'll sleep. brave courage fortitude god grace inspirational jesus kind kindness life love pray prayer praying precious prudence stewardship world Marilynne Robinson
614d0c3 There are those who do not hold that there is any innate goodness to mankind. To them I say, had you lived my life, you would not believe it. I have known the depths to which mortals are capable of descending, and I have seen the heights. I have seen how kindness and compassion may grow in the unlikeliest of places, as the mountain flower forces its way through the stern rock. goodness jacqueline-carey kindness kushiels-dart Jacqueline Carey
f336457 It seems to me that no matter what religion you subscribe to, acts of kindness are the stepping-stones to making the world a better place--because we become better people in it. kindness religion Jodi Picoult
e75c5d3 Every small, unselfish action nudges the world into a better path. An accumulation of small acts can change the world. kindness selfishness Robin Hobb
5c5eed9 He is as full of valor as of kindness. Princely in both. graciousness humility kindness meekness William Shakespeare
589c273 Grace is the permanent climate of divine kindness; the perennial infusion of springtime into the winter of bleakness. kindness John O'Donohue
9d49af8 The greatest cause in the world is joyfully rescuing people from hell, meeting their earthly needs, making them glad in God, and doing it with a kind, serious pleasure that makes Christ look like the Treasure he is. christ christianity god kindness life purpose treasure John Piper
a0744b7 Practice kindness all day to everybody and you will realize you're already in heaven now. enlightenment fulfillment heaven kindness living-outside-yourself meaning purpose salvation Jack Kerouac
0802171 Theologians talk about a prevenient grace that precedes grace itself and allows us to accept it. I think there must also be a prevenient courage that allows us to be brave - that is, to acknowledge that there is more beauty than our eyes can bear, that precious things have been put into our hands and to do nothing to honor them is to do great harm. And therefore, this courage allows us, as the old men said, to make ourselves useful. It allows us to be generous, which is another way of saying exactly the same thing. brave courage generous giving grace kindness life love stewardship Marilynne Robinson
aaa6319 "Some love comes like the wind off the sea, while others grow slowly from the seeds of friendship and kindness." - Carline" friendzone kindness love love-at-first-sight Raymond E. Feist
b8bb7a9 Ellen's life was not easy, nor was it happy, but she did not expect life to be easy, and, if it was not happy, that was woman's lot. It was a man's world, and she accepted it as such. The man owned the property, and the woman managed it. The man took credit for the management, and the woman praised his cleverness. The man roared like a bull when a splinter was in his finger, and the woman muffled the moans of childbirth, lest she disturb him. Men were rough of speech and often drunk. Women ignored the lapses of speech and put the drunkards to bed without bitter words. Men were rude and outspoken, women were always kind, gracious and forgiving. kindness men women Margaret Mitchell
4113931 "There was a time when a new deputy tried to teach Mr. Fruit about the difference between a red and a green light, but Mr. Fruit had resisted all efforts to reorder what he had been doing perfectly well for many years. He had not only monitored the comings and goings of the town, his presence softened the ingrained evil that flourished along the invisible margins of the town's consciousness. Any community can be judged in its humanity or corruption by how it manages to accommodate the Mr. Fruits of the world. Colleton simply adjusted itself to Mr. Fruit's harmonies and ordinations. He did whatever he felt was needed and he did it with style. "That's the Southern way" my grandmother said. "That's the nice way." kindness pat-conroy southern Pat Conroy
1074f9a What is kinder--to believe the best of people and burden them with a nobility beyond their endurance--or to see them as they are, and accept it because it makes them comfortable? justice kindness Ayn Rand
ae87922 I thought society would do the right thing. Now I look around and I think -- society never does the right thing. Sometimes people do the right thing. Sometimes one person makes a difference. But civilization has rules, and I've learned them well -- never be helpless, never be sick, never be poor. health helplessness human-rights kindness poverty sickness society Christina Dodd
4b4db23 They looked at me, and were so full of delight in the pleasure they were giving me that some final thread of resistance gave way and I understood not only how entirely generous they were but also that generosity might be the greatest pleasure there is. generosity happiness kindness William Maxwell
2fb6971 We resonate with one another's sorrows because we are interconnected. Being whole and simultaneously part of a larger whole, we can change the world simply by changing ourselves. If I become a center of love and kindness in this moment, then in a perhaps small but hardly insignificant way, the world now has a nucleus of love and kindness it lacked the moment before. This benefits me and it benefits others. being-whole benefits-all benefits-me center change-ourselves change-the-world interconnectedness kindness love meditation mindfulness resonate sorrow Jon Kabat-Zinn
e489b6e I have a very simple morality: not to do good or evil to anyone. Not to do evil, because it seems only fair that others enjoy the same right I demand for myself - not to be disturbed - and also because I think that the world doesn't need more than the natural evils it already has. All of us in this world are living on board a ship that is sailing from one unknown port to another, and we should treat each other with a traveller's cordiality. Not to do good, because I don't know what good is, nor even if I do it when I think I do. How do I know what evils I generate if I give a beggar money? How do I know what evils I produce if I teach or instruct? Not knowing, I refrain. And besides, I think that to help or clarify is, in a certain way, to commit the evil of interfering in the lives of others. Kindness depends on a whim of our mood, and we have no right to make others the victims of our whims, however humane or kind-hearted they may be. Good deeds are impositions; that's why I categorically abhor them. kindness morality Fernando Pessoa
4f7b793 My happiness comes from the kindness of those around me. happiness kindness positive tohru-honda Natsuki Takaya
6ab16f9 "I have a very simple philosophy of life: Kindness. Ferocious, unrelenting, ruthless, committed, passionate, kindness. kindness philosophy-of-life David Gerrold
a6ba8de If we treated others with the consideration that one would give to those who only had a few days to live, then we would be kinder, at least. kindness Alexander McCall Smith
11c5078 "Oh, Myr," he chokes out. "I hate having to ask this of you..." He glances towards the car again, and I crouch down in the shadows, hoping it's too dark for him to see whether the window is open or closed. The woman pats his arm, cradling her hand against his elbow. "You know I'd do anything for you and Hil," she says. I like her voice. It's throaty and rich. "You'd do anything?" my father repeats numbly. "Even now? After -?" "Even now," the woman says firmly." asking fear forgiveness guilt help kindness love past request Margaret Peterson Haddix
c275c01 If you feel your value lies in being merely decorative, I fear that someday you might find yourself believing that's all that you really are. Time erodes all such beauty, but what it cannot diminish is the wonderful workings of your mind: Your humor, your kindness, and your moral courage. These are the things I cherish so in you. I so wish I could give my girls a more just world. But I know you'll make it a better place. - Marmee courage kindness little-women values Louisa May Alcott
18eb4ba Sometimes I've survived anger only one minute at a time, by saying to myself again and again that the best kind of revenge is some kind of life beyond this, some kind of goodness. And I can lay no claim to goodness until I can prove that mean people have not made me mean. inspiring kindness revenge Barbara Kingsolver
36dbedc The most powerful thought is a prayerful thought. When I'm praying for you, I am praying for my own peace of mind. I can only have for myself what I am willing to wish for you. blessings-quotes charity compassion empathy generosity giving inner-peace kindness peace-of-mind power-of-love power-of-thoughts prayer prayer-quotes prayerful-habits prayerful-life prayers-answered prosperity selflessness sharing thoughtful wish-creation wishes-fulfilled Marianne Williamson
c1942bf Listen to me. Forget all you saw. Leave it. Take your mind from it. It has nothing to do with you. But use it for experience. Now you know what hurt it brings to women when men come into the world. Remember, and make it up to your Mama and to all women...And another thing let it do. There is no room for pride in any man. There is no room for unkindness. There is not room for wit at the expense of others. All men are born the same, and equal. As you saw today, so come Captains and the Kings and the Tinkers and the Tailors. Let the memory direct your dealings with men and women. And be sure to take good care of Mama. Is it? kindness pride wit women Richard Llewellyn
c5937c0 This is the shade of difference: the door of the physician should never be shut, the door of the priest should always be open. kindness love priest Victor Hugo
249fcb7 She also keeps talking about the Billie Holiday record she bought for me. And she says she wants to expose me to all these great things. And to tell you the truth, I don't really want to be exposed to all these great things if it means that I'll have to listen to Mary Elizabeth talk about all the great things she exposed me to all the time. It almost feels like of the three things involved: Mary Elizabeth, me, and the great things, only the first one matters to Mary Elizabeth. I don't understand that. I would give someone a record so they could love the record, not so they would always know that I gave it to them. gifts histrionic-people kindness love obnoxious-people self-centered-people selfishness selflessness snobs Stephen Chbosky
c2baa1a "But, Mameha-san, I don't want kindness!" "Don't you? I thought we all wanted kindness. Perhaps what you mean is that you want something more than kindness. And that is something you're in no position to ask." kindness life love Arthur Golden
5bf8563 To that point, he had always found the vicomtesse overflowing with friendly politeness, that sweet-flowing grace conferred by an aristocratic education, and which is never truly there unless it comes, automatically and unthinkingly, straight from the heart. [...] For anyone who had learned the social code, and Rastignac had absorbed it all in a flash, these words, that gesture, that look, that inflection in her voice, summed up all there was to know about the nature and the ways of men and women of her class. He was vividly aware of the iron hand underneath the velvet glove; the personality, and especially the self-centeredness, under the polished manners; the plain hard wood, under all the varnish. [...] Eugene had been entirely too quick to take this woman's word for her own kindness. Like all those who cannot help themselves, he had signed on the dotted line, accepting the delightful contract binding both benefactor and recipient, the very first clause of which makes clear that, as between noble souls, perfect equality must be forever maintained. Beneficience, which ties people together, is a heavenly passion, but a thoroughly misunderstood one, and quite as scarce as true love. Both stem from the lavish nature of great souls. character hypocrisy kind kindness people personality ties Honoré de Balzac
f3aa980 Everything passed, and what trace of its passage remained? It seemed to Kitty that they were all, the human race, like the drops of water in that river and they flowed on, each so close to the other and yet so far apart, a nameless flood, to the sea. When all things lasted so short a time and nothing mattered very much, it seemed pitiful that men, attaching an absurd importance to trivial objects, should make themselves and one another so unhappy. human-race humanity kindness metaphor triviality-of-life W. Somerset Maugham
255428e In God's scheme what is a few billion years here and there. Perhaps there have come and gone a dozen human civilizations in the past billion years that we know nothing about. And after this civilization we are living in destroys itself, it will all start up again in a million years when the planet has all its messes cleaned up. Then, finally, one of these civilizations, say five billion years from now, will last because people treat each other the way they ought to. humanity inspirational kindness Leon Uris
f50e372 When the positive revolution takes hold it will no longer be enough for politicians to gain points through attack or being negative. Politicians will be expected to be constructive. empathy kindness positive-thinking support women-s-values Edward De Bono
f62d9f8 On the way home I absently minded (you know what I mean) went through a stop sign in Hyannis so of course there was a police car to apprehend me. A soft answer turnethed away wrath, fortunately. kindness speeding Edward Gorey
d533e1c Though Julian could be marvelously kind in difficult circumstances of all sorts, I sometimes got the feeling that he was less pleased by kindness itself than by the elegance of the gesture. elegance fake julian-morrow kindness the-secret-history Donna Tartt
3cd0ce5 La verdadera amistad, pensaban, resiste el paso del tiempo, es desinteresada y generosa, no pide nada a cambio, solo lealtad. kindness no-expectations true Isabel Allende
cb29811 "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a butterfly." --Richard David Bach The caterpillar believes it is dying because it's being sealed in a tomb. The Master knows that the caterpillar is not dying, and is simply transitioning (to something more). This points out that things are never over, that change is carrying us, (so often kicking and screaming), to higher states of being. I find it interesting that the caterpillar spends it's caterpillar existence crawling, (on a lone weed in the midst of an endless beautiful forest), surviving on bitter, poisonous leaves. Yet resists the changes to come. After the caterpillars "death"... And upon the butterflie's rebirth... The butterfly lives out it's butterfly existence experiencing all of the forest's wonders, being carried by the wind, landing on beauty, and drinking sweet nectar, all the while, being shielded from harm by the caterpillar's bitter and poisonous experiences of eating the weeds. compassion forgiveness inspiring kindness meaning prayer spirit spiritual-quotes trust Raymond D. Longoria Jr.
b1f62dc "On Wednesday night, November 13, (1861), Lincoln went with Seward and Hay to McClellan's house. Told that the general was at a wedding, the three waited in the parlor for an hour. When McClellan arrived home, the porter told him the president was waiting, but McClellan passed by the parlor room and climbed the stairs to his private quarters. After another half hour, Lincoln again sent word that he was waiting, only to be informed that the general had gone to sleep. Young John Hay was enraged, " I wish here to record what I consider a portent of evil to come," he wrote in his diary, recounting what he considered an inexcusable "insolence of epaulettes," the first indicator "of the threatened supremacy of the military authorities." To Hay's surprise, Lincoln "seemed not to have noticed it specially, saying it was better at this time not to be making points of etiquette & personal dignity." He would hold McClellan's horse, he once said, if a victory could be achieved. Though Lincoln, the consummate pragmatist, did not express anger at McClellan's rebuff, his aides fumed at every instance of such arrogance. Lincoln's secretary, William Stoddard, described the infuriating delay when he accompanied Lincoln to McClellan's anteroom. "A minute passes, then another, and then another, and with every tick of the clock upon the mantel your blood warms nearer and nearer its boiling-point. Your face feels hot and your fingers tingle, as you look at the man, sitting so patiently over there...and you try to master your rebellious consciousness." As time went by, Lincoln visited the haughty general less frequently. If he wanted to talk with McClellan, he sent a summons for him to appear at the White House." forbearance humility kindness patience pragmatism self-restraint Doris Kearns Goodwin
ab3b6ae "I actually thought you would be kind," said the vampire. "Go away!" screamed Devnee. He did not answer. "I didn't have to be kind," Devnee told him. "Victoria was kind for me." He laughed. "No one can be kind for you, my dear," said the vampire. "But I don't mind, of course. I have you now. There's no escape, my dear. You and I, Devnee Fountain, are a team." kindness vampire Caroline B. Cooney
982ddf2 One that society can't forgive, but I can. compassion confess forgivable friendship grace healing heartache kindness life love surrender truth unforgiven Dennis Lehane
7b5b71e Such kindness wasn't a gift but a goad, scraping against one's skin like a yoke of thorns. She would have preferred him stiff, defensive, even offensive. kindness love men pride Lauren Willig
bc447e8 If 10 percent of the population were to take a consciously ethical outlook on life and act accordingly, the resulting change would be more significant than any change of government, ethics kindness moral-philosophy morality Peter Singer
a8a20eb Then, the massive hands lifted the new people up to a pair of giant indescribable lips and whispered, in a fundamentally untranslatable Creator-language, something that meant, approximately: THIS TIME, BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER. REMEMBER: EACH OF YOU WANTS TO BE HAPPY. AND I WANT YOU TO. EACH OF YOU WANTS TO LIVE FREE FROM FEAR. AND I WANT YOU TO. EACH OF YOU ARE SECRETLY AFRAID YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH. BUT YOU ARE, TRUST ME, YOU ARE. election fear kindness politics satire George Saunders
344581c "Now anybody can be "kind." And everybody's supposed to be. Except that long ago it was something you were born into and couldn't help. Now it's just a faked-up attitude half the time, like teachers the first day of class." kindness philosophy Robert M. Pirsig
b9a7abd Men's lives are short . The hard man and his cruelties will be Cursed behind his back and mocked in death. But one whose heart and ways are kind - of him strangers will bear report to the whole wide world, and distant men will praise him. - Penelope in Robert Fitzgerald trans. THE ODYSSEY (364) kindness legacy meaning-of-life penelope remembrance respect success Robert Fitzgerald
f2e104d Don't tease me. Everything wounds me now except perfect kindness. iris-murdoch kindness sensitive teasing the-green-knight Iris Murdoch
338049d That was what counted, she told herself: those unexpected moments of appreciation, unanticipated glimpses of beauty or kindness - any of the things that attached us to this world, that made us forget, even for a moment, its pain and its transience. kindness life-and-living Alexander McCall Smith
23098fb The Limoges set has brought us more joy in its absence than it ever did in our cupboards. Of course, we no longer own a set of china to pass down to our kids, but that's okay. Francois and I plan on giving our children something more valuable, the simple truth that the best way to go through life is to be a major donor of kindness. We'll tell them that it's possible to own a whole bunch of beautiful, valuable things and still be miserable. But sometimes just having a recipe for chocolate Bunt cake can make a person far, far happier. kindness Firoozeh Dumas
fc6d978 I find it a challenge to respect capable people who care only for their own interests. kindness respect wisdom Brandon Mull
9d59e5e There is really no natural limit to the practice of loving kindness in meditation or in one's life. It is an ongoing, ever-expanding realization of interconnectedness. It is also its embodiment. When you can love one tree or one flower or one dog or one place, or one person or yourself for one moment, you can find all people, all places, all suffering, all harmony in that one moment. Practicing in this way is not trying to change anything or get anywhere, although it might look like it on the surface. What it is really doing is uncovering what is always present. Love and kindness are here all the time, somewhere, in fact, everywhere. Usually our ability to touch them and be touched by them lies buried below our own fears and hurts, below our greed and our hatreds, below our desperate clinging to the illusion that we are truly separate and alone. (...). Make sure that you are not to help anybody else or the planet. Rather, you are simply holding them in awareness, honoring them, wishing them well, opening to their pain with kindness and compassion and acceptance. all-people all-places awareness compassion everywhere expanding harmony honouring illusion interconnectedness kindness life love loving loving-kindness meditation mindfulness opening-to-pain presence realisation touched uncovering unlimited well-wishing Jon Kabat-Zinn
2bd3a97 "I don't know why--it's just that--I don't know--they're not kin."--Surprising word, I think to myself never used it before. Not of kin--sounds like hillbilly talk--not of a kind--same root--kindness, too--they can't have real kindness toward him, they're not his kin -- . That's exactly the feeling. Old word, so ancient it's almost drowned out. What a change through the centuries. Now anybody can be "kind." And everybody's supposed to be. Except that long ago it was something you were born into and couldn't help. Now it's just a faked-up attitude half the time, like teachers the first day of class. But what do they really know about kindness who are not kin." family kin kindness language society words Robert M. Pirsig
8b18de3 "Forgive me for saying so, Your Highness," Clarissa said slowly, "but for one as unaccustomed to good deeds as you, perhaps it would be best if you started with one on a smaller scale. Something like, I don't know, spreading bread crumbs for birds?" "Birds?" Valentina stared at Clarissa as if she had sprouted wings and would fly off. "Why on earth would I wish to feed birds?" "It was just a thought," Clarissa murmured." kindness princess Victoria Alexander
aff9073 Ruth marveled at how two souls-- two completely different species-- could make each other so happy. If you were kind to animals, they repaid that kindness a thousandfold. kindness Alan Brennert
baaaa72 That had day changed him. It had changed the entire village. Shaken by the death of a boy they had loved, each person found ways to be more worthy of the sacrifice he had made. They had become kinder, more careful, more attentive to one another. death grief kindness redemption sacrifice Lois Lowry
49d8324 "Numinous," Ursula said, breaking the silence eventually. "There's a spark of the divine in the world -- not God, er'er done with God, but something. Is it love? Not silly romantic love, but something more profound..." "I think it's perhaps something we don't have a name for," Teddy said. "We want to name everything. Perhaps that's where we've gone wrong." kindness love Kate Atkinson
b1f7ff4 Mais ta beaute est si singuliere, c'est une bonte ouverte ou chacun peut se servir autant que ses mains le lui permettent, elle est si grande, infiniment grande ta bonte, mais pardonne-moi- elle est indolente. kindness Stefan Zweig
e7221f2 Jesus, I told meself, harden the fuck up. She heard me say that once, Mum. To me little cousin out by the laundry where he was bawling, his knee bleeding a tiny bit. She had that disgusted look on her face. What? I said. I didn't do nothin. You're no better than your father, she said. Listen to you, Jaxie, you sound just like him. I didn't talk to her for three days. kindness mercy Tim Winton
385128e I suspect that God is what you do, not what or who you believe in. But people do shit things all the time, I said. There's something wrong with us. Perhaps. And maybe not. But when you do right, Jaxie, when you make good -- well, then you are an instrument of God. Then you are joined to the divine, to the life-force, to life itself. That's what I believe. That's what I hope for. And it's what I have missed. That's all jumblyfuck to me, I said as decent as I could. Well, think of it this way, he said, pushing his specs back up his nose. When somebody does me a kindness, it enlarges me, adds to my life, you see? And not only mine -- it adds to all life. Which is why I wanted to thank you. For coming here. Me? Fintan gave a sad little laugh. And I caught him looking at me goony as an emu. What? I said. Don't you understand me, boy? Can't you see it? Jaxie Clackton, you are an instrument of God. kindness life-force love Tim Winton
3885311 I sometimes think there's two sides to the commandment; and that we may say, 'Let others do unto you, as you would do unto them,' for pride often prevents our giving others a great deal of pleasure, in not letting them be kind, when their hearts are longing to help; and when we ourselves should wish to do just the same, if we were in their place. golden-rule kindness pride Elizabeth Gaskell
92e1327 "We would sit down fifteen, sometimes twenty, to the table on seder nights: my parents; the maiden aunts - Birdie, Len, and before the war, Dora, sometimes Annie; cousins of varying degree, visiting from France or Switzerland; and always a stranger or two would come. There was a beautiful, embroidered tablecloth which Annie had brought us from Jerusalem, gleaming white and gold on the table. My mother, knowing that sooner or later there would be accidents, always had a preemptive "spill" herself - she would manage somehow, very early in the evening, to tip a bottle of red wine onto the tablecloth, and thereafter no guest would be embarrassed if they knocked over a glass. Though I know she did this deliberately, I could never predict how or when the "accident" would occur; it always looked absolutely spontaneous and authentic. (She would immediately spread salt on he wine stain, and it became much paler, almost disappearing; I wondered why salt had this power.)" hospitality kindness Oliver Sacks
9059139 It was a good thing to be an African. There were terrible things that happened in Africa, things that brought shame and despair when one thought about them, but that was not all there was in Africa. However great the suffering of the people of Africa, however harrowing the cruelty and chaos brought about by soldiers--small boys with guns, really--there was still so much in Africa from which one could take real pride. There was the kindness, for example, and the ability to smile, and the art and the music. kindness suffering Alexander McCall Smith
38a85d2 . . . there was something that Isabel had said that always stuck in his mind. Remember what you have and the other person doesn't. It was simple--almost too simple--advice and yet, like all such home advice, it expressed a profound truth. kindness Alexander McCall Smith
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