Quotes About Compassion

Going through heart surgery, being on blood thinners, having been in the hospital is not something you want to go through. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

I don't want to surpass anyone. I don't want to be better than anyone else.

During my past career as a journalist, I relished writing obits and equally dreaded phoning relatives for the necessary facts. But to my surprise and great relief, they often wanted to talk - they wanted their recently deceased loved ones recorded in print.

Evil has always been there; it's always a part of us. Evil is no big surprise. But what about the people who gave freely, who stood up for human dignity? Even in the most extreme and terrible situations, these acts of dignity existed. And for me, that is the banality of good.

Always try to do something for the other fellow and you will be agreeably surprised how things come your way - how many pleasing things are done for you.

I'm not surprised that Spielberg was able to capture the heroism of Schindler; so many of his movies are about the better part of mankind.

I'm not surprised that I tend to go for the dark side. I was a really scared kid, so I think I understand what scares people.

Don't be surprised if you find me doing some charity work in another country.

People are surprised by the poverty and think that I wasn't cared for. But that wasn't the case - I was deeply loved.

When I did the original research for 'Odd Girl Out,' I asked every bullied girl I interviewed to tell me what she needed most from her family. The answer truly surprised me. It wasn't having the best solutions, calling the school, or trying to act like everything was okay. It was empathy.

When I read, I don't need a character to look like me, act like me, or think like me. I don't need to have my heart broken. I don't need to be surprised or amused or challenged, and I don't need to swoon.

It always surprises me when people say, 'I don't regret one thing about my life. I wouldn't change anything because it's all led me to where I am today.' I would want to change certain things that have caused others pain.

The surprising thing about fatherhood was finding my inner mush. Now I want to share it with the world.

Surprisingly, I'm not a fan of guns or anything like that!

Most people do surprisingly poorly when dealing with a relative who is hurting, depressed, or anxious - we get defensive and try to solve the problem rather than finding the truth in what the person is saying.

My message to the world is to surrender your ego: try not to think that you are not as fortunate as some people or inferior or not as good as someone else.

If we show people that fear isn't actually the place that we have to surrender to, fear isn't actually the thing that we have to answer to, but instead, it's going in and loving people.

I do, indeed, close my door at times and surrender myself to a book, but only because I can open the door again and see a human face looking at me.

Puerto Ricans who find they can no longer afford to keep their pets often choose to drop their dogs, sometimes even whole litters of puppies, at a beach - sometimes under cover of night, in secret - rather than surrender the animal to a city or state-run shelter where the animals will face grim conditions and almost certain death by euthanasia.

You see, this happened a few months ago, but it's still going on right now, and it ought to make us feel ashamed when we talk like we know what we're talking about when we talk about love.

Grief Woke up early this morning and from my bed looked far across the Strait to see a small boat moving through the choppy water, a single running light on. Remembered my friend who used to shout his dead wife's name from hilltops around Perugia. Who set a plate for her at his simple table long after she was gone. And opened the windows so she could have fresh air. Such display I found embarrassing. So did his other friends. I couldn't see it. Not until this morning.

He seemed full of some goodness she didn't understand

There were things he wanted to say, grieving things, consoling things, things like that.

You tell me you didn't sleep well. I say I didn't either. You had a terrible night. "Me too." We're extraordinarily calm and tender with each other as if sensing the other's rickety state of mind. As if we knew what the other was feeling. We don't, of course. We never do. No matter. It's the tenderness I care about. That's the gift this morning that moves and holds me. Same as every morning.