Quotes About Compassion

Courage gives us a voice and compassion gives us an ear. Without both, there is no opportunity for empathy and connection. Again,

Can you love someone and cheat on them or treat them poorly?" I thought about it for a long time, then gave the best answer I could based on my work: "I don't know if you can love someone and betray them or be cruel to them, but I do know that when you betray someone or behave in an unkind way toward them, you are not practicing love. And, for me, I don't just want someone who says they love me; I want someone who practices that love for me every day.

Everyone who risks explaining love and belonging is hopefully doing the best they can to answer an unanswerable question. Myself included.

empathy is infinite and renewable.

Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion

We cannot give our children what we don't have.

How much we know and understand ourselves is critically important, but there is something that is even more essential to living a Wholehearted life: loving ourselves. Knowledge is

Our job is to look and say, 'You know what? You're imperfect, and you're wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.' That's our job.

think we're supposed to be and embracing who we are. Choosing authenticity means cultivating the courage to be imperfect, to set boundaries, and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable; exercising the compassion that comes from knowing that we are all made of strength and struggle; and nurturing the connection and sense of belonging that can only happen when we believe that we are enough.

Don't look away. Don't look down. Don't pretend not to see hurt. Look people in the eye. Even when their pain is overwhelming. And when you're hurting and in pain, find the people who can look you in the eye.

Because loving them and accepting their imperfections is much easier than turning that light of loving-kindness on myself.

understanding emotion can be a life raft in a sea of turbulent feelings.

my favorite quote about darkness and compassion from Pema Chödrön, who writes: "Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.

Perfectionism never happens in a vacuum. It touches everyone around us. We pass it down to our children, we infect our workplace with impossible expectations, and it's suffocating for our friends and families. Thankfully, compassion also spreads quickly. When we're kind to ourselves, we create a reservoir of compassion that we can extend to others. Our children learn how to be self-compassionate by watching us, and the people around us feel free to be authentic and connected.

them—we can only love others as much as we love ourselves. Shame, blame,

Another thing I repeat to myself, particularly when I'm sitting across from, or with, someone who does not have great feedback delivery skills, is "There's something valuable here, there's something valuable here.

the "action" part of compassion wasn't making things better or fixing,

It's okay to be pissed. It's not okay to raise your voice and pound on the table. It's okay to change your mind. It's not okay to assume that I'm okay with the changes without talking to me. It's okay to want to be able to do things your friends are allowed to do. I totally get that. What's not okay is breaking our rules to do them. It's okay to disagree with me, but it's not okay to ridicule my ideas and beliefs.

Empathy heals another at exactly the same time it is healing me.

Regrets about shaming or blaming people I care about have made me more thoughtful. Sometimes the most uncomfortable learning is the most powerful.

As I interviewed more and more women about this phenomenon, I realized that to move away from judging, we must be very mindful of what we are thinking, feeling and saying. You can't fake nonjudgment. It's in our eyes, our voices and our body language.

What more do I need to learn and understand about the situation? 2. What more do I need to learn and understand about the other people in the story? 3. What more do I need to learn and understand about myself?

Knowledge is important, but only if we're being kind and gentle with ourselves as we work to discover who we are.

What if what we experience close up is real, and what we hear on the news and from the mouths of politicians who are jockeying for power needs to be questioned? It is not easy to hate people close up. And when we are in pain and fear, anger and hate are our go-to emotions. Almost everyone I've ever interviewed or known will tell you that it's easier to be pissed off than it is to be hurt or scared.