Quotes About Compassion

To understand is to forgive, even oneself.

What would you read to someone who was dying?" Annie Dillard had asked our class. She wanted this to be the standard for our work. There, at the memorial service for my friend, I thought of another: Dying, what stories would you tell?

Socialism with a human face.

Compassionate love may be strong. It sobs, it burns, then it wipes away its tears – and it does nothing.

You can awaken people by dreaming their dreams more clearly than they dream themselves.

One must open men's eyes, not tear them out.

If the Hindu story exhibits its "god of gods" in such a degrading light, how much more honouring is the Papal story to the Son of the Blessed, when it represents Him as needing to be pacified by His mother exposing to Him "the breasts that He has sucked." All this is done only to exalt the Mother, as more gracious and more compassionate than her glorious Son.

You cannot build a sustainable local economy on the back of people's suffering.

It was so wonderful to find people who were, well, like people should be.

And we need to know what it is to be human, if we are to avoid becoming narcissists.

All that this world knows of living lies in giving -- and more giving; He that keeps, be sure he loses -Friendship grows by what it uses.

The tears of Christ are the pity of God. The gentleness of Jesus is the long-suffering of God. The tenderness of Jesus is the love of God. "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.

But you cannot expect every writer to dwell on human suffering. I think my books do deal with grave issues. People who say they are too positive probably haven't read them.

It's through the small things that we develop our moral imagination, so that we can understand the sufferings of others.

Be content with who you are and where you are, and do whatever you can do to bring to others such contentment, and joy, and understanding that you have managed to find yourself.

Do not act meanly, do not be unkind, because the time for setting things right may pass before your heart changes course. Isabel Dalhousie

She had so much love to give - she had always felt that - and now there was somebody to whom she could give this love, and that, she knew, was good; for that is what redeems us, that is what makes our pain and sorrow bearable - this giving of love to others, this sharing of the heart.

Now constipation was quite a different matter...It would be dreadful for the whole world to know about troubles of that nature. She felt terribly sorry for people who suffered from constipation, and she knew that there were many who did. There were probably enough of them for a political party - with a chance of government perhaps - but what would such a party do if it was in power? Nothing, she imagined. It would try to pass legislation, but would fail." (p, 195)

There is room in history for all of us.

The physician should look upon the patient as a besieged city and try to rescue him with every means that art and science place at his command.

At ev'ry trifle scorn to take offense.

If to her share some female errors fall,Look on her face, and you'll forget 'em all.

To err is human

Errare è umano, perdonare divino.