Quotes About Compassion

Laurie: Her pain, her fears, her whole life, y' know? I mean, ordinary people, right? All the things that happen to them... doesn't that move you more than a bunch of rubble?

It's not God that kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It's us. Only us.

There's a hard law, mejuffrou, that when a deep injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive.

Meneer, said the captain, if man takes unto himself God's right to punish, then he must also take upon himself God's promise to restore.

What broke in a man when he could bring himself to kill another?

He went out of the door, and she watched him through the little window, walking slowly to the door of the church. Then she sat down at his table, and put her head on it, and was silent, with the patient suffering of black women, with the suffering of oxen, with the suffering of any that are mute.

It is my own belief that the only power which can resistthe power of fear is the power of love. It's a weak thing anda tender thing; men despise and deride it. But I look for theday when in South Africa we shall realize that the only last-ing and worth-while solution of our grave and profoundproblems lies not in the use of power, but in that under-standing and compassion without which human life is anintolerable bondage, condemning us all to an existence ofviolence, misery and fear.

We do what is in us, and why it is in us, that is also a secret. It is Christ in us, crying that men may be succoured and forgiven, even when He Himself is forsaken.

He says we are not forsaken. For while I wonder for what we live and struggle and die, for while I wonder what keeps us living and struggling, men are sent to minister to the blind ... Who gives, at this one hour, a friend to make darkness light before me?

We are grateful for the saints, he says, who lift up the heart in the days of our distress. Would we do less? For do we less, there are no saints to lift up any heart. If Christ be Christ he says, true Lord of Heaven, true Lord of Men, what is there that we would not do no matter what our suffering may be?

They were silent till the man passed, and then Kumalo said, in all my days I have known no one as you are. And Msimangu said sharply, I am a weak and sinful man, but God put His hands on me, that is all.

Let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich.

I cannot stop you from thinking your thoughts. It is good that a young man has such deep thoughts. But hate no man, and desire power over no man.

His eyes fill with tears, his deep gentleness returns to him. He goes to her and lifts her from the floor to the chair. Inarticulately he strokes her face, his heart filled with pity.–God forgives us, he says. Who am I not to forgive? Let us pray.

The fierce old man struck the arm of his chair and said, I would shoot him like a dog. Then because no one spoke, he said to the captain, wouldn't you? And the captain said, No. —You wouldn't? —No. —But he has offended against the race. Then the captain said trembling, Meneer, as a policeman I know an offence against the law, and as a Christian I know an offence against God; but I do not know an offence against the race.

Quando a felicidade é sua e a dor é do outro não há relação entre felicidade e dor?

Humanity is contagious.

The better I can make the world, the better it is for the people in my life

but you're angry. Not with me, because no one could be angry with me, but with others.

will heal your wounds," he said, "but I will not facilitate your battles.

They are begging us, you see, in their wordless way, To do something, to speak on their behalf Or at least not to close the door again. Lost people of Treblinka and Pompeii! "Save us, save us", they seem to say, "Let the god not abandon us Who have come so far in darkness and in pain. We too had our lives to live. You with your light meter and relaxed itinerary, Let not our naive labours have been in vain!

Social workers are bastards,

Each of us is leading a difficult life, and when we meet people we are seeing only a tiny part of the thinnest veneer of their complex, troubled existences. To practise anything other than kindness towards them, to treat them in any way save generously, is to quietly deny their humanity.

My normal, regrettable practice of minimal eye contact and uncharitable pigeonholing is suspended in favor of a real fascination with everything human.