Quotes About Kindness

He was a good guy, my old man: simple, old-fashioned. Physically, he was built like a feather-weight, and he wore these thick, black Ronnie Barker glasses. He would say to me, 'You might not have a good education, but good manners don't cost you anything.' And he practised what he preached: he'd always give up his seat on the bus for a woman or help an old lady across the road. A good man. I really miss him.

Love your enemies. It makes them so damned mad.

Good manners can replace morals. It may be years before anyone knows if what you are doing is right. But if what you are doing is nice, it will be immediately evident.

If we are kind and considerate, people will want to be around us, and we benefit from enduring circles of attention and care.

And being mean? It takes energy. As in, you wake up in the morning and you've got only so much energy for the day, and being mean just sucks it right out of you. It's exhausting.

As we grow older and realize more clearly the limitations of human happiness, we come to see that the only real and abiding pleasure in life is to give pleasure to other people.

a crucial measure of our success in life is the way we treat one another every day of our lives.

A WORD OF KINDNESS IS SELDOM SPOKEN IN VAIN, WHILE WITTY SAYINGS ARE AS EASILY LOST AS THE PEARLS SLIPPING FROM A BROKEN STRING. —George Prentice

WHEREVER THERE IS A HUMAN BEING, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A KINDNESS' —Lucius Annaeus Seneca (p.3).

We must be as courteous to a man as we are to a picture, which we are willing to give the advantage of a good light (p. 41).

yielding our seat on a bus whenever it seems appropriate; alerting the person sitting behind us on a plane when we are about to lower the back of our seat; standing close to the right-side handrail on an escalator; stopping to give directions to someone who is lost; stopping at red lights; disagreeing with poise; yielding with grace when losing an argument, these diverse behaviors are all imbued with the spirit of civility.

we can learn to love. How do we do that? …First things first. First we discipline our ego to look beyond the narrow confines of its immediate needs; then we will have a change to understand what real love is. First manners, then love (pp.19-20).

I am convinced that, to a significant extent, life is what our relationships make it. …To learn how to be happy we must learn how to live well with others, and civility is a key to that (p. 6).

The Noblest of Arts is Making Others Happy

The noblest art is that of making others happy

El arte más noble, es la de hacer felices a los demás

In music, in the sea, in a flower, in a leaf, in an act of kindness... I see what people call God in all these things.

Let us forget with generosity those who cannot love us

The best thing you can do for someone is make them a beautiful plate of food. How else can you invade someone's body without actually touching them?

Teddy taught me about kindness, about love that is unconditional; a sentiment not dependent on acceptance, approval, or the expectation of something in return. It was the first time I would ever feel this from a man who wasn't my grandfather. And I didn't know what to do with it at all. If only I'd embraced our differences sooner. I didn't know it then, but we had so little time left.

When your body is in seclusion your mind will be also. Give up idle gossip and speak less. If you hurt another's feelings, both of you create negative karma […] don't allow yourself to feel attached or hostile. Maintain a peaceful frame of mind. Give up angry and harsh words; instead speak with a smiling face.

Whenever you suffer misfortune or illness, think "This repays my karmic debts from former lifetimes and purifies my negative karma!" No matter what happiness you have, regard it as the kindness of the Three Jewels and arouse the strong yearning of devoted gratitude! When you meet with enmity and hatred, think "This is a good friend helping me to cultivate patience!" Think, "This helper for patience is a messenger sent by the victorious ones!" (p. 105)

Don't regard any sentient being as your enemy: to do so is only your mind's delusion. (p. 29)

Joy, with peace, is the sister of charity. Serve the Lord with laughter.