Compassion Quotes
“Compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things.”
-Thomas Merton
“Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.”
-Frederick Buechner
“The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.”
-Thomas Merton
“Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.”
-J. K. Rowling
“Love cannot endure indifference. It needs to be wanted. Like a lamp, it needs to be fed out of the oil of another’s heart, or its flame burns low.”
-Henry Ward Beecher
“Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping him up.”
–Jesse Jackson
“May we not succumb to thoughts of violence and revenge today, but rather to thoughts of mercy and compassion. We are to love our enemies that they might be returned to their right minds.”
-Marianne Williamson
“Compassion is not weakness, and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism.”
-Hubert H. Humphrey
“Empathy is like giving someone a psychological hug.”
-Lawrence J
“A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.”
-Steve Maraboli
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
-Maya Angelou
“Compassion is the ultimate expression of your highest self.”
-Russell Simmons
The nature of humanity, its essence, is to feel another’s pain as one’s own, and to act to take that pain away. There is a nobility in compassion, a beauty in empathy, a grace in forgiveness.”
-John Connolly
“If it is not tempered by compassion, and empathy, reason can lead men and women into a moral void.”
-Karen Armstrong
“There is no small act of kindness. Every compassionate act makes large the world.”
-Mary Anne Radmacher
“Empathy is simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of you’re not alone.”
-Brene Brown
“The individual is capable of both great compassion and great indifference. He has it within his means to nourish the former and outgrow the latter.”
-Norman Cousins
“The super power that I would choose would be compassion. Because that’s what I think it takes to make it through life – an understanding, a give and take. It saves an awful lot of resentment.”
-Craig T. Nelson
“What you don’t realize is that the world does not need more perfection. It needs more compassion and empathy.”
-Tessa Dare
“Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”
-Theodore Roosevelt
“What actually sustains us, what is fundamentally beautiful, is compassion – for yourself and for those around you. That kind of beauty inflames the heart and enchants the soul.”
-Lupita Nyong’o
“Compassion is the currency that leads to true wealth.”
-Jim Carrey
“Empathy is the gateway; compassion is the way.”
-Scott Perry
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
-Dalai Lama
“Empathy is one of humankind’s prized possessions. Acts of consideration and kindness are inevitable when a person can mentally step into someone else’s shoes. Even if it’s just for a moment.”
-Izey Victoria Odiase
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
-Leo Buscaglia
“Learning to stand in somebody else’s shoes, to see through their eyes, that’s how peace begins. And it’s up to you to make that happen. Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world.”
-Barack Obama
“Sometimes all a person wants is an empathetic ear; all he or she needs is to talk it out. Just offering a listening ear and an understanding heart for his or her suffering can be a big comfort.”
-Roy T. Bennett
“Give children at least as many chances to show compassion as they have to be competitive.”
-Erica Layman
“Deep listening is the kind of listening that can help relieve the suffering of another person.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
“Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another which both attracts and heals.”
-L. J. Isham
How can you use Quotes?
- Start a discussion: Quotes can start a discussion about a character trait at the beginning of a meeting or the dinner table. You can ask questions about what it means, how they have seen the trait demonstrated in their own lives, or how they can develop it themselves.
- Provide a model: Quotes can provide a model of good character. When you read a quote from a famous person or historical figure, you show that people they admire also value the same character traits.
- Use quotes as writing/journal prompts: Ask them to write a short essay about a quote to help them think more deeply about its implications for their lives.
- Post quotes: You can post quotes where they will be seen/heard often – classroom, breakroom, lobby, dining room, email signatures, video bulletin boards, morning announcements, social media, etc.
- Read quotes aloud: You can read quotes aloud to your children during mealtimes, bedtime, or any other time you spend together.
- Make it fun: You can make it even more fun by incorporating games, activities, or crafts. Let children decorate signs with the quotes to hang in the classroom or a bedroom door. Record children saying it and post it on social media.