25 Quotes to Illuminate Your Journey to Compassion

Compassion is the hum of the heart, connecting us harmoniously to our inner wisdom, to one another and to the wider world.  And it’s the ultimate source of happiness, inner peace and calm, inner strength and confidence.  

Compassion for others and for ourselves doesn’t require grand gestures, a stage or a spotlight.  It germinates in the small spaces of life — the moment we wake, the kitchen, the neighbourhood, the morning commute, the evening yoga class — and starts with small acts of care and kindness.  It grows as we notice that someone (including ourselves) is in distress and step towards that suffering rather than closing our eyes and hearts to it, when we let go of our judgements and open our hearts to relieve their suffering with a kind, skillful presence, in whatever way feels true and possible in the moment.

I said at the beginning of this 2 month journey that it takes courage to step towards the suffering of others and towards our own suffering, to feel it rather moving away and disconnecting from it.  So I thank you for facing that fear and moving forward to cultivate compassion anyway. I hope this little journey has been useful for you.  It has been immensely heart-opening for me. 

I have one last offering for you before I sign off for the rest of the summer, 25 reflections that invite you to explore compassion and kindness more deeply, the giving and the receiving, the offering and the allowing.  These voices from across traditions and time remind us that compassion is both ancient wisdom and living practice. And that compassion (for ourselves and others) truly is the ultimate source of happiness and joy.

 

Here are 25 quotes to illuminate your journey to compassion.

 

1. “Love and compassion are necessities.  No child is born with them, but we can cultivate them through training.” — The Dalai Lama

 

2. “When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply with himself, and his suffering is spilling over.  He does not need punishment; he needs help. “ — Thich That Hanh

 

3. “Compassion is not just feeling with someone, but seeking to change the situation.” — Archbishop Desmond Tutu

 

4. “Our human compassion binds us the one to the other — not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.” — Nelson Mandela

 

5. “The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.” — Mahatma Gandhi

 

6. “Compassion is the language of God.  Let us learn to live with kindness, to love everyone, even when they do not love us.” — Pope Francis

 

7. “Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace.” — Albert Schweitzer

 

8. “True compassion does not come from wanting to help out of pity or egoism…It is a spontaneous movement of love from the heart.” — Matthieu Ricard

 

9. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the small act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” — Leo Buscaglia

 

10. “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” — HenryJames

 

11. “When you have learned to be compassionate to yourself you can be compassionate to others.” — Sharon Salzberg

 

12. “Compassion does not spring from the intellect but from consonance of wills.  I cannot really make a man’s misery my concern unless I am willing to help him.” — Immanuel Kant

 

13. “Compassion is the basis of morality.” — Aristotle

 

14. “In seeing the bodies of living beings, one understands their impermanence and suffering, arousing compassion.” — Buddha (Satipatthana Sutta)

 

15. “The highest realm of thought is reached not by perceiving what others see, but by seeing what others do not, through compassion.” — Rabindranath Tagore

 

16. “To wish well to others is the truest form of compassion.” — Marcus Aurelius

 

17. “Compassion is not weakness.  It is the strength that arises from understanding the interconnectedness of all life.” — Roshi Joan Halifax

 

18. “Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.” — Brené Brown

 

19. “Only the development of compassion and wisdom can assure our survival beyond this century.” — The Dalai Lama

 

20. “Compassion is the fire that burns away the veils of illusion.” — Ram Das

 

21. “The dew of compassion is a tear.” — Rumi

 

22. “Look at flowers, butterflies, trees and children with the eyes of compassion.  Compassion will change your life and make it wonderful.”  — Thich Nhat Hanh

 

23. “If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” — The Dalai Lama

 

24. “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” — Archbishop Desmond Tutu

 

25. “Not all of us can do great things.  But we can do small things with great love.” — Mother Teresa