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Are you a compassionate person? Or do you know someone who exhibits that trait?
Compassion comes from the Latin word “compati,” which literally means “to suffer with.” It is more than mere empathy and care—it is the desire to help someone who is suffering, and to be able to help that person ease their pain.
Today, we share compassion quotes about showing empathy, kindness, and love to others.
You may use them to inspire yourself to continue being compassionate, or you can send them to people with benevolent hearts to make them smile and realize that someone appreciates them.
First, let’s take a look at these quotes about compassion and empathy. What does it mean to empathize and stand in someone else’s shoes?
Quotes About Compassion and Empathy
- “Give Compassion: Every day the average person fights epic battles never told just to survive.” – Ken Poirot
- “We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- “The highest form of knowledge is empathy.” – Bill Bullard
- “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 nobility in compassion, a beauty in empathy, a grace in forgiveness.” – John Connolly
- “Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.” – Dalai Lama
- “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” – Ernest Hemingway
- “Let our hearts be stretched out in compassion toward others, for everyone is walking his or her own difficult path.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“Let our hearts be stretched out in compassion toward others, for everyone is walking his or her own difficult path.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
- “Compassion is the wish to see others free from suffering.” – Dalai Lama
- “In compassion, when we feel with the other, we dethrone ourselves from the center of our world and we put another person there.” – Karen Armstrong
- “Empathy is really the opposite of spiritual meanness. It’s the capacity to understand that every war is both won and lost. And that someone else’s pain is as meaningful as your own.” – Barbara Kingsolver
- “Empathy is a connection; it’s a ladder out of the shame hole.” – Brené Brown
- “Compassion is to look beyond your own pain, to see the pain of others.” – Yasmin Mogahed
As mentioned earlier, compassion and empathy are two different things. But they do go hand in hand. There can be no compassion if there is no empathy, and one cannot empathize if he doesn’t know compassion.
It is not easy to bear someone else’s suffering or feel someone else’s heartbreak. But with a heart of pure kindness, it is possible to feel empathy.
This brings us to our second set of quotes about kindness inspired by compassion. To have a compassionate heart means to have a kind heart.
Quotes About Kindness and Compassion
“A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” – Steve Maraboli
- “A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” – Steve Maraboli
- “Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion.” – Dalai Lama
- “A kind and compassionate act is often its own reward.” – William John Bennett
- “Use your voice for kindness, your ears for compassion, your hands for charity, your mind for truth, and your heart for love.” – Anonymous
- “Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.” – Bob Kerrey
- “That is what compassion does. It challenges our assumptions, our sense of self-limitation, worthlessness, of not having a place in the world. As we develop compassion, our hearts open.” – Sharon Salzberg
- “Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle.” – Charles Glassman
- “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
- “There is no small act of kindness. Every compassionate act makes large the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher
“There is no small act of kindness. Every compassionate act makes large the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher
- “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” – Princess Diana
- “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” – Plato
- “Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.” – Jackie Chan
Just like empathy, people sometimes confuse kindness with compassion. But again, they are two different things. If compassion is a strong desire you feel regarding other people’s feelings, then kindness is the act that you do to help them get through hard times.
Next, we have quotes and sayings about love and compassion. For many self-help experts, the combination of these two is what sustains humanity.
Love and Compassion Quotes
- “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” – John Holmes
- “Even suffering when wrapped in love, seems tolerable.” – Bangambiki Habyarimana
- “There is no such thing as tough love. Love is kind, love is compassionate, love is tender.” – Heather Wolf
“There is no such thing as tough love. Love is kind, love is compassionate, love is tender.” – Heather Wolf
- “I love this life and even if to be taken from me, I will love that you have yours. Cherish all life, for life, is worth cherishing.” – Tom Althouse
- “Compassion is about giving all the love that you’ve got.” – Cheryl Strayed
- “Love and compassion are the true religions to me. But to develop this, we do not need to believe in any religion.” – Dalai Lama
- “Until you have real compassion, you cannot recognize love.” – Bob Thurman
- “We can’t heal the world today but we can begin with a voice of compassion, a heart of love, an act of kindness.” – Mary Davis
- “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” – Dalai Lama
- “Compassion is the greatest form of love humans have to offer.” – Rachael Joy Scott
- “Compassion is at the heart of every little thing we do. It is the dearest quality we possess. Yet all too often it can be cast aside with consequences too tragic to speak of. To lose our compassion, we lose what it is to be human.” – Anonymous
- “Compassion is a passion with a heart.” – Anonymous
“Compassion is a passion with a heart.” – Anonymous
Love, empathy, kindness, and compassion are parts of our basic nature. As humans, it is inherently natural for us to exhibit these feelings; it is just their discovery and maintenance that makes the difference.
Before we end this post, we would like to share some self-compassion quotes your own well-being. If you give love to other people, you should also save some for yourself. After all, learning to love yourself is the best way to learn how to care for other people.
Self-Compassion Quotes
- “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” – Maya Angelou
- “For us to feel good emotionally, we have to look after ourselves.” – Sam Owen
- “Self-compassion is like a muscle. The more we practice flexing it, especially when life doesn’t go exactly according to plan (a frequent scenario for most of us), the stronger and more resilient our compassion muscle becomes.” – Sharon Salzberg
“Self-compassion is like a muscle. The more we practice flexing it, especially when life doesn’t go exactly according to plan (a frequent scenario for most of us), the stronger and more resilient our compassion muscle becomes.” – Sharon Salzberg
- “Don’t change your self-criticism habit. Change your habitual reactions to self-criticism.” – Yong Kang Chan
- “It is a lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others.” – Anonymous
- “Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion.” – Jack Kornfield
- “Having compassion starts and ends with having compassion for all those unwanted parts of ourselves.” – Pema Chodron
“Having compassion for yourself means that you honor and accept your humanness.” – Kristen Neff
- “Having compassion for yourself means that you honor and accept your humanness.” – Kristen Neff
- “Drop the people who do not value you, respect you. Life has infinite horizons. Accept yourself, love yourself, and move forward.” – Amit Ray
- “Taking time to relax every day, spending quality time with friends, and practicing mindfulness are some of the tried and tested ways of developing self-compassion.” – Dr. Prem Jagyasi
- “When we give ourselves compassion, we are opening our hearts in a way that can transform our lives.” – Kristin Neff
- “One thing is for sure—you will make mistakes. Learn to learn from them. Learn to forgive yourself. Learn to laugh when everything falls apart because, sometimes, it will.” – Vironika Tugaleva
- “And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had more of a tendency to look for people who live by kindness, tolerance, compassion, a gentler way of looking at things.” – Martin Scorsese
More Quotes about Compassion and Love
- “Compassion is the radicalism of our time.” – Dalai Lama
- “The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” – John Green
- “Compassion is the basis of morality.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
- “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama
- “The greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion.” – Dalai Lama
- “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
- “I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.” – Lao Tzu
- “Compassion is not religious business; it is human business.” – Dalai Lama
- “Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learned how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.” – Nelson Mandela
- “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” – Dalai Lama
- “Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.” – Albert Schweitzer
- “Compassion is an action word with no boundaries.” – Prince
- “Kindness can transform someone's dark moment with a blaze of light. You'll never know how much your caring matters.” – Amy Leigh Mercree
- “Compassion is the ultimate expression of your highest self.” – Russell Simmons
- “The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others.” – Albert Schweitzer
- “The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.” – Mother Teresa
- “True compassion means not only feeling another's pain but also being moved to help relieve it.” – Daniel Goleman
- “Compassion is a verb.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
- “The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “With our love, we could save the world.” – George Harrison
- “You may call God love, you may call God goodness. But the best name for God is compassion.” – Meister Eckhart
- “One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
- “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” – Maya Angelou
- “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “I have found the paradox that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” – Mother Teresa
- “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and to let it come in.” – Morrie Schwartz
The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and to let it come in.” – Morrie Schwartz
- “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” – The Talmud
- “True compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason.” – Dalai Lama
- “We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity; more than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent, and all will be lost.” – Charlie Chaplin
- “Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.” – Eric Hoffer
Final Thoughts on Compassion Quotes
Most people believe that compassion is a rare gift that only a few possesses, but we disagree. Compassion is innate in all of us. We were born to watch each other’s backs.
If we could all just discover this inherent trait we possess, then the world would become a better place to live. We need to learn how to love and be kind.
If you are someone with a benevolent heart, let these quotes inspire you to be more humane and warm-hearted. If you know someone who is very compassionate, send them a text or two with these quotes and lighten up their day.
Did any of the quotes resonate with you?
If so, feel free to share your thoughts and comments in the fields below. And if you happened to like any of the images above, a share through your favorite social media platform would be greatly appreciated!
And if you want more inspirational quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 63 Inspiring Walt Whitman Quotes About Life
- 107 Quotes About Overcoming Adversity and Challenges in Your Life
- 75 Comforting Quotes to Share During Difficult Times
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success.
