What does it mean to be compassionate? Many people would say that it means putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, or feeling their pain. But being compassionate is so much more than that. It’s about seeing the good in others, and doing what you can to help them, even when they don’t deserve it. Here are some of our favorite compassion quotes to inspire you to lead with your heart.

The best compassion quotes

1. Although the big word on the left is ‘compassion, ‘ the big agenda on the left is dependency. — Thomas Sowell

2. Compassion directed toward oneself is true humility. — Simone Weil

3. We give it up and just look directly with compassion and humor at who we are. Then loneliness is no threat and heartache, no punishment. — Pema Chodron

4. Cruel people offer pity when they no longer feel threatened. However, kind people offer compassion and understanding regardless. — Shannon L. Alder

5. Compassion practice is daring. It involves learning to relax and allowing ourselves to move gently toward what scares us. — Pema Chodron

6. I show up for my fellow man by sharing my inner wealth. I generously give out compassion and acceptance wherever I go. — Renae A. Sauter, An Empowered Life: Mind/Body/Spirit Empowerment

7. He who does not want to understand the Other has no right to say that what the Other does or says makes no sense. — Thomas Szasz, Cruel Compassion: Psychiatric Control of Society’s Unwanted

8. As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion. — Pema Chodron

9. Compassion can be learned through example — Renae A. Sauter, An Empowered Life: Mind/Body/Spirit Empowerment

10. Ignite the fire of loving kindness in your soul, fuel that fire with understanding and compassion for others, and start a bonfire of love worldwide. — Nanette Mathews

11. Compassion is the ultimate expression of your highest self — Russell Simmons

12. Always keep an open mind and a compassionate heart. — Phil Jackson

13. I know the books that I need to help me to be wiser than my years and be kinder and more compassionate and more patient than I really am. — Sandra Cisneros

14. If you have nothing but compassion, you are still very wealthy; if you have everything but compassion, you are still very poor! — Mehmet Murat ildan

15. Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. — Pema Chodron

16. The individual is capable of both great compassion and great indifference. He has it withing his means to nourish the former and outgrow the latter. — Norman Cousins

17. Forgiveness is really a gift to yourself–have the compassion to forgive others, and the courage to forgive yourself. — Mary Anne Radmacher

18. True compassion does not come from wanting to help out those less fortunate than ourselves but from realizing our kinship with all beings. — Pema Chodron

19. ‘inherent in all persons does be, Love and compassion unfailingly.Give to others your love freely, And receive in turn love purely.[112] — 4’

20. Pep up your Life with Positive Energy Power; a Power that comes from choosing emotions of Love and Faith, Hope and Courage, Confidence and Compassion. — RVM

21. Look Back in forgiveness, forward in hope, down in compassion and up in gratitude. — Zig Ziglar

22. What dooms our best efforts to cultivate empathy and compassion is always, of course, other people. — Tim Kreider, We Learn Nothing

23. Men are more compassionate/(nobler)/magnanimous/generous than God; for men forgive their dead, but God does not. — Mark Twain

24. We ought to be people of compassion. And being people of compassion means we deny ourselves, and our self centeredness. — Mike Huckabee

25. We are a compassionate nation. We always have been and We always will be. but We also must remember that our first priority is to protect the american people. — Paul Ryan

26. If you conduct yourself with peace love and compassion, then you are God. — Sathya Sai Baba

27. It is important to reignIte our compassion for others because wIthout It we will be lost in the sea of suffering — Radhe Maa

28. During our darkest moments on the edges of time we mostly deny compassion and hope for those who will shape our shadows into light! — Vasilios Karpos

29. The soft heart is not a thing to harden but a treasure to protect. For soft hearts extend mercy, compassion, refuge, and God’s redemption to the world. — Richelle E. Goodrich, Slaying Dragons

30. Young people, when they’re left alone, always want to have compassion, and they always want to give. They always want to help people who are less fortunate. — Russell Simmons

31. And power without compassion is the worst kind of evil there is. — E.J. Patten, Return to Exile

32. Be the compassionate observer. No labels, just unconditional compassion. Fun times pass, tough times pass. Compassion will be eternal. — Matthew Donnelly

33. I was completely and irrevocably in lust — which tends to make a person impassive to others’ pain. Love makes us compassionate. Lust makes us deaf to all but the lover.

34. I believe man will not merely endure, he will prevail…because he has a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. — William Faulkner

35. Serving people with love and compassion is the best way to bring them to Christ — Sunday Adelaja

36. Moments of love and compassion are the only immortal moments in human being’s life! We humans are mortals with immortal moments! — Mehmet Murat ildan

37. To be compassionate, you have to forget your own comfort zone and live well because you live beyond yourself. — Sunday Adelaja, The Mountain of Ignorance

38. Sansho THE BAILIFF (1954) ‘Without compassion a man is no longer human.’ So states Taira. — Steven Jay Schneider, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

39. Compassion Is The Key — Pamela Stadnyk

40. And Sir, it is no little thing to make mine eyes to sweat compassion. — William Shakespeare, Coriolanus

41. When the ego is in the driver’s seat, we judge. When our spirit, our authentic self, is in control, we practice listening (without judging), compassion, and love. — Sheila Burke

42. I was completely and irrevocably in lust — which tends to make a person impassive to others’ pain. Love makes us compassionate. Lust makes us deaf to all but the lover.

43. Transformational tools enhance one’s clarity, competence, compassion, and empower you to achieve anything that seems impossible to you and others. — Vishwas Chavan

44. Sadness is like sandpaper; it rubs at our sharper edges, softening and humbling us, making us ready for a coat of compassion. — Richelle E. Goodrich, Slaying Dragons

45. We believe in a solid, just, compassionate, hopeful future. That’s why I’m in politics. That’s why I’m running for president. And that’s why I’m going to win! — Walter F. Mondale

46. If a fish feels sad when a fisherman’s boat is sinking, and that fish owns a priceless treasure: The compassion! Have compassion, even for your enemies! — Mehmet Murat ildan

47. Compassion is good but politicians have turned compassion into the welfare state. — Thomas Sowell

48. Does God know if I am ignored or rejected? Find the answer in the compassionate eyes of Christ as he stands to defend the adulterous woman. — Max Lucado

49. The individual is capable of both great compassion and great indifference. He has it withing his means to nourish the former and outgrow the latter. — Norman Cousins

50. God is the embodiment of compassion. He watches for a grain of goodness or humility so that He can reward it with tons of grace. — Sathya Sai Baba

Conclusion

Compassion is one of the most powerful emotions that humans can experience. It can motivate us to reach out and help others in need, to offer a kind word or gesture, and to create a better world for all. It is an essential part of being human and it is something that we should strive to cultivate and share with others. As these quotes demonstrate, compassion can be an inspiring and uplifting force. So, let us never forget to show compassion to those around us and to spread it into the world.