Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians Make a gift of your life and lift all mankind by being kind, considerate, forgiving, and compassionate at all times, in all places, and under all conditions, with everyone as well as yourself. This is the greatest gift anyone can give. David Hawkins There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations -- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit. ... Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. C. S. Lewis No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Aesop circa 550 BCE We can choose in any interpersonal relationship to be right or to be kind. Dr. Wayne Dyer The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong Gandhi Forgiveness is choosing to love. It is the first skill of self-giving love. Gandhi I have often regretted my speech, never my silence. Publilius Syrus - Maxim 1070 Great minds think for themselves. Immanuel Kant If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Mother Teresa My religion is simple, my religion is kindness. Dalai Llama The only love worthy of a name is unconditional. John Powell It should be noted that the seeds of wisdom that are to bear fruit in the intellect are sown less by critical studies and learned monographs than by insights, broad impressions, and flashes of intuition. Carl von Clausewitz The heart is wiser than the intellect. Josiah Holland Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do and damned if you don't. Eleanor Roosevelt When making a decision of minor importance I've found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves . . . by the deep inner needs of ourselves. Robert Heilbroner (1905-1989) It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one's neighbor. Eric Hoffer Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it foregoes revenge, and dares forgive an injury. E. H. Chapin Forgiveness is me giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me. Anonymous No legacy is so rich as honesty. William Shakespeare There is one 'word' that the message of the Bible is all about... and that is "LOVE"... different bible versions can be interpreted many ways... But, regardless how many times the wording is changed or interpreted... 'LOVE' always is the 'word' Jesse Charles Wagner II The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself. Archibald MacLeish We ought always to deal justly, not only with those who are just to us, but likewise to those who endeavor to injure us; and this, for fear lest by rendering them evil for evil, we should fall into the same vice. Hierocles Smile at each other; smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other- it doesn't matter who it is- and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other. Mother Teresa No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another. Charles Dickens I shall pass through this world but once; any good thing, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, or dumb animal, let me do it now. Let me not deter it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. John Galsworthy That which we must learn to do, we learn by doing. Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics If in the midst of your enjoyment of the world you have a moment, try to help in however small a way those who are downtrodden and those who, for whatever reason, cannot or do not help themselves. Try not to turn away from those whose appearance is disturbing, from the ragged and unwell. Try never to think of them as inferior to yourself. If you can, try not even to think of yourself as better than the humblest beggar. You will look the same in your grave. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama Trees that grow tall have deep roots. Great height without great depth is dangerous. The great leaders of this world - like St. Francis, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr., - were all people who could live with public notoriety, influence, and power in a humble way because of their deep spiritual rootedness. Without deep roots we easily let others determine who we are. But as we cling to our popularity, we may lose our true sense of self. Our clinging to the opinion of others reveals how superficial we are. We have little to stand on. We have to be kept alive by adulation and praise. Those who are deeply rooted in the love of God can enjoy human praise without being attached to it. Henri Nouwen 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 Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life. Dalai Lama In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher. Dalai Lama Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. Dalai Lama My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. Dalai Lama Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them. Dalai Lama The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance, and even our very existence depends on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to our lives. Albert Einstein Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. C. S. Lewis All sects are different, because they come from men; morality is everywhere the same, because it comes from God. Voltaire (1694 - 1778) What's right and good doesn't come naturally. You have to stand up and fight for it -- as if the cause depends on you, because it does. Bill Moyers To show great love for God and our neighbor we need not do great things. It is how much love we put in the doing that makes our offering something beautiful for God. Mother Theresa Only when we give joyfully, without hesitation or thought of gain, can we truly know what love means. Leo Buscaglia A pessimist, they say, sees a glass of water as being half empty; an optimist sees the same glass as half full. But a giving person sees a glass of water and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty. G. Donald Gale Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods. Confucius It's my experience that you really can't lose when you try the truth. Sharon Stone Love truth, and pardon error. Voltaire (1694 - 1778) When you shoot an arrow of truth, dip its point in honey. Arab Proverb Lying makes a problem part of the future; truth makes a problem part of the past. Rick Pitino The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people. G.K. Chesterton I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Confucius To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or of principle. Confucius The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King, Jr. When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen. Ernest Hemingway There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a piece of love." Mother Teresa When you're finally up on the moon, looking back at the earth, all these differences and nationalistic traits are pretty well going to blend and you're going to get a concept that maybe this is really one world and why the hell can't we learn to live together like decent people? Frank Borman We must work to resolve conflicts in a spirit of reconciliation and always keep in mind the interests of others. We cannot destroy our neighours! We cannot ignore their interests! The Dalai Lama It belongs to the very substance of nonviolence never to destroy or damage another person's feeling of self worth, even an opponent's. Bernard Haring We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It’s one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it’s another to think that yours is the only path. Paulo Coelho An essential part of true listening is the discipline of bracketing, the temporary giving up or setting aside of one’s own prejudices, frames of reference and desires so as to experience as far as possible the speaker’s world from the inside, step in inside his or her shoes. This unification of speaker and listener is actually and extension and enlargement of ourselves, and new knowledge is always gained from this. Moreover, since true listening involves bracketing, a setting aside of the self, it also temporarily involves a total acceptance of the other. Sensing this acceptance, the speaker will fell less and less vulnerable and more and more inclined to open up the inner recesses of his or her mind to the listener. As this happens, speaker and listener begin to appreciate each other more and more, and the duet dance of love is begun again. M. Scott Peck, MD, The Road Less Traveled The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. William Wordsworth Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate. Albert Schweitzer The first duty of love is to listen. Paul Tillich You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back. Barbara De Angelis When we talk to one another, we often talk about what happened, what we are doing, or what we plan to do. Often we say, "What's up?" and we encourage one another to share the details of our daily lives. But often we want to hear something else. We want to hear, "I've been thinking of you today," or "I missed you," or "I wish you were here," or "I really love you." It is not always easy to say these words, but such words can deepen our bonds with one another. Telling someone "I love you" in whatever way is always delivering good news. Nobody will respond by saying, "Well, I knew that already, you don't have to say it again"! Words of love and affirmation are like bread. We need them each day, over and over. They keep us alive inside. Henri Nouwen Give positive energy to others while expecting nothing in return. Barbara Ann Kipfer Do something for somebody every day for which you do not get paid. Albert Schweitzer Beware the barrenness of a busy life. Socrates To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to. Kahlil Gibran It isn’t hard to be good from time to time. What’s tough is being good every day. Willie Mays Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. Barbara De Angelis Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. Mother Teresa If you make it plain you like people, it's hard for them to resist liking you back. Lois McMaster Bujold Everybody you meet needs your love more than anything else you can give them. Halton D. Starr Tolerance and patience should not be read as signs of weakness. They are signs of strength. Dalai Lama Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. His Holiness the Dalai Lama Patience is also a form of action. Auguste Rodin What counts in making a happy relationship is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility. Daniel Goleman |
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies. Martin Luther King, Jr. Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend. Martin Luther King, Jr. At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love. Martin Luther King, Jr. Compassion can never coexist with judgment because judgment creates the distance, the distinction, which prevents us from really being with the other. Henri Nouwen Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Martin Luther King Jr. We don’t see the things the way they are. We see things the way WE are. Talmund We can only learn to love by loving. Iris Murdoch You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves. Saint Francis de Sales Know thyself. Socrates The most valuable learning is not about memorizing facts and figures. It is not about higher grade point averages and accumulating degrees. It is about life itself, and its impact is on the heart. Rodney Smith Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. Scott Adams It doesn't matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions. Jim Rohn Even in the case of individuals, there is no possibility to feel happiness through anger. If in a difficult situation one becomes disturbed internally, overwhelmed by mental discomfort, then external things will not help at all. However, if despite external difficulties or problems, internally one's attitude is of love, warmth, and kindheartedness, then problems can be faced and accepted. His Holiness the Dalai Lama Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. Albert Einstein No Enemies? You have no enemies, you say? Alas, my friend, the boast is poor; He who has mingled in the fray Of duty, that the brave endure, Must have made foes! If you have none, Small is the work that you have done. You've hit no traitor on the hip, You've dashed no cup from perjured lip, You've never turned the wrong to right, You've been a coward in the fight. Charles MacKay (l814-l889) The love we give away is the only love we keep. Elbert Hubbard Forgiveness means giving up all hope of a better past. Landrum Bolling Time discovers truth. Seneca Bitterness and an unforgiving spirit can be likened to you taking poison and expecting that someone else would die from the effect. Forgiveness is about setting the prisoner in your heart free only to discover that all along, you had been the real prisoner. Tope Popoola |