31 Inspiring Kindness Quotes

In a world where challenges and adversity are ever-present, a touch of kindness can make all the difference. Whether it's a simple gesture or a profound act, kindness has the power to uplift, heal, and inspire. Our choice to act kindly not only enriches the lives of others but also fosters a more compassionate and connected community. To celebrate this universal virtue, we’ve gathered a selection of the top 31 inspiring kindness quotes. These words of wisdom serve as gentle reminders of the beauty and strength found in everyday acts of kindness, encouraging us to make the world a warmer, more understanding place. Dive into these heartfelt quotes and let them inspire you to spread kindness wherever you go.

1. “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.” - Henry James

2. “ The Paradoxical Commandments People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.Love them anyway.If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.Do good anyway.If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.Succeed anyway.The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.Do good anyway.Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.Be honest and frank anyway.The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.Think big anyway.People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.Fight for a few underdogs anyway.What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.Build anyway.People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.Help people anyway.Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.Give the world the best you have anyway.” - Kent M. Keith

3. “To belittle, you have to be little.” - Kahill Gibran

4. “Time itself is created through deeds of true kindness.” - Dara Horn

5. “How would your life be different if…You stopped making negative judgmental assumptions about people you encounter? Let today be the day…You look for the good in everyone you meet and respect their journey.” - Steve Maraboli

6. “I don't want my life to be defined by what is etched on a tombstone. I want it to be defined by what is etched in the lives and hearts of those I've touched.” - Steve Maraboli

7. “I’m not denying their kindness,” said the Rani. “But after all kindness isn’t the only virtue.” - Aldous Huxley

8. “The greatest thrill is not to kill but to let live.” - James Oliver Curwood

9. “Getting money is not all a man's business: to cultivate kindness is a valuable part of the business of life.” - Samuel Johnson

10. “One man practicing kindness in the wilderness is worth all the temples this world pulls.” - Jack Kerouac

11. “Oh, Myr," he chokes out. "I hate having to ask this of you..."He glances towards the car again, and I crouch down in the shadows, hoping it's too dark for him to see whether the window is open or closed. The woman pats his arm, cradling her hand against his elbow."You know I'd do anything for you and Hil," she says. I like her voice. It's throaty and rich."You'd do anything?" my father repeats numbly. "Even now? After -?""Even now," the woman says firmly.” - Margaret Peterson Haddix

12. “I have wept in the nightAt my shortness of sightThat to others' needs made me blind,But I never have yetHad a twinge of regretFor being a little too kind.” - C.R. Gibson

13. “For it is in giving that we receive.” - St. Francis Of Assisi

14. “The motive behind criticism often determines its validity. Those who care criticize where necessary. Those who envy criticize the moment they think that they have found a weak spot.” - Criss Jami

15. “Ellen's life was not easy, nor was it happy, but she did not expect life to be easy, and, if it was not happy, that was woman's lot. It was a man's world, and she accepted it as such. The man owned the property, and the woman managed it. The man took credit for the management, and the woman praised his cleverness. The man roared like a bull when a splinter was in his finger, and the woman muffled the moans of childbirth, lest she disturb him. Men were rough of speech and often drunk. Women ignored the lapses of speech and put the drunkards to bed without bitter words. Men were rude and outspoken, women were always kind, gracious and forgiving.” - Margaret Mitchell

16. “Sometimes it's easy to lose faith in people. And sometimes one act of kindness is all it takes to give you hope again.” - Randa Abdel-Fattah

17. “I felt ashamed for having judged him so harshly without knowing the real boy. His one offense against me―goaded by Charlie’s bullying character―was easy to forgive.” - Richelle Goodrich

18. “You know, some things don't matter that much...Like the color of a house. How big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a person's heart - now, that matters.” - Sue Monk Kidd

19. “A simple act of kindness the size of a rice grain can weigh as heavy as a mountain.” - Feroz Bham

20. “I know most people want others to have good lives, and, when they understand the situation, they will do what they can to steer the world back toward kindness. This is when human beings, I believe, are most admirable.” - Daoud Hari

21. “Compassion is the signature of Higher Consciousness. Non-violence is the tool to evolve into the Higher Consciousness.” - Amit Ray

22. “Kindness in your dealings with yourself and others will work wonders in your life. Much more so than rightness in your thinking.” - Kim R. Shaffer

23. “She also keeps talking about the Billie Holiday record she bought for me. And she says she wants to expose me to all these great things. And to tell you the truth, I don't really want to be exposed to all these great things if it means that I'll have to listen to Mary Elizabeth talk about all the great things she exposed me to all the time. It almost feels like of the three things involved: Mary Elizabeth, me, and the great things, only the first one matters to Mary Elizabeth. I don't understand that. I would give someone a record so they could love the record, not so they would always know that I gave it to them.” - Stephen Chbosky

24. “Be kind to others as you would like them to be to you.Encourage ,don't discourage.” - wordfaith3

25. “Everyone calls him BlockheadNo one sings his praisesOr takes him to heart...That is the kind of personI want to be” - Kenji Miyazawa

26. “Try to forgive by trying to understand how it would feel to be in the other’s shoes. If someone hurts you – ask them - “What hurts you so much that you would do this?” Listen to the answer and try to understand what is valid for them. They may have been fighting for your attention, but no one thinks of themselves as attackers, only defenders! So don’t judge their ways, only set them free by giving them a chance to speak. You may both learn a lot from your kindness and courage in asking for the truth. But even if nothing changes, release it, remember that you both have a right to be who you choose to be. When we make judgements we're inevitably acting on limited knowledge, so ask if you seek to understand, or simply let them be!” - jay woodman

27. “...that you should be nice to everyone until a person gives you reason not to be, and sometimes even then.” - Lauren Baratz-Logsted

28. “Kindness is in a prison till it findsRelease in words or deeds.- Kindness” - William Kean Seymour

29. “Give Happiness, Patience, kindness, and Care, and the PAIN goes away.Then only LOVE remains...” - Tsem Tulku Rinpoche

30. “I have a very simple philosophy of life:Kindness. Ferocious, unrelenting, ruthless, committed, passionate, kindness.Life is sacred everywhere. We all have better things to do than beat each other up.Arguing for the exception is to invest it with energy, it's to negotiate the loophole. The commitment to kindness must be total.” - David Gerrold

31. “The relationship you take for granted is the one that needs the greatest work.” - George Alexiou