83 Inspirational Mercy Quotes

In a world where kindness and understanding often seem in short supply, the concept of mercy offers a refreshing reprieve. Mercy transcends mere forgiveness; it embodies empathy, compassion, and the profound connection we share as human beings. Whether you're seeking solace during difficult times or striving to become a more compassionate individual, exploring inspirational mercy quotes can be incredibly uplifting. These carefully selected quotes capture the essence of mercy and its transformative power. Join us as we delve into a collection of 83 quotes that illuminate the importance of mercy in fostering a more humane and understanding world.

1. “You cannot conceive, nor can I, of the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God.” - Graham Greene

2. “With time and perspective we recognize that such problems in life do come for a purpose, if only to allow the one who faces such despair to be convinced that he really does need divine strength beyond himself, that she really does need the offer of heaven’s hand. Those who feel no need for mercy usually never seek it and almost never bestow it. Those who have never had a heartache or a weakness or felt lonely or forsaken never have had to cry unto heaven for relief of such personal pain. Surely it is better to find the goodness of God and the grace of Christ, even at the price of despair, than to risk living our lives in a moral or material complacency that has never felt any need for faith or forgiveness, any need for redemption or relief.” - Jeffery R. Holland

3. “She knows herself to be at the mercy of events, and she knows by now that events have no mercy.” - Margaret Atwood

4. “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” - Abraham Lincoln

5. “The quality of mercy is not strained.It droppeth as the gentle rain from heavenUpon the place beneath. It is twice blessed:It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.'Tis mightiest in the mightiest. It becomesThe thronèd monarch better than his crown.His scepter shows the force of temporal power,The attribute to awe and majestyWherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings,But mercy is above this sceptered sway.It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings.It is an attribute to God himself.And earthly power doth then show likest God’sWhen mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew, Though justice be thy plea, consider this-That in the course of justice none of usShould see salvation. We do pray for mercy,And that same prayer doth teach us all to renderThe deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus muchTo mitigate the justice of thy plea,Which if thou follow, this strict court of VeniceMust needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.” - William Shakespeare

6. “In the heartfelt mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will visit us, to shine on those sitting in darkness, in the shadow of death, to guide our feet to the way of peace.” - Anonymous

7. “It is better to risk saving a guilty person than to condemn an innocent one.” - Voltaire

8. “there is a God, there always has been. I see him here, in the eyes of the people in this [hospital] corridor of desperation. This is the real house of God, this is where those who have lost God will find Him... there is a God, there has to be, and now I will pray, I will pray that He will forgive that I have neglected Him all of these years, forgive that I have betrayed, lied, and sinned with impunity only to turn to Him now in my hour of need. I pray that He is as merciful, benevolent, and gracious as His book says He is.” - Khaled Hosseini

9. “Poor is the man whose pleasure depends on the permission of another.” - Madonna

10. “Jesus can you show meJust how far the east is from the west,Cause I can't bear to see the man I've beenRising up in me again.In the arms of your mercy I find restCause you know just how far the east is from the west---From one scarred hand to the other.” - Casting Crowns

11. “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. (Psalms 116:1-2 NIV)” - Anonymous

12. “What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature, when he had a chance!'Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

13. “The time's gone by for sentiment and all that foolery. Mercy's all very well but after all it's justice that clinches the bargain.” - Walter de la Mare

14. “The image titled “The Homeless, Psalm 85:10,” featured on the cover of ELEMENTAL, can evoke multiple levels of response. They may include the spiritual in the form of a studied meditation upon the multidimensional qualities of the painting itself; or an extended contemplation of the scripture in the title, which in the King James Bible reads as follows: “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” The painting can also inspire a physical response in the form of tears as it calls to mind its more earth-bound aspects; namely, the very serious plight of those who truly are homeless in this world, whether born into such a condition, or forced into it by poverty or war.” - Aberjhani

15. “Night is a time of rigor, but also of mercy. There are truths which one can see only when it’s dark” - Isaac Bashevis Singer

16. “Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.” - Carl Sagan

17. “Praise be to God; whose compassion is all-embracing and Whose mercy is universal; Who rewards His servants for their remembrance [dhikr] [of Him] with His remembrance [of them] - verily God (Exalted is He!) has said, 'Remember Me, and I will remember you' - Opening lines from Kitab al-Adhkar wa'l Da'awat of the Ihya ulum ad-Din” - Al-Ghazali

18. “For Ragamuffins, God's name is Mercy. We see our darkness as a prized possession because it drives us into the heart of God. Without mercy our darkness would plunge us into despair - for some, self-destruction. Time alone with God reveals the unfathomable depths of the poverty of the spirit. We are so poor that even our poverty is not our own: It belongs to the mysterium tremendum of a loving God.” - Brennan Manning

19. “Satirize wickedness if you must--but pity weakness.” - L.M. Montgomery

20. “For Adam, screwed-up bonding thing or not, I’d wait forever.“Really?” he asked in a tone I’d never heard from him before. Softer. Vulnerable. Adam didn’t do vulnerable.“Really what?” I asked.“Despite the way our bond scares you, despite the way someone in the pack played you, you’d still have me?”He'd been listening to my thoughts. This time it didn't bother me.“Adam,” I told him, “I’d walk barefoot over hot coals for you.” - Patricia Briggs

21. “Withhold a smile only when the smile can hurt someone. Otherwise, let it bloom forth in a riot.” - Vera Nazarian

22. “We do not want to have mercy for the things God has under judgment. We do not want to fall in the ditch on the otherside of unsanctified mercy.” - Rick Joyner

23. “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” - Abraham Lincoln

24. “The glory of science is, that it is freeing the soul -- breaking the mental manacles -- getting the brain out of bondage -- giving courage to thought -- filling the world with mercy, justice, and joy.” - Robert G. Ingersoll

25. “Because it strikes me there is something greater than judgement. I think it is called mercy.” - Sebastian Barry

26. “He was like Superman, but with fangs and oddly impaired morals.” - Patricia Briggs

27. “O child of God, be more careful to keep the way of the Lord, more concentrated in heart in seeking His glory, and you will see the loving-kindness and the tender mercy of the Lord in your life.” - Charles Spurgeon

28. “Nay, in many cases open denials of prayer prove the most excellent answers, and God's not hearing us is the most signal audience. Therefore at the foot of every prayer subscribe "thy will be done," and thou shalt enjoy preventing mercies that thou never soughtest, and converting mercies to change all for the best, resting confident in this, that having asked according to his will he heareth thee.” - Samuel Lee

29. “Adam didn't approve of Wal-Mart.” - Patricia Briggs

30. “Nothing says you're sorry like a dead bunny.” - Patricia Briggs

31. “Do you think it is a vain hope that one day man will find joy in noble deeds of light and mercy, rather than in the coarse pleasures he indulges in today -- gluttony, fornication, ostentation, boasting, and envious vying with his neighbor? I am certain this is not a vain hope and that the day will come soon.” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

32. “Here beyond men's judgments all covenants were brittle.” - Cormac McCarthy

33. “God preordained, for his own glory and the display of His attributes of mercy and justice, a part of the human race, without any merit of their own, to eternal salvation, and another part, in just punishment of their sin, to eternal damnation.” - John Calvin

34. “I used to think mercy meant showing kindness to someone who didn't deserve it, as if only the recipient defined the act. The girl in between has learned that mercy is defined by its giver. Our flaws are obvious, yet we are loved and able to love, if we choose, because there is that bit of the divine still smoldering in us.” - Susan Meissner

35. “You cannot be fair to others without first being fair to yourself.Know that a well-honed sense of justice is a measure of personal experience, and all experience is a measure of self.Know that the highest expression of justice is mercy.Thus, as the supreme judge in your own court, you must have compassion for yourself.Otherwise, cede your gavel.” - Vera Nazarian

36. “...I fear that some of us understand just enough about the gospel to feel guilty--guilty that we are not measuring up to some undefinable standard--but not enough about the Atonement to feel the peace and strength, the power and mercy it affords us.” - Sheri Dew

37. “Smiling, she went for his throat and almost had him, when—using a move that was all sorts of illegal—he flipped her again so her front pressed into the leaf-laden ground, her wrists still locked in his iron grip and pinned above her head. “Cheater.” “So says the woman who tried to kick my balls into my throat,” he pointed out, even as he licked the salt off the skin of her neck in a lazy and highly provocative move.” - Nalini Singh

38. “Dorian’s going to love this.”She glared. “I swear to God, you tell him, and I’ll” — what the hell could you threaten an alpha with?—“I’ll tell Hawke you want to go on daily bonding runs with him.” - Nalini Singh

39. “So, you tumbled that wolf you were with?” Mercy was too much a pack animal to take offense at the personal question. She grinned. “How did you know it was me?” “Do I look senile to you?”...“Yes,” Mercy said. “And I'm not doing it again.” If she kept telling herself that, maybe her traitorous body would actually notice and shut up with its demands. The older woman gave her a sour look. “Damn shame. What, you like them prettier?” A snort. “In my day, we liked men who looked like men.” - Nalini Singh

40. “Mercy laughed. “You have to excuse them—boys suffer from an incurable disability.”“What?”“Testosterone.” - Nalini Singh

41. “Don't pull any shit because you want to show off.” “Wait a second.” She looked down then back up. “Nope, I haven't grown a cock in the last few minutes. I have no need to prove whose is bigger.” - Nalini Singh

42. “Be gentle with him, Mercy. He's got a heart as big as Texas— he'll die for you without blinking. But he doesn't expect anyone to do the same for him.” - Nalini Singh

43. “You said I could pet you as long as I liked.” “Didn't say I wouldn't try to fuck you in the middle of the petting.” Her eyes snapped up to meet his. “That's feline logic. You're a wolf.” “I'm learning from the best.” - Nalini Singh

44. “I have something for you.”“Yeah? What? Is it shiny?”They both waited until Indigo had jogged away before resuming their conversation. “So,” Riley asked, “what have you got for me?” Taking his hand, she placed it palm-down over her heart. It would hurt like a bitch, she thought, but he was hers to protect as much as she was his. “Me.” And she opened up her soul, laid herself bare.” - Nalini Singh

45. “Wisdom is nothing more than the marriage of intelligence and compassion.And, as with all good unions, it takes much experience and time to reach its widest potential.Have you introduced your intellect to your compassion yet? Be careful; lately, intellect has taken to eating in front of the TV and compassion has taken in too many cats.” - Vera Nazarian

46. “The Mercy of Allah is an Ocean, Our sins are a lump of clay clenched between the beak of a pigeon. The pigeon is perched on the branch of a tree at the edge of that ocean.It only has to open it's beak” - Leila Aboulela

47. “Man of an hard heart! Hear me, Proud, Stern, and Cruel! You could have saved me; you could have restored me to happiness and virtue, but would not! You are the destroyer of my Soul; You are my Murderer, and on you fall the curse of my death and my unborn Infant’s! Insolent in your yet-unshaken virtue, you disdained the prayers of a Penitent; But God will show mercy, though you show none. And where is the merit of your boasted virtue? What temptations have you vanquished? Coward! you have fled from it, not opposed seduction. But the day of Trial will arrive! Oh! then when you yield to impetuous passions! when you feel that Man is weak, and born to err; When shuddering you look back upon your crimes, and solicit with terror the mercy of your God, Oh! in that fearful moment think upon me! Think upon your Cruelty! Think upon Agnes, and despair of pardon!” - Matthew Gregory Lewis

48. “Every day my conscience makes confession relying on the hope of Your mercy as more to be trusted than its own innocence.” - St. Augustine of Hippo

49. “Anna woke with the wonderful feeling bad sleepers have when they know they have slept well. As if they have stolen something and got away with it. At these times the memories of what led up to such deep sleep keep their distance for a few seconds and those few seconds are perhaps the only time the world can ever be said to show mercy.” - James Meek

50. “What can you do how much can you give to bring grace and salvation unto even one soul” - Bree Despain

51. “It is mercy, not justice or courage or even heroism, that alone can defeat evil.” - Peter Kreeft

52. “You should be home sleeping. What is the use of having a man in the house, if he cannot take care of you for a while?” “Mmm,” I said. “I give up. What's the use of having a man in the house?” - Patricia Briggs

53. “A hand in her hair, wrenching back her head. "What's my name?"She scratched trails down his back. He didn't even wince. "My name, kitty. Say my name.""Mr. Mud Stick, Muddie for short," she said, even as she rubbed herself against the hard thrust of his denim-covered erection, the roughness of the fabric an exquisite sensation. She would've liked naked skin even more, but he wasn't budging."Say it, or no cock for you today."Her mouth fell open. "Fuck you.""You'll be doing that shortly.” - Nalini Singh

54. “I am the reality of all coyotes. The archetype. The epitome. You are just a reflection of me.” - Patricia Briggs

55. “I didn't like anyone except me having their hands all over him. There had been possession in Wolf's touch, and Adam belonged to me.” - Patricia Briggs

56. “Love, Mercy, and Grace, sisters all, attend your wounds of silence and hope.” - Aberjhani

57. “In the violent scorn of her revolted pride, of her indignant honor, had she forgotten a lowlier yet harder duty left undone?In her contempt and dread of yielding to mere amorous weakness had she stifled and denied the cry of pity, the cry of conscience?To suffer woes which hope thinks infinite. To forgive wrongs darker than death or night. To defy power which seems omnipotent. To love and live to hope till hope creates from it's own wreck the thing it contemplates. Neither to change, nor falter, nor repent.This had been the higher, diviner way which she had missed, this obligation from the passion of the past which she had left unfulfilled, unaccepted.Now the misgiving arose in her whether she had mistaken arrogance for duty; whether, cleaving so closely to honor she had forgotten the obligation of mercy.” - Ouida

58. “At this hourLie at my mercy all mine enemies.” - William Shakespeare

59. “A'isha asked him: 'Does one come to Paradise only by the mercy of Allah?' He repeated three times over: 'No one comes to Paradise except by the mercy of Allah!' 'Not even you. Messenger of Allah?' she asked. 'Not even I, unless Allah enfolds me in His mercy.” - Anonymous

60. “Mercy and forgiveness must be free and unmerited to the wrongdoer. If the wrongdoer has to do something to merit it, then it isn't mercy, but forgiveness always comes at a cost to the one granting the forgiveness.” - Timothy Keller

61. “The mercy of forgiveness is brought from the strength to accept any situation given and faced. Spiritual independence and humbleness toward life makes life like a flowing river of release. What happens will happen anyways, and everybody can make mistakes. The important thing is to learn how to make a better future from the mistake.” - Hiroko Sakai

62. “There’s more to being a warrior than killing. A true warrior — the best warrior — isn’t cruel or mean. He doesn’t claw an enemy who can’t fight back. Where’s the honor in that?” - Erin Hunter

63. “It was, she had to admit, some kind of wonderful to be kissed so deliciously by the only mand who had dared play with her cat with the intention of winning.” - Nalini Singh

64. “Never beg for mercy. Accept that you have failed. Begging is for dogs and humans.” - Paolo Bacigalupi

65. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.' These men without possessions or power, these strangers on Earth, these sinners, these followers of Jesus, have in their life with him renounced their own dignity, for they are merciful. As if their own needs and their own distress were not enough, they take upon themselves the distress and humiliation of others. They have an irresistible love for the down-trodden, the sick, the wretched, the wronged, the outcast and all who are tortured with anxiety. They go out and seek all who are enmeshed in the toils of sin and guilt. No distress is too great, no sin too appalling for their pity. If any man falls into disgrace, the merciful will sacrifice their own honour to shield him, and take his shame upon themselves.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

66. “YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES."So we can believe the big ones?"YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.” - Terry Pratchett

67. “We would soon be on our way to war, where mercy is unwise and kindness has no place.” - Andrew Levkoff

68. “You know those little moments when an unexpected act or a spoken word affects your heart with sweet, satiating intensity―a simple gesture that possesses deep, personal meaning beyond what anyone realizes?  You know those tender moments?  That's God pressing his lips on your forehead and whispering, 'I love you.'” - Richelle E. Goodrich

69. “Knowing someone desires you is the greatest aphrodisiac” - Patricia Briggs

70. “Heart turned to me, his face thought­ful. “Yes­ter­day morn­ing. Yes, that means that Daphne hadn’t been home for two days be­fore that.” He smiled at me. “You were sup­posed to be the Al­pha’s eye can­dy.”Adam laughed.“What?” I asked him. “You don’t think I’d be good eye can­dy?” I looked down at my over­alls and grease-​stained hands. I’d torn an­oth­er nail to the quick.“Hon­ey is eye can­dy,” said Ben apolo­get­ical­ly. “You’re . . . just you.”“Mine,” said Adam, edg­ing be­tween Heart and me. “Mine is what she is.” - Patricia Briggs

71. “وهل كانت الاديان السماوية كلها فى جوهرها الا دعوة للحب والرحمة والعطف والعدل والسلام؟ وهل كان الانبياء والمصلحون جميعا الا محبين للبشر والانسانية وقادرين على العطاء لهم والتضحية واحتمال الاذى من اجلهم؟ وكل ذلك فى النهاية من احوال الحب الصادق.. وان اختلفت المجالات.. وتنوعت اساليب التعبير.. وتعددت الاقنعة!” - عبد الوهاب مطاوع

72. “His lines had been honed over centuries, passed down through generations, for poor people needed certain lines; the script was always the same, and they had no option but to beg for mercy.” - kiran desai

73. “Mercy will we overcome thisOh one by one could we turn it aroundMaybe carry on just a little bit longerAnd I try to give you what you need” - Dave Matthews Band

74. “What can a soldier do when mercy is treason, and he is alone in it?” - Laini Taylor

75. “Mercy is a source of life because we breathe our own spirits through it into the lives of others.” - Eugene Kennedy

76. “But how to explain suffering because of a man? It's not explainable. With that kind of suffering, a person feels as if they're in hell, because there is no nobility, no greatness - only misery.” - Paulo Coelho

77. “I couldn't believe his arrogance. I turned away hoping to ignore him enough so he'd just leave."Just give me five minutes," came Flynn's muffled voice through the closed window.I ignored him. He'd caused me way too much trouble."Mercy, just crack the window so we can talk."I did and immediately said, "You are a solipsistic obdurate asshole." Then I rolled the window back up to continue to ignore him."What the hell? You and these words," he muttered loud enough they came clearly through the closed window.” - Shannon Dermott

78. “Yes," he said sincerely. "Such a one deserves peanut butter on the seat of his pants.” - Patricia Briggs

79. “Werewolf games," Mercy said solemnly, "play for keeps, or go home." She was so cute sometimes it made Adam's heart hurt.” - Patricia Briggs

80. “Here’s what I learned about life when we were going through that. We’re all human and mortal. We’re all going to suffer and die. But it’s how we are with each other during those times that proves God’s here with us.” He turned his hand over in mine and entwined our fingers. “He comes in through people. People who love us anyway. They jump right into the chaos with us and try to help us make sense of it. That’s what mercy is…it’s choosing to help, or forgive, or love even when it goes against all logic.” - Laura Anderson Kurk

81. “Then let me be your mercy,” he said. “I’ll never be able to give you smart answers about why we suffer, but I can come into your world and try to be some kind of help to you.” - Laura Anderson Kurk

82. “Everything a baptized person does every day should be directly or indirectly related to the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.” - Dorothy Day

83. “Even the disciples, who at times could be dense as bricks, realized that the true neighbor was the one who showed mercy to a stranger.” - Scott Russell Sanders