Kindness is one of the best character traits. Someone who is kind to themselves and others shows respect, gratitude, and patience. Luckily, kindness is a quality that can be cultivated or improved with practice. These quotes about treating others and ourselves well remind us to keep practicing this important life skill, even when we are feeling down.
Kindness is important
There are many things in life that are important, or that have great value, meaning, or influence. For example, having fun, healthy eating, and being curious are all important. But one of the most important things is kindness. As Disney’s Cinderella points out, being kind is its own form of magic.
- 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, as quoted by Leon Edel, 1972
- It’s nice to be important—but it’s more important to be nice. -various sources, including Walter Winchell, 1937
- Where there is kindness, there is goodness, and where there is goodness, there is magic. -Disney’s Cinderella, 2015
Spread the joy
As the saying goes, sharing is caring. This is especially true when it comes to sharing kindness. When you are kind to others, it encourages them to be kind, too. We call this concept “paying it forward,” meaning that you take the kindness someone has given you and pass it on to the next person.
- Spreading kindness and cheer is contagious. Once you start, it’s hard to stop. -Tahiya Cooper, Kindness Week, 2021
- If you see someone without a smile, give ’em yours! -Dolly Parton, July 2017
- Elmo thinks it’s important to be kind because if you’re kind to somebody, then they’ll be kind to somebody, and it goes on and on and on. -Elmo
Showing kindness is anti-bullying
Unfortunately, sometimes we come across bullies in life. Bullying is aggressive behavior that makes someone feel bad about themselves because of who they are. One of the best ways to stand up to bullying behavior is by acting kind to others.
- Every one of us needs to show how much we care for each other and, in the process, care for ourselves. -attributed to Princess Diana
- We explain when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you do not stoop to their level. Our motto is when they go low, you go high. -First Lady Michelle Obama, DNC speech, 2016
- Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. -from Rev. John Watson, 1903
Everyone deserves kindness
No matter who you are, you deserve kindness. Sometimes people are bullied because they are different. This is not right. Everyone should be treated with respect, dignity, and warmth.
- I know that we don’t look the same—our skin, our eyes, our hair, our frame. But that does not dictate our worth; we both have places here on Earth. And in the end, we are high here, to live a life of love, not fear… to help each other when it’s tough, to say together: I am enough. -Grace Byers, I Am Enough, 2018
- A person’s a person, no matter how small. -Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who!, 1954
It takes courage to be kind
It is not always easy to be kind. Sometimes, we feel angry or frustrated toward other people, and this makes us act in unkind ways. We may even feel upset with ourselves sometimes. It takes strength and courage to show kindness to others and to ourselves, even when life is hard.
- Real strength has to do with helping others. -Fred Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers, 2019
- Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. -Christopher Robin in A.A. Milne’s The House at Pooh Corner, 1928
The most important thing about kindness is to be sincere about it. Sincere means “genuine” or “real.” In other words, kindness cannot be faked. This quote from Patricia McKissack sums up this idea very well:
Remember, what is given from the heart reaches the heart.
—Patricia McKissack, What Is Given From the Heart, 2007
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between being kind and being nice? Well, we have you covered. Check out our article on Nice vs. Kind: A Helpful Guide to the Difference.
