In honor of World Kindness Day today (celebrated every year on November 13), I wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes about kindness with you. -Dr. Alyx MacTernan, Founder of Elemental Mental Health.
Random Acts of Kindness
This first quote is one of the most well-known quotes on record by Princess Diana. She says, ‘Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.’
Princess Diana not only talked about being kind to others, but she lived her life as an example to everyone. She left an amazing legacy behind, best known for raising awareness and advocating for better ways to help people affected by cancer and mental illness.
There Is No Such Thing as a Small Act of Kindness
Scott Adams once said, ‘Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.’
Scott Adams was an American cartoonist, most notably recognized for his Dilbert series comic strip, known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office featuring an engineer named Dilbert.
While Scott may not have been very kind to his title character, Dilbert, putting him in one frustrating situation after another, he didn’t let that negativity in Dilbert’s world spill over into his own. He truly understood the value of respecting and being kind to others. And his quote reminds us that one act of kindness can lead to another, creating a ripple effect making the world around us a little better and a little more kind.
No Act of Kindness Is Ever Wasted
‘The level of our success is limited only by our imagination and no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.’ -Aesop
Aesop was a Greek storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop’s Fables. Although not a lot is known about the actual person, Aesop, we can assume from the fables he is credited with, that the man was likely kind, and cared for others in his lifetime. For generations his fables have been passed down to help teach children about particular morals and lessons.
If you would like to explore some of Aesop’s Fables, you can find the whole list of fables under The Aesop for Children section presented by the Library of Congress.
There Is Always an Opportunity for Kindness
Lucius Annaeus Seneca once said, ‘Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.’
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (also known as Seneca the Younger, or just Seneca), was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman and dramatist. He was best known for his role as a tutor and adviser to Nero, who became the Emperor of Rome in AD 54.
Seneca was trained in rhetoric and philosophy. And as a writer, his body of work includes: many plays (all of which were tragedies), a dozen essays, and a collection of letters known as the ‘Moral Epistles’. The ‘Moral Epistles’ collection includes one hundred twenty-four letters written toward the end of Seneca’s life. The overarching theme of the collection focuses on the inner-life, and the joy that comes from wisdom.
We can likely assume based on Seneca’s work, that he had a pretty solid understanding of many moral topics, including the topic of kindness.
Accomplish by Kindness What You Cannot by Force
Publilius Syrus was a Latin writer who was influenced by Lucius Annaeus Seneca, sometimes quoting him in his work. And Publilius Syrus said about kindness: ‘You can accomplish by kindness what you cannot by force.’
Like Seneca, Publilius Syrus was known for his writing. His most popular work is titled ‘Sententiae’ a set of brief moral sayings (such as proverbs). And we can likely assume Syrus also had a pretty solid understanding of kindness.
Act on the Opportunity to Be Kind
Each of these five quotes about kindness shares a slightly different message, but they all relay the importance of the underlying theme: Be kind!
And just like each quote, each author left a different legacy behind. But the great part about legacies, is that you can have more than just one. These authors are all known for the legacies of their work, but they are also known for their legacy of kindness every time one of their quotes on the topic is shared.
Take the opportunity today, World Kindness Day, to perform an act of kindness for someone. Then try to continue to perform an act of kindness every day going forward. Not only will you be doing something nice for someone else, you will also be helping to make the world around you a little better and a little more kind. Plus performing an act of kindness can make you feel pretty good too!
Think About the Legacy You Would Like to Leave Behind
You don’t have to be famous or author a famous quote to create your legacy. Each of us has our own legacy, big or small. It’s what you will best be known for when you leave this life behind. So, take some time and think about how you would like people to remember you. What will they say about you?
If you don’t like what you see when you think about your legacy, know that it’s never too late to change. But lasting change can be hard work. So, if you are serious about changing your legacy, a little help to stay on track may be exactly what you need. Contact Elemental Mental Health to learn how counseling can help you develop, implement, and stick to a plan to change your legacy. Don’t go it alone – get help from a professional – and start building your legacy of kindness today.