Kindness is a hot topic now. Right now, we need kindness on every level—for ourselves, others, and for our planet. Kindness is demonstrated through the level of our Emotional Intelligence. Can you be kind even when you do not care for someone or a situation? How about “Kind to yourself” when you make a mistake? And kindness quotes are a wonderful way to feel uplifted, get new ideas on how to be in life as well as how to be kind!

Read on for 33 of my Favorite Quotes for Kindness:

Being Kind to Yourself

1. Be very gentle with yourself. The world is very, very hard on you. Srividya Srinivasan

2. I don’t have time to beat myself up over my fallible nature. Instead, I use my energy to learn from my past and let it inform my future. It’s time to own all our glory, mistakes, mess and light and be gentle to ourselves. Let’s be kind to our spirits and celebrate the truth of our hearts. Grace Gealey

3. Simple kindness to oneself and all that lives is the most powerful transformational force of all. David R. Hawkins

4. You have to learn to get up from the table when love is no longer being served. Nina Simone

5. As it turns out, we can’t practice compassion with other people if we can’t treat ourselves kindly. Brené Brown

Quotes for Kindness—to Others

6. Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster  and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again. Og Mandino

7. You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late. Ralph Waldo Emerson

8. We all have hearts… If you have a heart, love somebody. If you have enough heart, love everybody. Stevie Wonder

9. When someone behaves badly, always be kind. But first choose your kindness level: does this require basic Kindness? Fierce Kindness? Or is Kind Fierceness needed? And remember to be kind to yourself too. Emma-Louise Elsey

10. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile. Mother Teresa

Being Kind to the Planet

11. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Albert Einstein

Kindness is a choice

12. Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely. Roy T. Bennett

13. Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. Dalai Lama

Kindness as a Way of Life

14. Do more than belong; participate. Do more than care; help. Do more than believe, practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive; forget. Do more than dream: work. William Ward

15. Kindness is a habit and mindset. Once adopted, opportunities to practice it appear out of nowhere, in every moment, of every day, of every year. Vindy Teja

16. Schedule kindness in your day. Watch how small acts of kindness can change your mood, bring someone else joy, and give both of you a positive benefit. Germany Kent

17. The point is not to pay back kindness, but to pass it on. Julia Alvarez

18. ‘Kindness’ covers all my political beliefs. No need to spell them out. I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out. Roger Ebert

Grow yourself through Kindness

19. Choosing kindness is the ultimate expression of evolved consciousness. Grow by being kind. Amy Leigh Mercree

20. Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom. Theodore Isaac Rubin

Random Acts of Kindness

21. 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. Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales

22. Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty. Anne Herbert

On Fierce Kindness

23. If you want to change the world, make fierce kindness your way of life. Emma-Louise Elsey

24. Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. Dalai Lama XIV

25. Let us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate. Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to the place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely and broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure for it. Henri Nouwen

26. Sometimes being kind means being tough with ourselves. It may mean saying ‘No’ to ourselves or others. Or it may mean saying ‘Yes’ to difficult decisions and actions. Look within – the answers to what is truly kind to yourself are always to be found in pausing and making a connection with our deepest selves. Emma-Louise Elsey

The Benefits of Kindness

27. Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. Mother Teresa

28. Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. Dalai Lama XIV

29. Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away. Arthur Helps

30. It may seem like an obvious statement, but respect, equality and kindness are the simplest ways to create a contagious company culture full of passionate and motivated people. Holly Branson

Quotes for Kindness as a Personal “Quality”

31. The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. Albert Einstein

32. Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind. Brené Brown

33. Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness. R.J. Palacio, Wonder

Now, consider which quotes you like the most. How about which ones will impact your life and business?

In my book Finding Contentment in a Chaotic World, I reference “acts of giving” which could be a form of kindness. If you haven’t read it, click here for a paperback, kindle, or audible version and reference Chapter 8 “Acts of Giving.”

Final thought of the day:
“When we focus on others, our whole world expands” Daniel Goldman