Read these compassion quotes to inspire how you love today. They'll remind you: people don't always need you to fix their problems. They need you to meet them where they are, as they are. When you do that, you leave them with more hope than they had when you got there. That's empathy, that's compassion.

30 Compassion Quotes to Offer Companionship through Suffering

1. “Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well, can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.” — Pema Chödrön

2. “Compassion is the wish to see others free from suffering.” — Dalai Lama

3. “Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.” — Kahlil Gibran

4. “Free people help other people be free.” - Elizabeth Gilbert

5. “What we don’t need in the midst of struggle is shame for being human.” — Brené Brown

6. “From the wisdom of suffering to the love of letting go of a limited self-concept, this whole rhythmic dance—all of it—is teaching us compassion.” — Martha Beck

7. “Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” — Mary Oliver

8. “If you had not suffered as you have, there would be no depth to you as a human being, no humility, no compassion.” — Eckhart Tolle

9. “Do all the good you can and make as little fuss as possible about it.” — Charles Dickens

10. “Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked.” ― Patañjali, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

11. “Go and love someone exactly as they are. And then watch how quickly they transform into the greatest, truest version of themselves. When one feels seen and appreciated in their own essence, one is instantly empowered.” — Wes Angelozzi

12. “Be love, so much love that when others are with you they are love.” – Abraham-Hicks

13. “Compassion is the ultimate expression of your highest self.” — Russell Simmons

14. “One of my shaman friends said that compassion is the evolution of consciousness and the healing of suffering. That’s what I’m here for. That’s why I stay. And I hope you stay with me.” — Martha Beck

15. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” — Leo Buscaglia

16. “Our fingerprints don’t fade from the lives we touch.” — Judy Blume

17. “Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar.” — Bradley Miller

18. “Tolerance and compassion are qualities of fearless people.” - Paulo Coelho

19. “Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world. It requires profound purpose larger than the self kind of understanding.” — Bill Bullard

20. “Compassion is not a virtue—it is a commitment. It’s not something we have or don’t have—it’s something we choose to practice.” — Brené Brown

21. “Compassion isn’t some kind of self-improvement project or ideal that we’re trying to live up to. Having compassion starts and ends with having compassion for all those unwanted parts of ourselves, all those imperfections that we don’t even want to look at.” — Pema Chödrön

22. “Compassion is the radicalism of our time.” - Dalai Lama

23. “It’s easy to judge. It’s more difficult to understand. Understanding requires compassion, patience, and a willingness to believe that good hearts sometimes choose poor methods. Through judging, we separate. Through understanding, we grow.” — Doe Zantamata

24. “With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity.” — Keshavan Nair

25. “Compassion hurts. When you feel connected to everything, you also feel responsible for everything. And you cannot turn away. Your destiny is bound with the destinies of others. You must either learn to carry the Universe or be crushed by it. You must grow strong enough to love the world, yet empty enough to sit down at the same table with its worst horrors.” — Andrew Boyd

26. “There is a nobility in compassion, a beauty in empathy, a grace in forgiveness.” — John Connolly

27. “It’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.” — L.R. Knost

28. “Hurt people hurt people. That’s how pain patterns get passed on, generation after generation after generation. Break the chain today. Meet anger with sympathy, contempt with compassion, cruelty with kindness. Greet grimaces with smiles. Forgive and forget about finding fault. Love is the weapon of the future.” — Yehuda Berg

29. “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” — Dalai Lama

30. “If we could look into each other’s heart and understand the unique challenges each one of us face, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance and care.” — Marvin J. Ashton

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Tell me:

Which of these quotes is your favorite?

Tell me in the comments. I read every single one, and I'd love to know!

With love,

Jen

P.S. Want to show someone you care, with something they can hold? Go visit my shop for prints of handwritten poems and other words of hope and heart. From the bottom of their heart, they’ll love it.