Responsibility
does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those
who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies
with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within
each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with
those around us. This
is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for
complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple;
the philosophy is kindness. Kind
words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly
endless. No
act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Imagine
what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both
young and old shared a little of what he is good at doing. The
kindness planned for tomorrow does not count for today. You
cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will
be too late. How
wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single minute before starting
to improve the world. If
there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to
any fellow being, let me do it now, and not deter or neglect it,
as I shall not pass this way again. One
who knows how to show and to accept kindness will be a friend better
than any possession. 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. Kindness
is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. The
best portion of a good man's life - his little, nameless, unremembered
acts of kindness and love. Tenderness
and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations
of strength and resolutions. No
kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another.
Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots
in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The
greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them
kind themselves. Choose
being kind over being right, and you'll be right every time. Remember
there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates
a ripple with no logical end. When
we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the
best in You
gain strength experience and confidence by every experience where
you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing
you cannot do. You
will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you
will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever
need. You
have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness
of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What
you'll discover is yourself. The
greatest explorer on this earth never takes voyages as long as those
of the man who descends to the depth of his heart. To
the question of your life you are the answer, and to the problems
of your life you are the solution. I
have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul
of the giver You
have not lived until you have done something for someone who can
never repay you. The
happiest people are those who care more about others than they do
about There
is a loftier ambition than merely to stand high in the world. It
is to stoop down and lift mankind a little higher. The
best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even
touched. They must be felt with the heart. A
bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses. It
is by spending ONESELF that one becomes rich. Philanthropy
is the rent we pay for the joy and privilege we have for our space
on this earth. Real
generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find
out. 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
I
don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the
only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have
sought and found how to serve How
far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant
of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have
been all of these. If
instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a
loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving
as the angels give. To
love for the sake of being loved is human, but to love for the sake
of loving is When
you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project,
all your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations,
your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself
in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and
talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater
person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be. The
capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest meaning
and significance. In
everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then
burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should
all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. If
you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect
wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them
to long for the endless immensity of the sea. People
spend a lifetime searching for happiness; looking for peace. They
chase idle dreams, addictions, religions, even other people, hoping
to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is the only place
they ever needed to search was within. The
glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, Nor the kindly
smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration
that comes to one when they discover that someone else believes
in them and is willing to trust them. Carry
out a random act of kindness... someone somewhere might do the same
for you. A
good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were
helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered.
Carve your name on hearts, not on marble. A
kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity
freshen into smiles. I
expect to pass through life but once If therefore there be any kindness
I can show or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me
do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this
way again. Something
that has always puzzled me all my life is why, when I am in special
need of help, the good deed is usually done by somebody on whom
I have no claim. Constant
kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness
causes misunderstanding, mistrust and hostility to evaporate. How
wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single minute before starting
to improve the world. Life
is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties, but of little things,
in which smiles and kindness, and small obligations, given habitually,
are what win and preserve the heart, and secure comfort. The
foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under
his feet.
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