The purpose of our lives is to be happy, and happiness is found in benefiting others.

When we understand others, we understand ourselves. When we love others, we love ourselves.

Compassion is a verb.

The root of happiness is altruism — the wish to be of service to others.

As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion.

The way to change others' minds is with affection, and not anger.

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.

The ultimate source of a happy life is warm-heartedness. This means extending to others the kind of concern we have for ourselves.

It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.

Compassion is not something we develop. It arises naturally as we see the truth of what is.

If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another.

May all beings be happy, be peaceful, be liberated.

The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness.

The ultimate purpose of Buddhism is to serve and benefit humanity.

Kindness is the solution to all of life's problems.

The more you understand, the more you love; the more you love, the more you understand.

Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.

Compassion is not just about being kind to others. It's about being kind to ourselves as well.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of all kinds.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Happiness is found in the simplest of things. It is not in the things you own, but in the love you share.

When the heart is still, it can be kind. When the mind is still, it can see clearly.

In the moment of anger, abandon anger but not the person. In the moment of attachment, abandon attachment but not the person.

The essence of the teaching is emptiness and compassion. Without emptiness, compassion can become attachment. Without compassion, emptiness can become cold and distant.

True happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through cultivation of altruism, of love, of compassion.

The source of love is deep in us and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another person's suffering and bring that person joy.

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals.

The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with.

Love is the wish that others be happy, and compassion is the wish that they be free from suffering.

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

To understand everything is to forgive everything.

The cultivation of loving-kindness has the power to transform enmity into amity, hostility into hospitality.

Compassion is not mere sentiment but a powerful force that can transform both ourselves and others.

When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight.

The way to overcome anger is to be too busy being kind to have time to be angry.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.

When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help.

The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness.

When you look deeply into your anger, you will see that the person you call your enemy is also suffering. As soon as you see that, the capacity for accepting and having compassion for them is there.

If you want to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be miserable, expect something in return.

Altruism is not a luxury, it is a necessity for the survival of humanity.

The experience of emptiness engenders compassion.

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce.

World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

Compassion is the radicalism of our time.

A pure mind is always full of love - real love for all others.

The practice of metta begins with oneself, for only when we have developed loving-kindness towards ourselves can we truly offer it to others.

Metta is the ability to embrace all parts of ourselves, as well as all parts of the world.

Life is glorious, but life is also wretched. It is both. Appreciating the gloriousness inspires us, encourages us, cheers us up, gives us a bigger perspective, energizes us. We feel connected. But if that's all that's happening, we get arrogant and start to look down on others, and there is a sense of making ourselves a big deal and being really serious about it, wanting it to be like that forever. The gloriousness becomes tinged by craving and addiction. On the other hand, wretchedness--life's painful aspect--softens us up considerably. Knowing pain is a very important ingredient of being there for another person.

Metta (loving-kindness) becomes truly effective only when it arises from a peaceful mind, a pure mind, a balanced mind.

Loving-kindness is not something we need to manufacture. It's a natural expression of our awakened nature.

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

The best way to solve a problem is to help someone else solve their problem.

We don't set out to save the world; we set out to wonder how other people are doing and to reflect on how our actions affect other people's hearts.

When you realize the emptiness of all phenomena, compassion will arise in your heart for all sentient beings who do not understand this truth.

The more you give, the more you have. That's the economics of kindness.