Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes

The essence of love and compassion is understanding, the ability to recognize the physical, material, and psychological suffering of others, to put ourselves "inside the skin" of the other. We "go inside" their body, feelings, and mental formations, and witness for ourselves their suffering. Shallow observation as an outsider is not enough to see their suffering. We must become one with the subject of our observation. When we are in contact with another's suffering, a feeling of compassion is born in us. Compassion means, literally, "to suffer with."

Compassion is our most important practice. Understanding brings compassion. Understanding the suffering that living beings undergo helps liberate the energy of compassion. And with that energy you know what to do.

True kindness presupposes the faculty of imagining as one's own the suffering and joys of others.

Anyone who has gone through great suffering is bound to have a greater sympathy and understanding of the problems of mankind.

They learned no compassion from their own anguish. thus their suffering was wasted.

I call him religious who understands the suffering of others.

Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek.

The ability to understand the cause of your own suffering gives you the ability to understand ours.

In some mysterious way, once one has gained an insight into human nature, that insight grows from day to day, and he to whom it has given to experience vicariously even one single form of earthly suffering acquires, by reason of this tragic lesson, an understanding of all its forms, even those most foreign to him, and apparently abnormal.

Because Jesus Christ suffered greatly, He understands our suffering. He understands our grief. We experience hard things so that we too may have increased compassion and understanding for others.

Do not avoid contact with suffering or close your eyes before suffering. Do not lose awareness of the existence of suffering in the life of the world. Find ways to be with those who are suffering by all means, including personal contact and visits, images, sounds. By such means, awaken yourself and others to the reality of suffering in the world.

It is people who go through suffering that have an empathy for the suffering of others.

Forgiveness requires a sense that bad behaviour is a sign of suffering rather than malice.

Compassion takes imagination.

I don't have to be an expert. I just have to care.

Don't judge someone's attitude until you've felt their pain.

Vanity calculates but poorly on the vanity of others; what a virtue we should distil from frailty, what a world of pain we should save our brethren, if we would suffer our own weakness to be the measure of theirs.

Never to blend our pleasure or our pride With sorrow of the meanest thing that feels.

No one can deal with the hearts of men unless he has the sympathy which is given by love.

If the people who hurt us have anger or desperation within them then they suffer. When you see that someone suffers, you might be motivated by a desire to help him not to suffer anymore.

I think empathy is really important for pleasure.

Compassion grows in us when we know how the energy of love is available all around us.

Looking at various means of developing compassion, I think empathy is an important factor: the ability to appreciate others' suffering.

I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable.

A loving heart is the truest wisdom.