Jane Porter Quotes

We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.

What is character? It is that quality of man which is going to make a man, in an hour of strain, do the just and, if possible, the generous thing.

To love one that is great, is almost to be great one's self.

Believe me, 'tis a godlike thing to lend; to owe is a heroic virtue.

To love one that is great, is almost to be great one's self.

No one who has come to true greatness has not felt in some degree that his life belongs to the people, and what God has given them he gives it for mankind.

There are men whom a happy disposition, a strong desire of glory and esteem, inspire with the same love for justice and virtue which men in general have for riches and honors... But the number of these men is so small that I only mention them in honor of humanity.

Hearts are strongest when they beat in response to noble ideals.

Man is only truly great when he acts from the passions.

I never knew Mother Teresa, but I admired her, especially in this day and age when there aren't many heroes.

All the big words -virtue, justice, truth, ...- are dwarfed by the greatness of kindness

Charity is a supreme virtue, and the great channel through which the mercy of God is passed on to mankind. It is the virtue that unites men and inspires their noblest efforts.

Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven.

I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.

One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being.

Men are only as great as they are kind.

A princely mind will undo a private family.

Greatness lies, not in being strong, but in the right using of strength; and strength is not used rightly when it serves only to carry a man above his fellows for his own solitary glory. He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.

Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it.

The truth is that there is no terror untempered by some great moral idea.

Compassion is so pure, I don't think there is any way to taint it.

To be compassionate is not a joke. It's not that simple. One has to discover a certain bigness in oneself. That bigness should be centered on oneself, not in terms of money, not in terms of power you wield, not in terms of any status that you can command in the society, but it should be centered on oneself.

A great man does not seek applause or place; he seeks for truth; he seeks the road to happiness, and what he ascertains, he gives to others.

The sure mark of one born with noble qualities is being born without envy.

Goodness does not consist in greatness, but greatness in goodness.