Betty Smith Quotes

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

I don't think I should accept other people's suffering because I suffered. Just the opposite, because I suffered I don't want others to suffer.

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.

It's a terrible thing wishing that it can be someone else's tragedy.

I believe compassion to be one of the few things we can practice that will bring immediate and long-term happiness to our lives.

You will begin to succeed with your life when the pains and problems of others matter to you.

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.

It is my observations, though, that happiness limits the amount of suffering one is willing to inflict upon others

Without suffering, there'd be no compassion.

Compassion is the ultimate expression of your highest self

Sympathy is the first great lesson which man should learn. It will be ill for him if he proceeds no farther; if his emotions are but excited to roll back on his heart, and to be fostered in luxurious quiet. But unless he learns to feel for things in which he has no personal interest, he can achieve nothing generous or noble.

Compassion is the wish to see others free from suffering.

Some people think that without that spark of empathy we would do nothing, but that's just flat-out wrong. You could feel compassion for somebody without the spark of empathy.

The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the other.... The whole purpose of life is to live by love.

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

A sense of concern for others gives our lives meaning; it is the root of all human happiness

If we take the time to look deeply, we see that understanding and compassion arise from suffering. Understanding is the understanding of suffering, and compassion is the kind of energy that can transform suffering. If suffering is not there, we have no means to cultivate our understanding and our compassion. This is something quite simple to see

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

Nothing helps us build our perspective more than developing compassion for others. Compassion is a sympathetic feeling. It involves the willingness to put yourself in someone else's shoes, to take the focus off yourself and to imagine what it's like to be in someone else's predicament, and simultaneously, to feel love for that person. It's the recognition that other people's problems, their pain and frustrations, are every bit as real as our own-often far worse. In recognizing this fact and trying to offer some assistance, we open our own hearts and greatly enhance our sense of gratitude.

The happiness of the tender heart is increased by what it can take away from the wretchedness of others.

Perhaps watching someone you love suffer can teach you even more than suffering yourself can.

Compassion is a mental quality that can bring us true lasting inner peace and inner strength.

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.