Willa Cather Quotes

I've always thought, and it gets tested at times, that I have a great faith in the fundamental goodness of human beings.

Take hope from the heart of man and you make him a beast of prey.

And loss of control is always the source of fear. It is also, however, always the source of change.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world.

The love of our private friends is the only preparatory exercise for the love of all men.

When strong, be merciful, if you would have the respect, not the fear of your neighbors.

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

Nothing makes one feel so strong as a call for help.

Don't let fear or insecurity stop you from trying new things. Believe in yourself. Do what you love. And most importantly, be kind to others, even if you don't like them.

I think more important than law is the hearts of people.

Sometimes people don't trust the force of kindness. They think love or compassion or kindness will make you weak and kind of stupid and people will take advantage of you; you won't stand up for other people.

A lot of guys don't want to admit that they have a propensity for generosity and for violence.

The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.

To pity distress is but human; to relieve it is Godlike.

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

There are always great deals of humanity in the characters that have been offered to me.

I am not mean at all; I am not tough at all.

I care about people. In the end, I think they feel it. It comes across, regardless of the character I'm portraying.

There's something in the moment when you can make them laugh or cry and show and incredibly compassionate side of life. I find that a really exemplary way to live.

The measure of a man is not how great his faith is, but how great his love is. We must not let government programs disconnect our souls from each other.

I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.

A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.

Brave doesn't spread hate or bully the vulnerable. Brave doesn't put greed and self-interest over millions of lives. Brave doesn't cower behind lies and walls. Brave doesn't pit people against one another. That's what fear does.

I hope that maybe I am on this planet to try and spread a bit of love and affection and to try and help people to warm toward their fellow man instead of all this destruction and misery.

I don't consider myself a mean person. I hope I'm not.