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Come in, she said, I'll give you
shelter from the storm

—Bob Dylan

~

For I was hungry,
and you gave me something to eat.
I was thirsty,
and you gave me something
to drink.
I was a stranger,
and you invited me in.
I needed clothes,
and you clothed me.
I was sick,
and you looked after me.
I was in prison,
and you came to visit me.

—Parable of the Sheep & Goats

~

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

—Dalai Lama

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When we know ourselves to be connected to all others, acting compassionately is simply the natural thing to do.

—Rachel Naomi Remen

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Empathy is what enables compassion to function.

—Karen Johnson

~

I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.

—Holden Caulfield

~

I am a mayfly metamorphosing
on the surface of the river.
And I am the bird
that swoops down
to swallow the mayfly.

—Thich Nhat Hanh

~

There’s the poor little mouse eating her nightly supper in the humble corner where I’ve put out a little delight-plate full of cheese and chocolate candy (for my days of killing mice are over).

—Jack Kerouac

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If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each person's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us.

—Rainer Maria Rilke

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Don’t be afraid to care.

—Pink Floyd

~

Now Tom said,
Mom, wherever there's a cop
beating a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there's a fight against the blood
and hatred in the air
Look for me, Mom,
I'll be there
Wherever somebody's fighting
for a place to stand
or a decent job
or a helping hand
Wherever somebody's struggling
to be free
Look in their eyes, Ma,
and you'll see me

—Bruce Springsteen

~

Everyone is fighting a great battle.

—Plato

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What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever said?

Poem: Boy at the Window

Poem: Kindness

Poem: For the Sake of Strangers

Poem: Central Park

Poem: To a Child

Poem: Please Call Me By My True Names

Brené Brown on empathy vs sympathy

The natural warmth of the heart

Light the lantern of compassion

The kindness instinct

Educating the heart

Unlimited heart

Creature comfort

What to do when aggression masquerades as compassion

Put your compassion into action

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