The Dalai Lama tells us that his religion is kindness. We can all feel how he has practiced that as long as he’s been with us. Kindness is never wrong. As the wonderful Sufi teacher, Pir Elias Amidon, puts it “When you don’t know what to do, be kind. When you do know what to do, be kind.”
Phrases posted on Facebook, January 2026
I will be quoting myself from my book Great Love in Little Ways, Reflections on the Power of Kindness. Here’s the first quote: “The hand of kindness is subtle. It has a long and tender reach.”
Here’s the next one.: “Hearing the deep cry of the world, kindness gathers our tears.”
It’s good to know that “Kindness has a way of walking in everybody’s shoes”.
Practicing kindness is like practicing friendship. “Kindness is the friend that knows the truth about us and gives us back to ourselves.”
So often we seem to be in a hurry and miss what’s important. Kindness speaks to this. “Kindness wears no watch and has all the time in the world.”
I believe this could be a worthy, daily undertaking. “To be kind to ourselves starts a revolution not a war. It makes peace with more things than we can fathom.”
This is not a quote from Great Love in Little Ways, but it is a thought that came full blown to me this morning. Here it is: “In these dark times to be kind, hopeful, helpful and heartfully present with whatever we have to share IS POLITICAL and always has been.
We can view the changes in our lives with chagrin or know that “In the kaleidoscope of kindness when things fall apart, the pieces are the same, but the pattern is new.”
I think we are each asked to help mend the world, and the way to do that is to be kind, isn’t it? Here’s another quote from Great Love in Little Ways. “With ears to the ground, kindness counts the steps we have taken to mend the ache of the world.”
We all know this: “To forgive another is the kindness we give to ourselves.”
In this image I have in mind one of those red kid wagons. I think you know the ones. ” Even with the tiniest of wagons, kindness can carry a big load.”
I think kindness is contagious and reciprocal. Here’s one about that: “We can be sure when we look for kindness, it is looking for us, too.”
On the last day of January 2026, it was minus 2 in RI. In the cold everyone needs to be warmed by kindness. “How awesome to realize that everything we do matters! This is even more the truth when we act with kindness>”
A last quote from my book, Hints for the Heart. “We will never know how far small acts of kindness reach when we have been spontaneous in our responses and forgetful of ourselves.”