Love, whether newly born, or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance, this it overflows upon the outward world.
Nathaniel HawthorneRead
There is so much wretchedness in the world, that we may safely take the word of any mortal professing to need our assistance; and, even should we be deceived, still the good to ourselves resulting from a kind act is worth more than the trifle by which we purchase it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that showing kindness is valuable, even if it involves risks of being deceived.
In this quote, Nathaniel Hawthorne reflects on the nature of kindness and the human condition. He suggests that the world is filled with suffering, making it reasonable to trust those who ask for help. Even if we become victims of deception, the act of kindness enriches our own lives more than the small cost incurred. This notion encourages us to act with generosity and compassion, as the emotional and moral rewards outweigh the potential downsides.
Themes
KindnessCompassionAssistanceHelpDeceptionReward
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community service, this quote can highlight the value of helping others.
More from Nathaniel Hawthorne
All quotes →A bodily disease which we look upon as whole and entire within itself, may after all, be but a symptom of some ailment in the spiritual part.
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All merely graceful attributes are usually the most evanescent.
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Let men tremble to win the hand of woman, unless they win along with it the utmost passion of her heart! Else it may be their miserable fortune, when some mightier touch than their own may have awakened all her sensibilities, to be reproached even for the calm content, the marble image of happiness, which they will have imposed upon her as the warm reality.
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The thing you set your mind on is the thing you ultimately become.
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But, all this while, I was giving myself very unnecessary alarm. Providence had mediated better things for me than I could possibly imagine for myself.
Nathaniel HawthorneRead
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The good you have done, the kind words you have spoken, the love you have shown to others, can never be fully measured.
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TODAY can be a healthy unusual day for you-and for others-if you take time to give someone a smile . . . to express a word of kindness . . . to lend a helping hand to someone in need . . . ..to write a note of gratitude . . . to give a word of encouragement to someone who is temporarily overcome with problems . . . to share a portion of your material possessions with others.
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Remember that the biggest thing you could do today is a small act of kindness.
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How powerful it is to surprise a total stranger with a really nice act: buy them a cup of coffee, pay their toll. It makes their day; it makes your day.
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In this troubled world, it's refreshing to find someone who still has the time to be kind. Someone who still has the faith to believe that the more you give, the more you receive. Someone who's ready by thought, word, or deed to reach out a hand, in the hour of need.
Helen Steiner RiceRead