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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Kindness is the essence of greatness and the fundamental characteristic of the noblest men and women I have known. Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes.
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God damn it, you've got to be kind.
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