Helpfulness Quotes

“I make it easier for people to leave by making them hate me a little.”
― Cecelia Ahern, The Book of Tomorrow

“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the mind.”
― Luther Burbank

“I'm not asking you to walk in my shoes; I'd never wish my afflictions on anyone. But could you walk beside me on secure ground and reach to hold my hand?”
― Richelle E. Goodrich, Making Wishes: Quotes, Thoughts, & a Little Poetry for Every Day of the Year

“Women helped each other in ways small and large every day, without thinking, and that was what kept them going even when the world came up with new and exciting ways to crush them.”
― Alyssa Cole, Let Us Dream

“...Our conversation with the supermarket manager had been about as helpful as a New Jersey road sign, and if you've ever been there, you know the signs don't tell you the exit you're coming up to, they only point out the exits you've just missed.
It puts parents in very foul moods--and since you're probably there to visit relatives, their mood was pretty touch and go to begin with.”
― Neal Shusterman, The Schwa Was Here

“It seems that many of us have the goal of making other people conform to our desires and expectations, whether or not we would admit to such a thing. We see this especially in parents who get upset because their children don’t conform to their expectations, but instead follow a pattern of development that is unique and individual. We often use language with peers and colleagues that encourages them to change their ways of doing things to our ways of doing things: “You should” and “You ought to” are usually presented as advice, but in the end they really are about changing someone else’s ways of doing things. And we may offer this “advice” in a spirit of love and helpfulness, but we can be much more helpful when we help them to find their own ways of changing things.

It can be incredibly freeing to spend an entire day not looking to try to change the behaviors, beliefs, or attitudes of other human beings. If we approach life in this way, we may learn much about the other people in our lives instead of trying to make them be like us.”
― Tom Walsh, Just for Today, The Expanded Edition

“So it's important to remember that our job isn't to solve other people's problems for them, but to help them to discover the ways that are most effective and most practical for them to deal with their own problems. We can't wave a magic wand or open a self-help book to a certain page and say, "There--you're no longer an alcoholic," but we can listen to them and talk to them and help them to find ways to deal with the issues that are driving them to use alcohol. And when they're facing the hardest times in dealing with the problems, we can be there as someone to lean on when they need to lean.”
― Tom Walsh

“You cannot get poor enough to help poor people thrive or sick enough to help sick people get well. You only ever uplift from your position of strength and clarity and alignment.”
― Abraham Hicks

“Every life is meant to help all lives; each man should live for all men's betterment.”
― Alice Cary

“Today is sacred - for it will never come again. What could be more important than living this day with attention and the intention to be of benefit, to the best of your ability, to all you encounter?”
― John Bruna

“Show Goodness Onto The World And The World Will Show Goodness Onto You.”
― Joshua Teya

“Doing things for others is something that money cannot buy it is a priceless act which gives an abundance of worthy feelings for both involved, to empower others and to know that others care is an key part of listening, the stoppage of wars, the foundations of a hopeful future for everybody.”
― Paul Isaacs

“The more people I am able to help, the more people are willing to help others. The more followers we have, the closer we are to a perfect world.”
― Akilnathan Logeswaran

“I liked stories. I liked the way they had the power to make sense of life.”
― Candi Sary, Black Crow White Lie

“Why didn't you warn us about it?' asked Richard.
'That was not our responsibility.'
Richard snorted.”
― Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere

“Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

“A good Samaritan is generally a nobody before and after the good deed.”
― Amit Abraham

“This is the attitude of bodhisattvas: to practice meditation not only for yourself, but for the world, to relieve the suffering. And, when others suffer less, you suffer less. When you suffer less, they suffer less. That is interbeing. There is no separation between yourself and others. You do not live just for yourself; you live for other people. Your peace, freedom, and joy also profit others; you are already helpful. And so, when you breathe mindfully or walk mindfully and create joy and peace, that is already a gift for the world.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet

“I felt acutely grateful to everyone, everywhere, who does their best by giving what they have to give, no matter what issues they are facing in their own lives.”
― Donna Goddard, Circles of Separation

“Be helpful without expectation to be rewarded.”
― Trevor Carss

“Because my life would amount to nothing! It’s just gonna be pleasure without purpose! Okay, so you said that one of the things that would be in my version of a utopian world would be the termination of the gender and racial gap in STEM. You are right. That would be a part of a utopia! However, entering the simulation would not change the gap in real life, so I would merely be living in a whimsical illusion, not a pragmatic and realistic view of how things actually are. Plus, going into the simulation would sort of imply that I surrender to the racial and gender stereotypes. By entering the simulation and not choosing to face my fears of being stereotyped based on race and gender, I am merely showing that I am too scared to live in the world as it truly is and too scared to make a change in the real world.

“You also said that fame for intellectual discoveries was part of my version of a utopia, and that is also true, but if I made all of my discoveries in the fantasy world, then my goal to be well-known in the world for intellectual discoveries would technically not be accomplished, because no one in real life would know my name. Some programmed beings would, but I would just be another human being in the real world. I wouldn’t be contributing to anything in real life!”

Dad nodded in interest. “You’d rather be helpful than happy.”

“Absolutely!”
― Lucy Carter, The Reformation

“I think sometimes I feel like I have to run in with the fire hose and the helmet on and save these people. But sometimes the lesson really is: That person can walk down the stairs and out the door themselves.

Do I really need to put myself through that emotional experience? Is this of service? Or is this just my ego finding and deriving self-esteem by rescuing somebody?”
― Sabrina Tully