123 Inspiring Empathy Quotes for Kids
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, and it’s a skill that helps kids build strong, supportive relationships.
But how do we teach children such an important value?
Learning empathy not only nurtures emotional intelligence but also encourages kindness and compassion in everyday interactions.
One great way to teach kids about empathy is through inspiring quotes.
Simple yet powerful words from others can make the idea of understanding others’ emotions easier to grasp.
In this post, we’ll share some thoughtful empathy quotes that can guide kids toward a more caring and connected way of thinking and acting.
How Empathy Quotes Can Help Kids
Quotes from people we admire can really help kids understand important values like empathy.
Hearing someone else explain how to be kind or understanding makes it easier for kids to connect with these ideas.
Quotes can inspire kids to think about how they treat others and encourage them to act with more kindness in their own lives.
So Why Empathy is Important for Kids?
Empathy is all about understanding how someone else feels.
When kids learn to be empathetic, it helps them build stronger friendships, cut down on bullying, and become more in tune with others’ emotions.
Simple things like comforting a friend, sharing, or just listening can go a long way in practicing empathy every day.
Best Empathy Quotes for Kids
- “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” – Mohsin Hamid
- “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” – Plato
- “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “No one has ever become poor by giving.” – Anne Frank
- “A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.” – Winnie the Pooh
- “If you want to be happy, practice kindness.” – Dalai Lama
- “It’s not about how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do that counts.” – Mother Teresa
- “When you are kind to others, it not only changes you, it changes the world.” – Harold Kushner
- “We rise by lifting others.” – Robert Ingersoll
- “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” – Matthew 7:1 (The Bible)
Quotes on Kindness
- “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” – Lao Tzu
- “The simplest way to be happy is to do something nice for someone else.” – Unknown
- “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” – Dalai Lama
- “Kindness is free to give, but priceless to receive.” – Unknown
- “You can’t go wrong when you choose kindness.” – Unknown
- “A kind word can warm three winter months.” – Japanese Proverb
- “What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
- “Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle.” – Charles Glassman
- “Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain
Quotes on Understanding Others
- “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” – Peter Drucker
- “You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.” – John Steinbeck
- “Take the time to understand others. Walk a mile in their shoes.” – Unknown
- “To understand is to forgive, even yourself.” – Unknown
- “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
- “Listen with the intent to understand, not to reply.” – Stephen Covey
- “Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.” – J.K. Rowling
- “The highest form of wisdom is kindness.” – The Talmud
- “When you listen with empathy, you truly understand.” – Unknown
- “We are all different crayons in the box, and that’s okay.” – Unknown
Quotes on Compassion and Helping Others
- “Compassion is the basis of morality.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
- “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” – Maya Angelou
- “You have two hands. One to help yourself, the second to help others.” – Unknown
- “A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.” – William Arthur Ward
- “Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.” – Pema Chödrön
- “To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” – David Viscott
- “True compassion means not only feeling another’s pain but also being moved to help relieve it.” – Daniel Goleman
- “You may not be able to change a situation, but with empathy, you can change how you see it.” – Unknown
- “Giving is not just about making a donation. It’s about making a difference.” – Kathy Calvin
- “Compassion is the ability to see the pain in others and wish to do something about it.” – Unknown
Quotes on Listening and Being Present
- “Listening is an art that requires attention over talent, spirit over ego, others over self.” – Dean Jackson
- “When someone is going through a storm, your calmness can help them get through it.” – Unknown
- “Be present in all things and thankful for all things.” – Maya Angelou
- “Sometimes, all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.” – Unknown
- “The ear is the avenue to the heart.” – Voltaire
- “The greatest gift you can give someone is your full attention.” – Unknown
- “Listening with empathy means that you are putting yourself in another person’s shoes.” – Unknown
- “To be heard is the greatest gift you can give.” – Unknown
- “When you listen to others, you show them that you value them.” – Unknown
- “Great listeners make great friends.” – Unknown
Quotes on Empathy in Action
- “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama
- “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.” – Alfred Adler
- “Act with kindness, but do not expect gratitude.” – Confucius
- “To love another person is to see the face of God.” – Les Miserables
- “Put yourself in others’ shoes. If you can’t do that, try to listen with your heart.” – Unknown
- “Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person.” – Unknown
- “Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves.” – Horace Mann
- “You never know the battles others are facing. Be kind.” – Unknown
- “To make a difference in someone’s life, you don’t have to be a superhero. Just be yourself.” – Unknown
- “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” – Herman Melville
Quotes on Building Emotional Intelligence
- “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus
- “Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions.” – Elizabeth Gilbert
- “Emotions are not the enemy. They are a guide to understanding our needs and desires.” – Unknown
- “The most beautiful people are those who have the courage to show their emotions.” – Unknown
- “It’s okay to be not okay. It’s okay to feel what you feel.” – Unknown
- “Self-awareness is the key to emotional intelligence.” – Unknown
- “Your emotions matter, but they don’t define you.” – Unknown
- “To be emotionally intelligent means to understand and accept your feelings.” – Unknown
- “Every emotion you experience is an invitation to learn.” – Unknown
- “Emotional intelligence is about recognizing your emotions and managing them effectively.” – Unknown
Quotes on Teaching Empathy
- “One of the most valuable lessons in life is learning to put yourself in another’s shoes.” – Unknown
- “Teach children empathy, and they will become compassionate adults.” – Unknown
- “Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate.” – Unknown
- “Teaching children empathy is teaching them to be brave enough to care for others.” – Unknown
- “A child’s heart is like a garden. When you plant kindness, it grows.” – Unknown
- “We teach our children to be kind not by words, but by actions.” – Unknown
- “Empathy is something we must teach and practice every day.” – Unknown
- “The greatest gift you can give your child is empathy.” – Unknown
- “Empathy should be part of the curriculum in every school.” – Unknown
- “When we teach empathy, we teach the language of love.” – Unknown
Inspirational Empathy Quotes
- “Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference.” – Barbara De Angelis
- “Be kind to others, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” – Unknown
- “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions.” – Amelia Earhart
- “It’s always a good time to be kind.” – Unknown
- “Helping others is the key to happiness.” – Unknown
- “Kindness is a gift everyone can afford to give.” – Unknown
- “It’s not what we have in life, but who we have in our lives that matters.” – Unknown
- “Spread kindness wherever you go.” – Unknown
- “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others remains and is immortal.” – Albert Pine
Empathy Quotes for Kids About Forgiveness
- “Forgiveness is the final form of love.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
- “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- “Let it go. Forgiveness is the key to peace.” – Unknown
- “Forgiveness is the gift you give to yourself.” – Unknown
- “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes
- “Forgiveness isn’t about forgetting, it’s about letting go of the hurt.” – Unknown
- “You don’t forgive because you’re weak, you forgive because you’re strong.” – Unknown
- “Forgiveness is the first step to healing.” – Unknown
- “Forgiveness is the ability to take the emotional charge out of a situation.” – Unknown
Quotes on Love and Compassion for Others
- “The best way to love someone is to be kind and give them your heart.” – Unknown
- “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” – Dalai Lama
- “The love you give away is the love you keep.” – Wayne Dyer
- “Love is a gift that costs nothing but means everything.” – Unknown
- “Compassion is the wish to see others free from suffering.” – Dalai Lama
- “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “Love one another, as I have loved you.” – John 13:34
- “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” – Unknown
- “The heart that loves is always young.” – Greek Proverb
- “The only thing that can heal the world is love.” – Unknown
Empathy Quotes on Respecting Differences
- “It is our differences that make us beautiful.” – Unknown
- “Respect differences. No two people are the same, and that’s something we can celebrate.” – Unknown
- “Differences should not divide us, but bring us closer.” – Unknown
- “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.” – Verna Myers
- “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anaïs Nin
- “Celebrate diversity. Every person you meet has something new to teach you.” – Unknown
- “We are all one, and yet we are all different.” – Unknown
- “What makes you different makes you special.” – Unknown
- “We are all different pieces of the same puzzle.” – Unknown
- “A good heart is better than all the knowledge in the world.” – Unknown
- “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched. They are felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller
- “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
- “Love is the only reality, and it is not merely a sentiment. It is the ultimate truth at the heart of creation.” – Rabindranath Tagore
- “Your kindness is a light that can brighten someone’s darkest day.” – Unknown
How to Use These Empathy Quotes with Kids
Incorporating empathy quotes into daily conversations with kids can be a fun and meaningful way to encourage understanding and kindness.
Here are a few creative ways parents, teachers, and caregivers can use empathy quotes:
- Story Time: Read a story with an empathy message and share a quote to spark discussion.
- Classroom Activities: Have kids reflect on a quote through drawing or writing.
- Family Conversations: Introduce a new quote at meals and talk about how it relates to daily life.
- Quote Wall: Set up a space to post a new empathy quote each week for kids to reflect on.
- Daily Routines: Start the day with a short quote to remind kids to practice empathy throughout the day.
- By integrating these quotes into everyday moments, kids can develop a deeper understanding of empathy and begin to apply these lessons in their relationships with others.
By integrating these quotes into everyday moments, kids can develop a deeper understanding of empathy and begin to apply these lessons in their relationships with others.
Encouraging Empathy Through Words and Actions
Empathy is a powerful tool for building strong, positive relationships, and as parents, teachers, and caregivers, we can play an essential role in helping kids develop this skill.
By incorporating empathy quotes into daily routines, whether through story time, classroom activities, or family discussions, we can inspire children to think more deeply about how they treat others.
Setting up a “quote wall” or starting the day with a short empathy quote can make it a fun, ongoing practice.
Remember, teaching empathy is about leading by example and creating opportunities for kids to learn and apply these values.
Let’s help them embrace kindness, compassion, and understanding—one quote at a time!
