Shared Humanity Quotes

• You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.

  Mahatma Gandhi

  Inspirational, Faith, Hope

  Mahatma Gandhi, Mohandas Gandhi, Homer A. Jack (2005). “The Wit and Wisdom of Gandhi”, p.30, Courier Corporation

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• An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Life, Greatness, Diversity

  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (2017). “The Measure of a Man”, p.18, Pickle Partners Publishing

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• Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals.

  Pema Chodron

  Compassion, Empathy, Mindfulness

  Pema Chodron (2003). “Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion”, p.73, Shambhala Publications

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• Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Inspirational, Life, Motivational

  Martin Luther King Jr. (1963). “Strength to Love”

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• Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.

  Pema Chodron

  Real, Compassion, Empathy

  Pema Chodron (2003). “Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion”, p.73, Shambhala Publications

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• 

  Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

  Margaret Mead

  Inspirational, Life, Friendship

  Margaret Mead, Robert B. Textor (2005). “The World Ahead: An Anthropologist Anticipates the Future”, p.12, Berghahn Books

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• We all are big believers in the notion that as a species we are better together than we are apart, that the common core of our shared humanity is stronger than that which seeks to marginalize us and factualize us and turn us against each other.

  J. Michael Straczynski

  Humanity, Together, Stronger

  "J. Michael Straczynski says viewers have evolved to be ready for ‘Sense8’". Interview with Daniel Fienberg, uproxx.com. June 5, 2015.

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• We need to promote greater tolerance and understanding among the peoples of the world. Nothing can be more dangerous to our efforts to build peace and development than a world divided along religious, ethnic or cultural lines. In each nation, and among all nations, we must work to promote unity based on our shared humanity.

  Kofi Annan

  Religious, Effort, Understanding

  "Press Briefing by Manoel de Almeida e Silva Spokesman for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and by UN agencies". www.un.org. September 16, 2004.

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• Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.

  Pema Chodron

  Relationship, Real, Compassion

  Pema Chodron (2003). “Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion”, p.73, Shambhala Publications

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• It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.

  Albert Einstein

  Inspirational, Witty, Humorous

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• A healthy, vital society is not one in which we all agree. It is one in which those who disagree can do so with honor and respect for other people's opinions... and an appreciation of our shared humanity.

  Marianne Williamson

  Appreciation, Honor And Respect, People

  Marianne Williamson (2013). “Illuminata: Thoughts, Prayers, Rites of Passage”, p.220, Random House

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• Imagine how our lives might be if everyone had even a bit more of the Wisdom that comes from seeing clearly. Suppose people everywhere, simultaneously, stopped what they were doing and paid attention for only as long as it took to recognize their shared humanity. Surely the heartbreak of the world's pain, visible to all, would convert everyone to kindness. What a gift that would be.

  Sylvia Boorstein

  Pain, Kindness, Heart

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• What are you doing for others?

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Kings, Helping Others, Volunteer

  Jim Haskins, James Haskins, Martin Luther King (Jr.) (1992). “I have a dream: the life and words of Martin Luther King, Jr”, Millbrook Pr

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• Throughout history, the arts and humanities have helped men and women around the globe grapple with the most challenging questions and come to know the most basic truths. In our increasingly interconnected world, the arts play an important role in both shaping the character that defines us and reminding us of our shared humanity. This month, we celebrate our Nation's arts and humanities, and we recommit to ensuring all Americans can access and experience them.

  Barack Obama

  Art, Character, Carpe Diem

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• The notion of human right builds on our shared humanity. These rights are not derived from the citizenship of any country, or the membership of any nation, but are presumed to be claims or entitlements of every human being. They differ, therefore, from constitutionally created rights guaranteed for specific people.

  Amartya Sen

  Country, Rights, People

  Amartya Sen (2010). “The Idea of Justice”, p.179, Penguin UK

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• Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature.

  Tom Robbins

  Fun, Adventure, Destiny

  Tom Robbins (2003). “Still Life with Woodpecker”, p.19, Bantam

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• It's time to change the conversation about nature to focus on what we all have in common: our shared humanity.

  Harrison Ford

  Focus, Humanity, Common

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• Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let's not be afraid to receive each day's surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity.

  Henri Nouwen

  Heart, Joy, Humanity

  Henri J. M. Nouwen (2009). “Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith”, p.1, Harper Collins

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• Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Sad, Business, Lying

  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2012). “A Gift of Love: Sermons from Strength to Love and Other Preachings”, p.37, Beacon Press

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• Coming to know one another based on a shared humanity through dialogue is the key to breaking down the walls of isolation and reversing the decline of life-to-life bonds among human beings.

  Vinessa Shaw

  Wall, Keys, Humanity

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• One of the ongoing themes in my work, I hope, and one of the things I believe in, is a sense of human nature, a sense of shared humanity above the cultural layers we place on ourselves [which don't] mean that much compared to the human experience.

  Chris Hondros

  Believe, Mean, Humanity

  Chris Hondros (2014). “Testament”, p.2, powerHouse Books

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• Science and reason liberate us from the shackles of superstition by offering us a framework for understanding our shared humanity. Ultimately, we all have the capacity to treasure life and enrich the world in incalculable ways.

  Gad Saad

  Atheist, Offering, Understanding

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• There are two kinds of humor. One kind that makes us chuckle about our foibles and our shared humanity -- like what Garrison Keillor does. The other kind holds people up to public contempt and ridicule -- that's what I do. Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful. I only aim at the powerful. When satire is aimed at the powerless, it is not only cruel -- it's vulgar.

  Molly Ivins

  Powerful, Two, People

  "The Mouth of Texas", People Weekly, December 9, 1991.

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