In short: the Buddha taught kindness as strength, not softness: "Defeat anger with kindness, villainy with virtue, stinginess with giving, and lies with truth" (Dhammapada 223), and as a heart offered to everyone, "with not a one left out" (Snp 1.8). Here are six genuine quotes on kindness, each with its source.
1. Dhammapada 223
"Defeat anger with kindness, villainy with virtue, stinginess with giving, and lies with truth."
2. Snp 1.8
"May they be happy and safe! May all beings be happy! Whatever living creatures there are with not a one left out— frail or firm, long or large, medium, small, tiny or round, seen or unseen, living far or near"
3. Dhammapada 129
"All tremble at the rod, all fear death. Treating others like oneself, neither kill nor incite to kill."
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4. Dhammapada 368
"A mendicant who meditates on love, devoted to the Buddha's teaching, would realize the peaceful state, the blissful stilling of conditions."
5. Snp 1.8
"Let none deceive another, nor look down on anyone anywhere. Though provoked or aggrieved, let them not wish pain on each other."
6. AN 11.15
"You sleep at ease. You wake happily. You don't have bad dreams."
The benefits of a kind heart start with your own sleep.
Practice it: loving-kindness meditation.
All quotes are from the early Buddhist texts in Bhikkhu Sujato's translation on SuttaCentral, copied exactly. Last checked: 17 October 2026.
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Questions people ask
What did the Buddha say about kindness?
'Defeat anger with kindness, villainy with virtue, stinginess with giving, and lies with truth' (Dhammapada 223).