---
title: Kindness
created: 2024-11-18T09:18:12
modified: 2025-11-26T16:05:14
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> _“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” — Mark Twain_

> _“Kindness is as important as knowledge.” — Megan Smith_

> _[“Kindness is universal. Sometimes being kind allows others to see the goodness in humanity through you. Always be kinder than necessary.” — Germany Kent](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8455116-kindness-is-universal-sometimes-being-kind-allows-others-to-see)_

> _“Treat everyone with politeness and kindness, not because they are nice, but because you are.” — Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart_
>
> _“Each planet has its own orbit agenda. Think of people close to you as planets. Sometimes it’s nice to just watch them orbit and shine.” ― Yoko Ono_

> _“It only takes a split second to smile and forget, yet to someone that needed it, it can last a lifetime.” — Steve Maraboli_

> _“Help others for all the times that you have been ignored. Be kind to others, for all the times that you have been scorned.” — Ming-Dao Deng_

> _“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.” — Khalil Gibran_

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Sometimes the greatest act of kindness is…

* to pretend you haven’t already heard that story before.
* to not tell people that they have a sunburn, bug bite, or zit.

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# Horizontal Relationships

Treat everyone as equal, regardless of status or age. Avoid hierarchical thinking.

You are how you treat people when nobody’s watching. [Character is who you are when nobody’s watching.](character-is-who-you-are-when-nobodys-watching.md)

You can tell a lot about someone’s character by how they treat service staff.

> 觀察一個人對待服務生/侍者的態度，就可以大致看出一個人的真實性格。若是採取冷漠和輕視的態度，或是命令的口氣，就可以知道這個人不適合長期來往，因為有很大的機率，他們內心有一種優越感，認為自己比別人高級，缺乏站在他人角度思考的同理心。

Treating people with deference — whether they’re above you (superior), beside you (peer), or below you (subordinate) — invites appreciation and earns lasting respect.

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[Empathy](empathy.md)

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[The Small-World Phenomenon](the-small-world-phenomenon.md)