Compassion has more to do with the attitude we bring to our encounters with other people than with any quantifiable metric of giving.

The heart is a generous muscle.

No matter what we think we should do, I don’t think you can coerce yourself into loving your neighbor—or your boss—when you can’t stand him. But if you try to understand your feelings of dislike with mindfulness and compassion, being sure not to forget self-compassion, you create the possibility for change.

The first step toward feeling compassion for others is to set the intention to try it out.

The paradigm for our relationships is formed from our earliest experiences and is actually hardwired into our neurological and emotional network.

In more ways than any of us can name, love is wrapped up with the idea of expectation.