The political tension in the news often leads to feelings of hopelessness, but it is more important than ever to hold on to the foundations of humanity that will sustain us through hard times.

For me, the constant foundation is Compassion.

These are six quotes I have written in my Commonplace Journal for reflection. I hope that they bring you some peace and inspiration today.

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive." - the Dalai Lama

I love this quote because it reminds me while Nature is not kind - it is pure survival, the beauty of humanity is that it rises above that brutal survival to create something beautiful in community.

"Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals." - Pema Chödrön

I love this quote because it reminds me that compassion needs to flow freely between people as a loop for it to truly be effective.

"Compassion is an unstable emotion. it needs to be translated into action, or it withers." - Susan Sontag

Feeding off of the previous quote, Compassion requires constant movement, and I love that this reminds me that it cannot just be felt. It must be done.

"If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." - Jack Kornfield

This quote reminds me that while yes, it is important to care for others, but that cannot come at the expense of caring for myself.

"Compassion is not a virtue - it is a commitment. it's not something we have or don't have - it's something we choose to practice." - Brené Brown

I like this quote because it reminds me that the work is important. I cannot rest on claiming I'm compassionate - I must actively do it.

"There is beauty in compassion, but one must learn wisdom, too." - Brian Sanderson

I love this quote because it reminds me that it's not compassion if I'm being taken advantage of - it is a flow between equals of giving and receiving.