Modern psychological theory utilizes the terms attunement and attachment. The language has become somewhat abstract and clinical, but what it means is that we require touch in body and soul to help us respond to difficult times with kindness and compassion and also to celebrate the sheer joy of being alive. We need these experiences to feel that we matter - quite literally - that we have matter and substance, that we take up space in the world. When we sense this, we feel that we are worthy of deep and lingering attention and that we can, in turn, offer our caring hearts to others in times of sorrow and pain. No matter who we are, we need the heartening touch of another. Even those of us who are introverted will, at times, require the devoted attention of a friend or a partner who can offer a sensitive ear to our tender woes.

- Francis Weller, California Marriage and Family Therapist and writer, from his book, "The Wild Edge of Sorrow"

True compassion arises from a healthy sense of self, from an awareness of who we are that honors our own capacities and fears,  our own feelings and integrity, along with those of others.

Bring your attention to the pain as if you were gently comforting a child, holding it all in a loving and soothing attention.

Begin to recite inwardly the following phrases directed at yourself. You begin with yourself because without loving yourself it is almost impossible to love others.

May I be filled with loving-kindness.
May I be well.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy.

Compassion for ourselves gives rise to the power to transform resentment into forgiveness, hatred into friendliness, and fear into respect for all beings.

- Jack Kornfield, American teacher and Buddhist in the Theravada tradition.

Right view is detachment from views. It doesn’t mean we don’t have views. It means when we have views, we know that that’s what they are, just views. Opinions are easy to come by; most of us have opinions that are created by our culture. We have opinions created by our family, by our ancestors, about ourselves and about each other, and we think they are our own. Right view is insight. Right view, right understanding, is about moving from the shore of speculation into the shore of direct perception. To practice developing insight into life, our whole life long.

- Larry Ward, Buddhist teacher in the Plum Village Tradition

Most of us are willing to spend six or eight years to get a diploma. We believe the diploma is necessary for our happiness. But very few of us are willing to spend three or six months or even a year to train ourselves to handle our sadness or our anger, to listen with compassion, and to use loving speech. If you are able to transform your anger, sadness, and despair, if you are able to use loving speech and deep listening, you can become a hero capable of offering happiness to so many people

- Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, poet, author, teacher and founder of the Plum Village Tradition, the source of engaged Buddhism.

There is a constant that we have to pursue. The constant is within us, whether we know it or not, and this constant is waiting for us to know it.

- Wayne Shorter, Jazz innovator, composer, saxophonist, and bandleader

There comes a moment, quiet, almost invisible, when you stop trying to be understood, and something within you shifts. Not because you no longer care but because you finally realize you were never meant to explain your soul to people who cannot hear its frequency. You start focusing on yourself, not in arrogance, but in liberation. You grow silent not in defeat but in power. And then, strangely enough, everything begins to fall into place. You must stay for this entire journey because by the end of it you will understand why silence and self-focus are not passive states but the most active transformative forces you have been overlooking. Self-focus is not selfishness but self-alignment.

- Alan Watts, British and American writer and speaker, known for interpreting Buddhist, Hindu, and Taoist philosophy

When the mind is haughty, sarcastic, full of conceit and arrogance, ridiculing, evasive and deceitful, when it is inclined to boast, or when it is contemptuous of others, abusive and irritable, then remain still like a piece of wood.

- Shantideva, 8th Century Indian philosopher, Buddhist monk, poet and scholar

Starin’ into the wishing well has got you feeling a particular way
You can’t stand to see your own reflection
So toss a penny and close your eyes and try to think of something to say
And don’t waste your wishes on perfection

- William Lee Apostol, American songwriter and musician

Aggression is not essentially innate, and violent behavior is influenced by a variety of biological, social, situational and environmental factors. Once we conclude that the basic nature of humanity is compassionate rather than aggressive, our relationship to the world around us changes immediately. Seeing others as basically compassionate instead of hostile and selfish helps us relax, trust, live at ease. It makes us happier.

- Dr. Howard Cutler, MD, American writer and psychiatrist who co-authored The Art of Happiness with the 14th Dalai Lama

Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!

- Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol