Compassion is probably the only antitoxin of the soul. Where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless. The Passionate State Of Mind, and Other Aphorisms (1955)
It is compassion rather than the principle of justice which can guard us against being unjust to our fellow men. The Passionate State Of Mind, and Other Aphorisms (1955)
Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind. The Passionate State Of Mind, and Other Aphorisms (1955)
The impulse of power is to turn every variable into a constant, and give to commands the inexorableness and relentlessness of laws of nature. Hence absolute power corrupts even when exercised for humane purposes. The benevolent despot who sees himself as a shepherd of the people still demands from others the submissiveness of sheep. The taint inherent in absolute power is not its inhumanity but its anti-humanity. The Ordeal of Change (1963)