--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not enough to be compassionate. You…" description: "\"“It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. —HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA”\" — Cory Booker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/cory-booker-2546_compassion_it-is-not-enough-to-be-compassionate-you_3116856.jpg" --- # It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. —HIS… ![“It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. —HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA” quote by Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/cory-booker-2546_compassion_it-is-not-enough-to-be-compassionate-you_3116856.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/cory-booker-2546_compassion_it-is-not-enough-to-be-compassionate-you_3116856.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/cory-booker-2546_compassion_it-is-not-enough-to-be-compassionate-you_3116856.jpg) > ““It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. —HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA”” [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compassion must be paired with concrete action to create real change. **In simple terms:** Compassion alone isn’t enough; act. Key Takeaway Turn empathy into deeds. Themes compassion action responsibility Mood inspirational urgent Type motivational ethical When to use this quote - volunteering - advocacy - community service Key Concepts ethical duty social impact Questions to Reflect On - How can you translate empathy into tangible steps? - What obstacles prevent you from acting? A Different Perspective Action may be limited by resources or systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Compassionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassionate/) ## Related quotes > [It is not enough to be compassionate, we must act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-not-enough-to-be-compassionate-we-must-act/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The purpose of religion is to control yourself, not to criticize others. How much am I doing about my anger, attachment, hatred, pride, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haemin-sunim/the-purpose-of-religion-is-to-control-yourself-not-to-criticize/) [Haemin Sunim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haemin-sunim/) > [ When I am there \[Tibet\], I am very happy. The Tibetans radiate. They literally send out light. His holiness \[the Dalai Lama\] generates love… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/when-i-am-there-tibet-i-am-very-happy-the-tibetans-radiate-they/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [ His Holiness \[the Dalai Lama\] has told me, urgently and repeatedly, that he thinks my photographs are crap. His exact words were, 'These photos… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-has-told-me-urgently-and-repeatedly-that/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [“His Holiness the Dalai Lama does Yamantaka self-initiation every day. He has said that when he does, he keeps Geshe Kelsang in his heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thubten-zopa/his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-does-yamantaka-self-initiation-every-day/) Thubten Zopa > [In the texts, and as His Holiness the Dalai Lama reminds us, we should check the person's behavior not when they're sitting on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/in-the-texts-and-as-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-reminds-us-we-should/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [“In 2000, the Mind and Life Institute held a dialogue between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a group of prominent scientists to explore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-a-jennings/in-2000-the-mind-and-life-institute-held-a-dialogue-between-his/) [Patricia A. Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-a-jennings/) > [Buddha's teaching are very simple, you don't have to break your head to understand the message. The part that I like the most from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-martin/buddha-s-teaching-are-very-simple-you-don-t-have-to-break-your-head/) [Ricky Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-martin/) > [It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. There are two aspects to action. One is to overcome the distortions and afflictions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/it-is-not-enough-to-be-compassionate-you-must-act-there-are-two/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [There is no small act of kindness. Every compassionate act makes large the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-radmacher/there-is-no-small-act-of-kindness-every-compassionate-act-makes-large/) [Mary Anne Radmacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-radmacher/) > [A kind and compassionate act is often its own reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/a-kind-and-compassionate-act-is-often-its-own-reward/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [A small compassionate act enlarges the scope of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-radmacher/a-small-compassionate-act-enlarges-the-scope-of-community/) [Mary Anne Radmacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-radmacher/) > [It's not enough to be compassionate. You must act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-not-enough-to-be-compassionate-you-must-act/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you live with fear and consider yourself as something special then automatically, emotionally, you are distanced from others. You then create the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama-xiv/if-you-live-with-fear-and-consider-yourself-as-something-special-then/) [Dalai Lama XIV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama-xiv/) > [“To the Dalai Lama, suffering and adversity are the necessary conditions for developing patience and tolerance. These qualities are vital if we want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-chan/to-the-dalai-lama-suffering-and-adversity-are-the-necessary/) Victor Chan ## More by Cory Booker > [We've got to get back to a country that can get things done. And my whole career has been marching and charging at and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/we-ve-got-to-get-back-to-a-country-that-can-get-things-done-and-my/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [If you want the things people don't have, you have to do the things other people will not do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/if-you-want-the-things-people-don-t-have-you-have-to-do-the-things/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [“Deterrents properly placed can help. But that is not enough. We are one society, and as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/deterrents-properly-placed-can-help-but-that-is-not-enough-we-are-one/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [Speaking as somebody who voted against TPA and has a lot of suspicions about Trans Pacific Partnership that are reflected in our concerns about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/speaking-as-somebody-who-voted-against-tpa-and-has-a-lot-of/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [ I love talking about the challenges \[Newark, NJ\] has because of the way they are always brilliantly disguised as opportunities.. .the biggest global challenge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/i-love-talking-about-the-challenges-newark-nj-has-because-of-the-way/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [If Donald Trump governs the way he campaigned, it'll be a disastrous presidency. This is a chance for him to be magnanimous, humble. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/if-donald-trump-governs-the-way-he-campaigned-it-ll-be-a-disastrous/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [To me, feminism is believing in women's equality, and I ardently ascribe to that belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/to-me-feminism-is-believing-in-women-s-equality-and-i-ardently/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [I live in Brick Towers, a public housing project in Newark's Central Ward. I moved in when the projects were privately owned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/i-live-in-brick-towers-a-public-housing-project-in-newark-s-central/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [“I celebrate ideals of individual excellence, self-reliance, and personal responsibility… But rugged individualism alone did not get us to the moon. It did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/i-celebrate-ideals-of-individual-excellence-self-reliance-and/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [The history in our country speaks to our highest values of people who did not accept things as they are and go along with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/the-history-in-our-country-speaks-to-our-highest-values-of-people-who/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [My dad set a clear model for me for what manhood was all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/my-dad-set-a-clear-model-for-me-for-what-manhood-was-all-about/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [Can you every single day tell a true testimony of who you are? That's really what life is about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/can-you-every-single-day-tell-a-true-testimony-of-who-you-are-that-s/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [2016 is an election like I've never seen before. And I think it reflects the fact that many people have a dissatisfaction with politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/2016-is-an-election-like-i-ve-never-seen-before-and-i-think-it/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [I do not believe that marijuana is a gateway drug, and having been a mayor trying to keep my community safe, if there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/i-do-not-believe-that-marijuana-is-a-gateway-drug-and-having-been-a/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [Any Democrat running is trying to get that Barack Obama coalition, which is an increasingly diverse voter base. It's young folks. It's minorities, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/any-democrat-running-is-trying-to-get-that-barack-obama-coalition/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) [Explore all 161 Cory Booker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) ## More Compassion quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/) Segun Magbagbeola > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) Talib al Habib > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Browse all 9,892 Compassion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is not enough to be compassionate. 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