--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Compassion will no longer be seen as a…" description: "\"Compassion will no longer be seen as a spiritual luxury for a contemplative few; rather it will be viewed as a social necessity for the entire human fa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb5/duane-elgin-19389_compassion_compassion-will-no-longer-be-seen-as-a-s_2366828.png" --- # Compassion will no longer be seen as a spiritual luxury… ![“Compassion will no longer be seen as a spiritual luxury for a contemplative few; rather it will be viewed as a social necessity for the entire human family.” quote by Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb5/duane-elgin-19389_compassion_compassion-will-no-longer-be-seen-as-a-s_2366828.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb5/duane-elgin-19389_compassion_compassion-will-no-longer-be-seen-as-a-s_2366828.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb5/duane-elgin-19389_compassion_compassion-will-no-longer-be-seen-as-a-s_2366828.png) > “Compassion will no longer be seen as a spiritual luxury for a contemplative few; rather it will be viewed as a social necessity for the entire human family.” [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) ## 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 shift from a niche spiritual practice to a universal social requirement for humanity. **In simple terms:** Compassion is essential for all people. Key Takeaway Cultivate empathy as a daily habit. Themes empathy social responsibility humanity Mood hopeful motivational Type ethical inspirational When to use this quote - community building - education - policy making - family life Key Concepts Ethics collective well‑being Questions to Reflect On - What actions can you take to show compassion today? - How can societies embed empathy into institutions? A Different Perspective Not everyone readily embraces compassion; cultural barriers exist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Contemplative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplative/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Human family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-family/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) ## Related quotes > [“...It also taught me that while cruelty can be fun for a few moments, compassion has a much longer shelf life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-orion/it-also-taught-me-that-while-cruelty-can-be-fun-for-a-few-moments/) Doreen Orion > [The cultivation of compassion is no longer a luxury, but a necessity, if our species is to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-cultivation-of-compassion-is-no-longer-a-luxury-but-a-necessity/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The invocation of social necessity should alert us. It contains the seeds for Marx's critique of political economy as well as for his dissection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harvey/the-invocation-of-social-necessity-should-alert-us-it-contains-the/) [David Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harvey/) > [“As Peret asserts, the value of such stories resides in the fact that they respond to direct social necessity but in a way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-richardson/as-peret-asserts-the-value-of-such-stories-resides-in-the-fact-that/) [Michael Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-richardson/) > [Beauty is a social necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goldsmith/beauty-is-a-social-necessity/) [James Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-goldsmith/) > [“As long as necessity is socially dreamed, dreaming will remain a social necessity. The spectacle is the bad dream of a modern society in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-debord/as-long-as-necessity-is-socially-dreamed-dreaming-will-remain-a/) [Guy Debord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-debord/) > [Two attempts have been made in the world to found social life: the one was upon religion, and the other was upon social necessity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/two-attempts-have-been-made-in-the-world-to-found-social-life-the-one/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Nuclear weapons are the scourge of the earth; to mine for them, manufacture them, deploy them, use them, is a curse against God, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-berrigan/nuclear-weapons-are-the-scourge-of-the-earth-to-mine-for-them/) [Philip Berrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-berrigan/) > [Sometimes I think that idlers seem to be a special class for whom nothing can be planned, plead as one will with them -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/sometimes-i-think-that-idlers-seem-to-be-a-special-class-for-whom/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [All my family, my blood, is mixed up now. They don't even all know each other. I just hope they don't never hate or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-california-cooper/all-my-family-my-blood-is-mixed-up-now-they-don-t-even-all-know-each/) [J. California Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-california-cooper/) > [I am neither Jew nor Gentile, Mahomedan nor Theist; I am but a member of the human family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-wright/i-am-neither-jew-nor-gentile-mahomedan-nor-theist-i-am-but-a-member/) [Frances Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-wright/) > [We as a human family are on this train that is taking us into more and more war and more and more abuse of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mairead-corrigan/we-as-a-human-family-are-on-this-train-that-is-taking-us-into-more/) [Mairead Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mairead-corrigan/) > [One's own self-worth is tied to the worth of the community to which one belongs, which is intimately connected to humanity in general. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/one-s-own-self-worth-is-tied-to-the-worth-of-the-community-to-which/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [“It can be helpful to think of humanity like a pearl necklace. Each human being is a pearl with distinct characteristics, but underneath there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gudjon-bergmann/it-can-be-helpful-to-think-of-humanity-like-a-pearl-necklace-each/) [Gudjon Bergmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gudjon-bergmann/) > [But whatever be their degree of talent it is no measure of their rights. Because Sir Isaac Newton was superior to others in understanding,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/but-whatever-be-their-degree-of-talent-it-is-no-measure-of-their/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Duane Elgin > [Simplicity of living, if deliberately chosen, implies a compassionate approach to life. It means that we are choosing to live our daily lives with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/simplicity-of-living-if-deliberately-chosen-implies-a-compassionate/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [It seems to me that inner growth is the whole moving force behind voluntary simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/it-seems-to-me-that-inner-growth-is-the-whole-moving-force-behind/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Poverty is mean and degrading to the human spirit, whereas a life of conscious simplicity can have both a beauty and a functional integrity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/poverty-is-mean-and-degrading-to-the-human-spirit-whereas-a-life-of/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Simplicity means to feel such a sense of kinship with others that we choose to live simply so that others may simply live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/simplicity-means-to-feel-such-a-sense-of-kinship-with-others-that-we/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [An elegant simplicity is an understated, organic aesthetic that contrasts with the excess of consumerist lifestyles. Drawing from influences ranging from Zen to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/an-elegant-simplicity-is-an-understated-organic-aesthetic-that/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [“To live sustainably, we must live efficiently - not misdirecting or squandering the earth's precious resources. To live efficiently, we must live peacefully for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/to-live-sustainably-we-must-live-efficiently-not-misdirecting-or/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [The character of a whole society is the cumulative result of countless small actions, day in and day out, of millions of persons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/the-character-of-a-whole-society-is-the-cumulative-result-of/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Our life is frittered away by detail Simplify, simplify.” Or, as Plato wrote, “In order to seek one’s own direction, one must simplify the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/our-life-is-frittered-away-by-detail-simplify-simplify-or-as-plato/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Living simply is not about living in poverty or self-inflicted deprivation. It's about living an examined life where one has determined what is truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/living-simply-is-not-about-living-in-poverty-or-self-inflicted/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Simplicity of living means meeting life face to face. It means confronting life clearly, without unnecessary distractions. It means being direct and honest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/simplicity-of-living-means-meeting-life-face-to-face-it-means/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Voluntary simplicity has more to do with the state of mind than a person's physical surroundings and possessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/voluntary-simplicity-has-more-to-do-with-the-state-of-mind-than-a/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [To live more simply is to unburden our lives - to live more lightly, cleanly, aerodynamically. It is to establish a more direct, unpretentious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/to-live-more-simply-is-to-unburden-our-lives-to-live-more-lightly/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [I consciously started to live simply when I started to become conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/i-consciously-started-to-live-simply-when-i-started-to-become/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [We live almost completely immersed in a socially constructed reality that so fully absorbs our energy and attention that virtually none remains to experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/we-live-almost-completely-immersed-in-a-socially-constructed-reality/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [When a person's primary objective is to maximize material pleasures while minimizing discomforts, then life becomes a constant process of "pushing" (trying to push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/when-a-person-s-primary-objective-is-to-maximize-material-pleasures/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) [Explore all 32 Duane Elgin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) ## 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": "Compassion will no longer be seen as a spiritual luxury for a contemplative few; rather it will be viewed as a social necessity for the entire human family.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Duane Elgin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/compassion-will-no-longer-be-seen-as-a-spiritual-luxury-for-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Compassion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/compassion-will-no-longer-be-seen-as-a-spiritual-luxury-for-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb5/duane-elgin-19389_compassion_compassion-will-no-longer-be-seen-as-a-s_2366828.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb5/duane-elgin-19389_compassion_compassion-will-no-longer-be-seen-as-a-s_2366828.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb5/duane-elgin-19389_compassion_compassion-will-no-longer-be-seen-as-a-s_2366828.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Compassion will no longer be seen as a spiritual luxury for a contemplative few; rather it will be viewed as…” — Duane Elgin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Duane Elgin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Compassion will no longer be seen...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/compassion-will-no-longer-be-seen-as-a-spiritual-luxury-for-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/compassion-will-no-longer-be-seen-as-a-spiritual-luxury-for-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```