--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What we do now, we do so that someday…" description: "\"“What we do now, we do so that someday mercy will be able to survive here.”\" — Kiersten White" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/kiersten-white-398_compassion_what-we-do-now-we-do-so-that-someday-mer_387085.png" --- # What we do now, we do so that someday mercy will be able… ![“What we do now, we do so that someday mercy will be able to survive here.” quote by Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/kiersten-white-398_compassion_what-we-do-now-we-do-so-that-someday-mer_387085.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/kiersten-white-398_compassion_what-we-do-now-we-do-so-that-someday-mer_387085.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/kiersten-white-398_compassion_what-we-do-now-we-do-so-that-someday-mer_387085.png) > ““What we do now, we do so that someday mercy will be able to survive here.”” [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our present actions shape a future where compassion can thrive. **In simple terms:** Act now for future mercy. Key Takeaway Choose kindness today. Themes compassion future action Mood thoughtful motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - community building - policy making - personal behavior Key Concepts ethics social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What concrete steps can you take to foster mercy? - How does today’s choice affect tomorrow’s compassion? A Different Perspective Mercy may be limited by systemic obstacles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) ## Related quotes > [“Mercy is the one thing I cannot afford. Not yet. When Wallachia is stable, when we have rebuilt, then yes. What we do now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/mercy-is-the-one-thing-i-cannot-afford-not-yet-when-wallachia-is/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [My grandma always said, "Where there's a will, there's a way." I think it's just naturally in our DNA to be able to survive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/my-grandma-always-said-where-there-s-a-will-there-s-a-way-i-think-it/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [We imagine things — that we wouldn't be able to survive, but in fact, we do survive. ... We have no choice, so we do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/we-imagine-things-that-we-wouldn-t-be-able-to-survive-but-in-fact-we/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I certainly know that I would not be able to survive if it were not for the fact that I am being upheld by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/i-certainly-know-that-i-would-not-be-able-to-survive-if-it-were-not/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [I know that there's a god because I was able to survive everything that I've been through - all of the tough times -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-mayweather-jr/i-know-that-there-s-a-god-because-i-was-able-to-survive-everything/) [Floyd Mayweather, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-mayweather-jr/) > [Humans are pretty amazing at living pretty much anywhere and so that makes me optimistic that perhaps humanity will be able to survive itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/humans-are-pretty-amazing-at-living-pretty-much-anywhere-and-so-that/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Faith may want answers, but somehow it is able to survive without them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-custis-james/faith-may-want-answers-but-somehow-it-is-able-to-survive-without-them/) [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) > [I've been able to survive a lot of things, and I am especially interested in survivor stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/i-ve-been-able-to-survive-a-lot-of-things-and-i-am-especially/) [Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/) > [I think I was able to survive five heart attacks because I never postponed going to the hospital when something didn't feel right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/i-think-i-was-able-to-survive-five-heart-attacks-because-i-never/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [Without comedy as a defense mechanism I wouldn't be able to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-shandling/without-comedy-as-a-defense-mechanism-i-wouldn-t-be-able-to-survive/) [Garry Shandling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-shandling/) > [I've always been able to survive by writing, though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milius/i-ve-always-been-able-to-survive-by-writing-though/) [John Milius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milius/) > [It's part of my character not to take myself too seriously. That's one of the reasons I've been able to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/it-s-part-of-my-character-not-to-take-myself-too-seriously-that-s-one/) [Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/) > [Working on a studio picture, I can't help but be aware of all the political stuff that's going on. I have to work to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-pearce/working-on-a-studio-picture-i-can-t-help-but-be-aware-of-all-the/) [Guy Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-pearce/) > [“At the time you've got skills and possessions, train yourself to be able to survive without them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/at-the-time-you-ve-got-skills-and-possessions-train-yourself-to-be/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [I've had a lot of movies that didn't get great numbers on test screening, but a lot of times the film was able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/i-ve-had-a-lot-of-movies-that-didn-t-get-great-numbers-on-test/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) ## More by Kiersten White > [Be careful. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to the worst Spanish student in the history of the language.” I laughed. “No problemo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/be-careful-i-wouldn-t-want-anything-to-happen-to-the-worst-spanish/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“I shuffled my weight from foot to foot, trying to relieve some of the soreness and wondering how long it would take Reth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/i-shuffled-my-weight-from-foot-to-foot-trying-to-relieve-some-of-the/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“It’s about Fia. Everything always is, even when she is nowhere near, even when she left all of us. We still orbit the brilliant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/it-s-about-fia-everything-always-is-even-when-she-is-nowhere-near/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [Where did you find that one?" "I have no idea. I'm a magnet for crazies, I guess." "They must be able to sense a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/where-did-you-find-that-one-i-have-no-idea-i-m-a-magnet-for-crazies-i/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [...sometimes I get tired. Sometimes I get bored. And sometimes all I want, more than anything else in the world, is to go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/sometimes-i-get-tired-sometimes-i-get-bored-and-sometimes-all-i-want/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [Fun-run" indeed,what a misnomer. That'd be like saying "calm gremlin" or "pleasant hag." Or 'entertaining history textbook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/fun-run-indeed-what-a-misnomer-that-d-be-like-saying-calm-gremlin-or/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“You bet I'm trouble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/you-bet-i-m-trouble/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [Yes, I have a driver's license." I leaned back against the wall, sighing. "Man, that must be so cool." "It ranks right up there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/yes-i-have-a-driver-s-license-i-leaned-back-against-the-wall-sighing/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“Sir, yes, sir!' Tyler jumps up mock-saluting. 'I love when you get bossy, it's kind of adorable”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/sir-yes-sir-tyler-jumps-up-mock-saluting-i-love-when-you-get-bossy-it/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“Jack, who apparently always had to be moving in some way, had made up for the missing knife by grabbing a half loaf of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/jack-who-apparently-always-had-to-be-moving-in-some-way-had-made-up/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“Reth reached out and took my fingers in his own, his touch light but comforting. “I’ve found that sacrifice is called that for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/reth-reached-out-and-took-my-fingers-in-his-own-his-touch-light-but/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“Heaven and hell,your hands are cold." "I never thought I'd prefer the dead silence of the Paths over anything,but it had to be better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/heaven-and-hell-your-hands-are-cold-i-never-thought-i-d-prefer-the/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“What about our souls?' Mehmed whispered. Before Lada walked out, she paused at the door. 'Souls and thrones are irreconcilable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/what-about-our-souls-mehmed-whispered-before-lada-walked-out-she/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [Give me a mirror.Or holy water. I'll drink it,even!" I gasped as someone threw water on the side of my face. "A little warning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/give-me-a-mirror-or-holy-water-i-ll-drink-it-even-i-gasped-as-someone/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“Ignorance was bliss. Or at least less painfull”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/ignorance-was-bliss-or-at-least-less-painfull/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) [Explore all 593 Kiersten White quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) ## 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": "“What we do now, we do so that someday mercy will be able to survive here.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kiersten White" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/what-we-do-now-we-do-so-that-someday-mercy-will-be-able-to-survive/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Compassion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/what-we-do-now-we-do-so-that-someday-mercy-will-be-able-to-survive/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/kiersten-white-398_compassion_what-we-do-now-we-do-so-that-someday-mer_387085.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/kiersten-white-398_compassion_what-we-do-now-we-do-so-that-someday-mer_387085.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/kiersten-white-398_compassion_what-we-do-now-we-do-so-that-someday-mer_387085.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What we do now, we do so that someday mercy will be able to survive here.” — Kiersten White", "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": "Kiersten White", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What we do now, we do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/what-we-do-now-we-do-so-that-someday-mercy-will-be-able-to-survive/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/what-we-do-now-we-do-so-that-someday-mercy-will-be-able-to-survive/#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 } } ] } ```