--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is the history of our kindnesses that…" description: "\"It is the history of our kindnesses that alone make this world tolerable. If it were not for that, for the effect of kind words, kind looks, kind lette..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/robert-louis-stevenson-289_history_it-is-the-history-of-our-kindnesses-that_99229.jpg" --- # It is the history of our kindnesses that alone make this… ![“It is the history of our kindnesses that alone make this world tolerable. If it were not for that, for the effect of kind words, kind looks, kind letters . . . I should be inclined to think our life a practical jest in the worst possible spirit.” quote by Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/robert-louis-stevenson-289_history_it-is-the-history-of-our-kindnesses-that_99229.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/robert-louis-stevenson-289_history_it-is-the-history-of-our-kindnesses-that_99229.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/robert-louis-stevenson-289_history_it-is-the-history-of-our-kindnesses-that_99229.jpg) > “It is the history of our kindnesses that alone make this world tolerable. If it were not for that, for the effect of kind words, kind looks, kind letters . . . I should be inclined to think our life a practical jest in the worst possible spirit.” [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kindness—through words, gestures, and letters—creates a tolerable world; without it, existence feels like a cruel joke. **In simple terms:** Kindness makes life bearable. Key Takeaway Compassion sustains a livable society. Themes Kindness Compassion Human Connection Resilience Mood Warm Hopeful Type Moral Reflection Inspirational When to use this quote - Writing a thank‑you note - Volunteering - Supporting a friend in crisis Key Concepts Moral Philosophy Social Cohesion Practical Applications - Practicing daily gratitude - Fostering empathetic communication Questions to Reflect On - What limits can kindness overcome? - How does kindness influence collective well‑being? A Different Perspective Kindness alone may not solve systemic injustices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Kindnesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-kindnesses-1208903/) [Jest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jest/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Kind Letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind-letters-842046/) [Kind words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind-words/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Kindnesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindnesses-495199/) [Kindnesses Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindnesses-make-1208904/) [Letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letters/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Practicals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practicals/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [This world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) ## Related quotes > [A thousand kindnesses do not make up for a thousand blows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/a-thousand-kindnesses-do-not-make-up-for-a-thousand-blows/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [How easily we ignore or forget the small kindnesses and considerations in life which are really the only everyday magic we witness on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/how-easily-we-ignore-or-forget-the-small-kindnesses-and/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [ “These were the kind \[of letters\] you save, folded into a memory box, to be opened years later with fingers against crackling age, heart… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-brown/these-were-the-kind-of-letters-you-save-folded-into-a-memory-box-to/) [Eleanor Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-brown/) > [Kind messages, that pass from land to land; Kind letters, that betray the heart's deep history, In which we feel the pressure of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/kind-messages-that-pass-from-land-to-land-kind-letters-that-betray/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“Sometimes I get nice letters from people who know they're due to meet him (Death) soon, and hope I've got him right. Those are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/sometimes-i-get-nice-letters-from-people-who-know-they-re-due-to-meet/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [If you set out to do a good deed, you may do a hundred small kindnesses on the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-doudney/if-you-set-out-to-do-a-good-deed-you-may-do-a-hundred-small/) [Sarah Doudney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-doudney/) > [Kindnesses are easily forgotten; but injuries! what worthy man does not keep those in mind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/kindnesses-are-easily-forgotten-but-injuries-what-worthy-man-does-not/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Being Kind Not in some great deed of heroism; not in some great speech or act that may be pointed to with pride-but rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/being-kind-not-in-some-great-deed-of-heroism-not-in-some-great-speech/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [“They hurt me, these small, brutal kindnesses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-helene-bertino/they-hurt-me-these-small-brutal-kindnesses/) [Marie-Helene Bertino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-helene-bertino/) > [“Kindnesses win over harsh judgments EVERY time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-parr/kindnesses-win-over-harsh-judgments-every-time/) [Trish Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-parr/) > [“expressing gratitude for even the smallest kindnesses shown to me;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/expressing-gratitude-for-even-the-smallest-kindnesses-shown-to-me/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [Verily God hath one hundred loving kindnesses; one of which he hath sent down amongst man, quadrupeds, and every moving thing upon the face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad/verily-god-hath-one-hundred-loving-kindnesses-one-of-which-he-hath/) [Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad/) > [“At a certain level housekeeping is a regime of small kindnesses, which, taken together, make the world salubrious, savory, and warm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/at-a-certain-level-housekeeping-is-a-regime-of-small-kindnesses-which/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Small kindnesses win the hearts of wounded people”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-j-mccarthy/small-kindnesses-win-the-hearts-of-wounded-people/) [Kevin J. McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-j-mccarthy/) > [The magic in this world seems to work in whispers and small kindnesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/the-magic-in-this-world-seems-to-work-in-whispers-and-small-kindnesses/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) ## More by Robert Louis Stevenson > [You must suffer me to go my own dark way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/you-must-suffer-me-to-go-my-own-dark-way/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Nobody speaks of a beautifful view for 5 minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/nobody-speaks-of-a-beautifful-view-for-5-minutes/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find is an honest friend. 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Measure success by the seeds you plant today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/do-not-measure-success-by-today-s-harvest-measure-success-by-the/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [To be idle requires a strong sense of personal identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/to-be-idle-requires-a-strong-sense-of-personal-identity/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Saints are sinners who kept on going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/saints-are-sinners-who-kept-on-going/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Loving God, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/loving-god-help-us-remember-the-birth-of-jesus-that-we-may-share-in/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The friendly cow, all red and white, I love with all my heart; She gives me cream with all her might, To eat with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-friendly-cow-all-red-and-white-i-love-with-all-my-heart-she-gives/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) [Explore all 701 Robert Louis Stevenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. 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It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' 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