Welcome to a collection of goodness quotes that celebrate the virtue of simple acts that make the world a better place.
Whether you’re seeking inspiration or just a little extra goodness in your day, let these quotes remind you of the beauty of being kind, generous, and, above all, good.
1. “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.“ ― Desmond Tutu
2. “Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
3. “Whereas goodness makes greatness teachable, greatness makes goodness touchable.” ― Orrin Woodward
4. “Good people see the good and bring out the best in other people.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
5. “The goodness you do might fail; but keep doing it, because the real failure is never doing goodness!“ ― Mehmet Murat ildan
6. “Every person has goodness; we just need the right perspective to identify it.” ― Sukant Ratnakar, Quantraz
7. “Goodness is a powerful magnet. Goodness attracts goodness. The surest way to have good people around you is to be a good person yourself.” ― Giannis Delimitsos
8. “In the journey of goodness, wherever the final breath arrives, that is the destination.” ― Wasif Ali Wasif, Segue of Spiritual Whispers: Baat Se Baat
9. “Doing goodness, but doing goodness only is the best and the most superior religion of all the times!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan
10. “Eventually you are answerable to yourself for your deeds. Be good and do good!“ ― Harsh Agrawal
1. “Every other knowledge is harmful to him who does not have knowledge of goodness.“ ― Michel de Montaigne, The Complete Essays
2. “Goodness can be no single leader. No solitary person. Goodness is friends who stick by you, even when they fear you’re lost. It’s mothers you fight for their daughters. It’s believing in something better—and taking action to make it reality. It’s love, untainted and pure.” ― Marie Lu, Steelstriker
3. “Simple, genuine goodness is the best capital to found the business of this life upon. It lasts when fame and money fail, and is the only riches we can take out of this world with us.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Men
4. “Do not compromise yourself and put your goodness in the same impermanent category as whatever circumstance happening. Be the best you in every circumstance.” ― Steve Maraboli
5. “Keep in mind that the reason you know you can be good to others is only because you’ve taken strides to be better for and to yourself.“ ― Alexandra Elle, Words from a Wanderer
6. “Evil is committed without effort, naturally, fatally; goodness is always the product of some art.” ― Charles Baudelaire
7. “It is good people who make good places.” ― Anna Sewell, Black Beauty
8. “Everybody’s got the seam of goodness in them… Just a matter of whether it can be found and brought out into the light.” ― David Almond, Kit’s Wilderness
9. “He keeps his deepest belief tight to him: that people are good and want to be good, if only you give them a chance.” ― Lauren Groff, Arcadia
10. “Every man had his personal habits, passions, and impulses toward goodness, beauty, and truth.“ ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
11. “How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” ― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
12. “The most basic and somehow forgettable thing is this: Love is not pain. Love is goodness. And real love–it’s less shiny than solid and simple.” ― Deb Caletti, The Secret Life of Prince Charming
13. “There was good in people – deep down, there was always a shred of good.” ― Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass
14. “I smiled back and I thought how incredible that was, that they would find the time to smile. There was goodness in the world still, even if you couldn’t always see it.” ― Jenny Valentine, Broken Soup
15. “There is a goodness in the world that got me through, that taught me it’s important to know who you are.“ ― Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar, The Map of Salt and Stars
16. “Know you not that a good man does nothing for appearance sake, but for the sake of having done right?” ― Epictetus
17. “Gold don’t come off. What’s good stays good no matter how much of a beating it takes.” ― Joe Hill, NOS4A2
18. “…tell them that we have some good in us, too. And the only thing worth living for is the good. That’s why we’ve got to make sure we pass it on.” ― Billie Letts, Where the Heart Is
19. “I will think of you every time I need to be reminded that there is beauty and goodness in the world.” ― Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha
20. “Goodness was not a trait you acquired; it was a value you practiced when you were on the verge of doing evil.” ― Julius Lester, The Autobiography of God
21. “If I commit fewer bad acts there will be fewer bad acts, maybe other people will join in committing fewer bad acts, and in time there will be fewer and fewer of them.” ― Daniel Handler
22. “I think people who truly can live a life in music are telling the world, ‘You can have my love, you can have my smiles. Forget the bad parts, you don’t need them. Just take the music, the goodness, because it’s the very best, and it’s the part I give most willingly” ― George Harrison
23. “I admire those who do good and expect nothing in return.” ― Roy T. Bennett
24. “If you wish to glimpse inside a human soul and get to know a man, don’t bother analyzing his ways of being silent, of talking, of weeping, of seeing how much he is moved by noble ideas; you will get better results if you just watch him laugh. If he laughs well, he’s a good man.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky
25. “There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
26. “One good person can do a million good things in this world.” ― Anuj Jasani
27. “Just do what you want to make you happy, even if they have something to say and judge, still choose to be a good person.” ― Napz Cherub Pellazo
28. “Appreciation of beauty is a strength that connects someone directly to excellence. Gratitude connects someone directly to goodness.” ― Christopher Peterson, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification
29. “Don’t go on discussing what a good person should be. Just be one.” ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
30. “To have beauty is to have only that, but to have goodness is to be beautiful too.” ― Sappho
31. “No goodness, no peace – no goodness, no assimilation – no goodness, no justice.” ― Abhijit Naskar, Boldly Comes Justice: Sentient Not Silent
32. “Goodness is a bright flame within you. Use it to light up the world.” ― Frank Sonnenberg, Listen to Your Conscience: That’s Why You Have One
33. “There is remarkable goodness in the world when caring people find one another and then unite to accomplish what they must for those who cannot speak for themselves.” ― Dottie Hyatt, Lil Drac
34. “Only the petty keep count of the good they do for others, but the great does good every step of the way, yet never remembers them.” ― Abhijit Naskar, Aşkanjali: The Sufi Sermon
35. “Honesty is the beating heart in good people.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich, Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year
See also: 180 Greatest Honesty Quotes To Inspire Authentic Living
1. “It is certain that an atom of goodness on the path of faith is never lost.” ― Rumi
2. “It’s not about being good. It’s about releasing good.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough
3. “Be good to others,” is the mantra for a peaceful life.” — KRJPD
4. “Badness is only spoiled goodness.” ― C.S. Lewis
5. “How good life is when one does something good and just!” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
6. “We don’t love people so much for the good they have done us, as for the good we have done them” ― Laurence Sterne
7. “Goodness makes you accountable, accountability strengthens your goodness.” ― Abhijit Naskar
8. “But the scent of the good is blown against the wind: A good man perfumes all directions.” ― Anonymous, The Dhammapada
9. “And when something awful happens, the goodness stands out even more …” ― Banana Yoshimoto, The Lake
10. “Grace is the growth of goodness.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita
11. “Not all good things come from good people.” ― Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity
12. “Oh! if the good hearts had the fat purses, how much better everything would go!” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
13. “In short, all good things are wild and free.” ― Henry David Thoreau, Walking
14. “People forget to understand your goodness, teach them something new.” ― M.F. Moonzajer
15. “To see good in the world, we must first be the good in the world.” ― Abhijit Naskar
16. “Even in hardship, God’s goodness prevails.” ― Todd Stocker, REFINED: Turning Pain into Purpose
17. “Carry goodness, not guns.” ― Abhijit Naskar
18. “Be grateful, reflect on God’s goodness.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita
See also: 130 Gratitude Affirmations To Make Your Life More Joyful
19. “There is none like God. His goodness knows no bounds.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita
20. “Fool’s ambition blinds his conscience whereas the wise’s only aim is goodness.” ― Maxime Lagacé
21. “Being good is not a state of mind, it is a constant struggle.” ― Lamine Pearlheart
22. “A kind heart is a natural spring of wisdom.” ― Abhijit Naskar
23. “I don’t ever want to get over it! I never want to get tired or bored of beauty and goodness.” ― Leesa Cross-Smith
24. “Causing goodness must be the cause of goodness.” ― Abhijit Naskar
25. “It would be a much more blooming world if we share with others whatever good we have in us.” ― Bhuwan Thapaliya
26. “The goodness of God is for his glorious praise.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita
27. “Simple Philosophy of Life: Think Good, Be Good, Become Good !” ― Sham Hinduja
28. “Because my mother taught me that, in spite of everything, I must choose goodness.” ― Tracy Deonn
29. “To be good and to do good, is all we have to do.” ― John Adams, The Letters of John and Abigail Adams
30. “Goodness is humanity, humanity is divinity.” ― Abhijit Naskar
31. “God alone is goodness.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita
32. “Life mustn’t be measured by time, but by goodness.” ― Abhijit Naskar
33. “There is no greatness like goodness.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita
34. “Life without goodness is but death in disguise.” ― Abhijit Naskar
35. “Conditions in goodness are a route of hypocrisy.” ― Ehsan Sehgal
See also: 100 Best Quotes About Hypocrites To Know If You Are One
1. “He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.” ― Confucius
2. “But goodness alone is never enough. A hard, cold wisdom is required for goodness to accomplish good. Goodness without wisdom always accomplishes evil.” ― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
3. “It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.” ― Leo Tolstoy, The Kreutzer Sonata
4. “Goodness is about what you do. Not who you pray to.” ― Terry Pratchett, Snuff
5. “Feeling good about yourself is not the same thing as doing good. Good policy is more important than good feelings.” ― Theodore Dalrymple
6. “A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.” ― Nelson Mandela
7. “There is no absolute hate or evil. On the contrary hate or evil are always intimately blended with love and goodness. What causes more hate and evil is paradoxically what tends to be done in the name of love and goodness. Hence, in order to reduce hate and evil we need to be aware of love and goodness, rather than hate and evil.” ― Franco Santoro
8. “If goodness has causes, it is not goodness; if it has effects, a reward, it is not goodness either. So goodness is outside the chain of cause and effect.” ― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
9. “True human goodness, in all its purity and freedom, can come to the fore only when its recipient has no power.” ― Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
10. “And this is the eternal law. For, Evil often stops short at itself and dies with the doer of it! but Good, never.” ― Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend
11. “You’ve a good heart. Sometimes that’s enough to see you safe wherever you go. But mostly, it’s not.” ― Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere
12. “Some people have goodness and merit buried deep inside and we glimpse it and see its value but ultimately it’s covered by so much dirt that it’s a 24/7 exercise in archaeology.” ― Kelli Jae Baeli
13. “The danger in trying to do good is that the mind comes to confuse the intent of goodness with the act of doing things well.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin, Tales from Earthsea
14. “On the whole human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time.” ― George Orwell, All Art is Propaganda: Critical Essays
15. “Wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness brings wealth and every other blessing, both to the individual and to the state” ― Socrates
16. “Real courage is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. Doing the unpopular thing because it’s what you believe, and the heck with everybody.” ― Justin Cronin, The Summer Guest
17. “I think the biggest lie the devil ever told was that beauty and goodness are the same.” ― Daniel Nayeri, Another Faust
18. “Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.” ― Arthur Schopenhauer, The Basis of Morality
19. “There are two things that men should never weary of, goodness and humility; we get none too much of them in this rough world among cold, proud people.” ― Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped
20. “It’s better to be good than evil, but one achieves goodness at a tremendous cost.” ― Stephen King
21. “When someone has been mean to you, why would you want to be good to them?’ ‘You wouldn’t want to. That’s what makes it hard. You do it anyway. Being good is hard. Much harder than being bad.” ― Jeanne DuPrau, The People of Sparks
22. “Being good is easy, what is difficult is being just.” ― Victor Hugo
23. “Be good and you will be lonesome.” ― Mark Twain, Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World
24. “The proper function of a government is to make it easy for the people to do good, and difficult for them to do evil. ” ― Daniel Webster, The Writings and Speeches of Daniel Webster: Diplomatic Papers And Miscellaneous Letters
25. “The irony of being a good person is that you understand a bad person very well.” ― Pradip Bendkule
26. “One cannot be a good person without gratitude, and one cannot be a happy person without gratitude. This provides a vital link between goodness and happiness.” ― Dennis Prager
27. “If we are good but not strong, we must learn that, without courage, other people will destroy our life. Everything we value is open to being taken or destroyed by a stronger person. If we are strong but not good, we must learn that we ruin our own lives. ” ― Donna Goddard, Touched by Love
28. “When too much cynicism threatens to engulf us, it is buoying to remember how pervasive goodness is.” ― Carl Sagan
29. The person who does a truly good deed does not remember it as long as does the person for whom it is done. And this is how it ought to be. A truly good deed, by definition, is not done with the expectation of instant return.” ― Valentin Rasputin
30. “The goodness we see in others is the goodness we have within, we see as we are and we are as we see.” ― Aiyaz Uddin, The Inward Journey
31. “Exemplary role models believe in the power of good — not what’s good for them but rather, what’s good for others.” ― Frank Sonnenberg, Listen to Your Conscience: That’s Why You Have One
32. “It’s not about how bad or unfair the world is! It’s all about how you take care of your goodness. So don’t be the same, try to be fair with this unfair WORLD.” ― SiD
33. “We do not need to make up supernatural stories to believe in the goodness of great characters – goodness and greatness do not require magical nonsense to survive in a society of civilized beings.” ― Abhijit Naskar, Good Scientist: When Science and Service Combine
34. “If good was easy, there wouldn’t be a word for bad.” ― Frank Sonnenberg, Listen to Your Conscience: That’s Why You Have One
35. “A goodness you do by waiting for a return is not a goodness, but just a cunning investment in the future!“ ― Mehmet Murat ildan
1. “Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, be good.“ ― Marcus Aurelius
2. “The goodness inside you is like a small flame, and you are its keeper. It’s your job, today and every day, to make sure that it has enough fuel…every person has their own version of the flame…so long as your flame flickers, there will be some light in the world.” ― Ryan Holiday
3. “You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the good that is in you must be spread to others.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley
4. “The best of people are not those who buy flowers and give them to their loved ones to be placed in pretty vases on bedside tables and mantelpieces. The best of people are those who grow flowers in boxes on their window sills for all those who pass by to see.” ― T.M Cicinski, The Mind Is Its Own Place
5. “If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.” — Kent M. Keith, The Silent Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student Council
6. “Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
7. “When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there. ” ― Jim Henson
8. “Conquer the angry one by not getting angry; conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the stingy by generosity, and the liar by speaking the truth.” ― Siddhārtha Gautama, The Dhammapada
9. “Life isn’t all grand, but it isn’t all miserable either. There’s both sweet and sour in every day. So why focus on the ugly when you can gaze at what’s beautiful? Concentrate on the good.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, and Grumblings for Every Day of the Year
10. “Learn to discover your inner goodness, and spread it to others.” ― Santosh Kumar (San)
11. “Using your talent, hobby or profession in a way that makes you contribute with something good to this world is truly the way to go.” ― Simon Zingerman, We All Need Heroes: Stories of the Brave and Foolish
12. “I don’t mean good like going to church or not breaking laws. If, in your heart, you try to get through the day without hurting other people, then you are a good person…” ― Kaje Harper, Breaking Cover
13. “In choosing a mate, don’t pick the tallest and most handsome or the most beautiful. Don’t choose one just because that person raises your physical passions. Look for the person who is good from within, the one with substance and worth.” ― Helen Quist Milligan
14. “Lift up your eyes and see the good in the world, for we are people with an amazing capacity to do great good. And if only the minority choose to exercise this capacity to the smallest degree, oh how wondrous and sweet the deeds performed at but a few hands!” ― Richelle E. Goodrich, Slaying Dragons: Quotes, Poetry, & a Few Short Stories for Every Day of the Year
15. “When we dwell on the positive, and feed our minds with beauty and goodness, we exude positivity and create favorable situations. It’s as simple as that.” ― Leona Sokolova
16. “If you really want to be different, you’d better keep quiet and be a good person on the inside.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson, The Book of Maxims, Poems and Anecdotes
17. “May all that is good in you meet all that is good in this world. Everything else can take care of itself.” ― Leo Lourdes, A World of Yoga: 700 Asanas for Mindfulness and Well-Being
18. “That’s easy for you to say! You’re just a kid. You don’t know what a rotten, horrible place this world can be. It can be so cold…so cruel…so unforgiving…” “Papa…That’s why we need to be good.” ― Dav Pilkey, Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas
19. “Relate to softness of heart like the air that you need to breathe. It’s your living connection to goodness. Open your heart and it lives.” ― John de Ruiter
20. “What you see in other people is a reflection of yourself. A person of goodness sees goodness in others and a person of evil sees evil in others.” ― Omar Suleiman
21. “A person who makes something so beautiful out of something which was once so ugly, is usually a very good person in their heart, if not on the surface.” ― T.M Cicinski, A Patchwork Of Moonlight And Shadow
22. “Logic doesn’t make you a good person, love does. Belief doesn’t make you a good person, behavior does.” ― Abhijit Naskar, Aşk Mafia: Armor of The World
23. “If I change my goodness for bad people; I’ll never remain as a person which I wanted to be. Even if I died in my goodness that will be a super satisfying death.” ― Sonal Takalkar
24. “It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there’ll be any fruit. But that doesn’t mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
25. “A human doesn’t need religion to be good, but every religion needs a human, to be good.” ― Abhijit Naskar, Amantes Assemble: 100 Sonnets of Servant Sultans
26. “Be good but do not let people to take advantage of you because of your goodness.” ― Kamaran Ihsan Salih
27. “No more roundabout discussion of what makes a good man. Be one!” ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
28. “Because goodness has to mature; it doesn’t just occur, it must be nourished, and it must grow.” ― Roger Weir
29. “There is a part within us, which separates us from the sacredness of souls and that is our evil self. We all have it beside our true good self. We need to choose the right way relying on our goodness. Depending on your evil self will do you no good” ― Munia Khan, Attainable
30. “It’s no use being a devil if you want to beam light into the world. Radiate good energy and good energy will find its way back to you.” ― Torron-Lee Dewar
31. “The only way to influence others to do good deeds is to be the example of good deeds ourselves.” ― Abhijit Naskar
32. “Be a good person. Everything else is secondary.” ― Frank Sonnenberg, Listen to Your Conscience: That’s Why You Have One
33. “You are powerful because even there is all the evil in this world you can choose to be a good person.” ― Cave Man, Modern Human’s Handbook
34. “Be the necklace-fire of stars, the cauterizing lightning. Bewilder us with good.” ― Seamus Heaney, The Burial at Thebes: A Version of Sophocles’ Antigone
35. “Just be kind and good to everybody. No action or thought goes unnoticed throughout the universe.” ― Suzy Kassem
I collected these goodness quotes from various online sources.
Let them inspire you to be the best version of yourself. In doing so, you contribute to making the world a better, kinder, and more compassionate place for all.
