A little bit of unexpected kindness can go a long way amid the bustle of a busy day or the stress of a difficult time. Odds are, we’ve all been the recipient of at least one random act of kindness, whether from a close friend or a complete stranger.
Our gratitude for those kindnesses might prompt us to pass it on, in one way or another. For example, in 2020, more than 900 cars at a Minnesota drive-thru took part in what’s referred to as a pay-it-forward chain, in which each customer pays for the order of the car behind them. Studies have shown that even children as young as 4 years old get the urge to pass on the kindnesses they’re shown.
One may wonder why we don’t just directly repay the person who initially showed us generosity. It’s totally reasonable and warranted to show our gratitude to that person, but science shows that paying it forward can cause a ripple effect of positive actions.
For one, it’s likely that paying it forward will inspire the people we help to help others in turn — making a bigger impact than a pair of favorable actions between two people. It also helps strengthen our ties to other people, decreasing our risks of anxiety and depression. The bottom line here is that being kind to others is good for our own well-being and the well-being of those around us.
To inspire you, we’ve gathered 11 quotes about the value of paying forward the goodwill shown to us. You never know the positive impact your choices may have on someone else’s life!
I have a theory about the assists we get in life. Only rarely can we repay those people who helped us, but we can pass that help along to others.Lucille Ball
Have you had a kindness shown? / Pass it on; / 'Twas not given for thee alone, / Pass it on.Henry Burton
Try to be kind, because there is such a lack of kindness everywhere, and if you could generate just a little, it would mean everything to someone else. You may never know how much it would help … Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else’s life forever.Margaret Cho
It’s important in this world we’re living in now, to give back. We can’t forget about the people who live in it. How can we make it a better world?Paula Patton
Learning to pay it forward can add a tremendous sense of meaning and dignity to our lives. Simply put, it feels good to give to others, whether we get back or not.Greg Epstein
Here’s what I want you to do. Do a very big favor for three people … And when they try to pay you back, tell them instead to pay it forward. Give your time, if you have to, or your compassion.Catherine Ryan Hyde
I always liked telling my students: “Go out and do for others what somebody did for you.”Randy Pausch
We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at least one which makes the heart run over.Ray Bradbury
Every small, unselfish action nudges the world into a better path. An accumulation of small acts can change the world.Robin Hobb
Friendships … are built of a thousand small kindnesses … swapped back and forth and over again.Michelle Obama
One can never pay in gratitude, one can only pay “in kind” somewhere else in life.Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Featured image credit: Thinglass/ Shutterstock
