"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible"
About this Quote
The line works because it narrows the moral escape routes. The first sentence sounds conditional, even practical: whenever possible. It nods to the reader’s internal lawyer, the part that insists kindness is a luxury reserved for easy days. Then the second sentence snaps the loophole shut. It is always possible. Not always convenient. Not always rewarded. Not always safe. Possible. The rhetorical move is deceptively simple: redefine kindness as a choice available in every moment, regardless of what you can’t control.
The subtext is less Hallmark than strategy. Kindness here isn’t softness; it’s sovereignty. If you can choose your response, you can’t be wholly conquered by circumstance. In a Buddhist frame, that’s also a claim about agency: suffering may arrive uninvited, but cruelty is optional. Read politically, it’s even sharper: nonviolence survives by refusing the enemy the satisfaction of remaking you in their image.
The quote endures because it flatters no one. It challenges the modern habit of outsourcing ethics to mood, outrage, or exhaustion. Kindness becomes not a personality trait, but an act of control in a world eager to take it away.
Quote Details
| Topic | Kindness |
|---|---|
| Source | Later attribution: The Now Effect (Elisha Goldstein, 2012) modern compilationISBN: 9781451623864 · ID: Tb2lIiZzk7QC
Evidence:
... BE KIND WHENEVER POSSIBLE . IT IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE . No act of kindness , no matter how small , is ever wasted . -AESOP T he Dalai Lama made a radical statement when he said , " Be kind whenever possible . It is always possible . " When ... |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Lama, Dalai. (2026, February 27). Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/be-kind-whenever-possible-it-is-always-possible-24771/
Chicago Style
Lama, Dalai. "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." FixQuotes. February 27, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/be-kind-whenever-possible-it-is-always-possible-24771/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." FixQuotes, 27 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/be-kind-whenever-possible-it-is-always-possible-24771/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.











