Wisdom-Wednesday-GentlenessHappy Wednesday! Welcome to another edition of Wisdom/Virtue Wednesday. Last week’s virtue was creativity. This week’s virtue is gentleness.

Gentleness is the virtue of performing good without harm to others. It is the choice to deal with others from a position of sensitivity or at least compassion as opposed to apathy. Gentleness is bravery without cruelty, vigor without callousness, and love without rage. Gentleness is a personal inner calm that withstands war, brutality, violence, hostility, crudeness, offense, aggression, or other abuses of another’s integrity.

With the intention of being truly gentle, one should be strong. Gentleness should not be mistaken with being vulnerable. Only those that are truly strong can be gentle, because gentleness controls strength by tenderness. Gentleness is not a choice, it is a critical responsibility.

10 Wisdom Wednesday/Virtue Quotes: Gentleness

 

1. “Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.”—Saint Francis de Sales

2. “Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.”—Mahatma Gandhi

3. “What would you have? Your gentleness shall force More than your force move us to gentleness.”—William Shakespeare

4. “The way to overcome the angry person is with gentleness, the evil person with goodness, the miser with generosity and the liar with truth.”—Indian Proverb

5. “Gentleness is the antidote for cruelty.”—Phaedrus

6. “I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among people.”—Lao Tzu

7. “These are the few ways we can practice humility: To speak as little as possible of one’s self. To mind one’s own business. Not to want to manage other people’s affairs. To avoid curiosity. To accept contradictions and correction cheerfully. To pass over the mistakes of others. To accept insults and injuries. To accept being slighted, forgotten and disliked. To be kind and gentle even under provocation. Never to stand on one’s dignity. To choose always the hardest.”― Mother Teresa

8. “Beautiful is the man who leaves a legacy that of shared love and life. It is he who transfers meaning, assigns significance and conveys in his loving touch the fine art and gentle shaping of a life. This man shall be called, Father.”― Stella Payton

9. “Be gentle to all and stern with yourself.”—Saint Teresa of Avila

10. “Gentleness corrects whatever is offensive in our manner.”—Hugh Blair

 
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