11 Quotes on Kindness That Every Entrepreneur Needs to Read

6 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The business world is often portrayed as a highly competitive ecosystem in which you need to fight to get ahead. To a good extent, that's very true. Entrepreneurs need thick skin, drive and intense focus to succeed. But it's also important for entrepreneurs to remember the value of kindness.

With World Kindness Day coming up on November 13, take a few minutes to read these 11 quotes. They can all teach us important lessons about business, entrepreneurship and being good human beings.

1. "Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end." -- Scott Adams, Dilbert Creator and Author

Businesses give you the chance to change the world and influence others. Kindness does the same thing, and with a single act you can influence countless others. Pairing kindness with your business can make for a powerful opportunity.

2. "Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind." -- Eric Hoffer, Philosopher and Author

Sometimes in life, you have to fake it until you make it. Many of us don't get up in the morning feeling generous. However, if you concentrate on thinking positively and bringing kindness to each interaction during the day, you might just start to feel the momentum spread to more of your interactions. The truth is, kindness can become a driving force in your business that you can encompass into your mission, story and even branding.

3. "If you want to be a rebel, be kind." -- Pancho Ramos Stierle, Activist

In an often jaded world, kindness may be the ultimate act of rebellion. Volunteering for a nonprofit, donating a percentage of your business profits or serving as a mentor to young entrepreneurs can all help you stand out for the right reasons.

4. "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." -- Mahatma Gandhi

Kindness can be transformative. A volunteer experience might give you new ideas for a business or project. Helping another business owner or pairing up in a partnership may help you to better identify your own future business opportunities. Maybe it won't teach you any of that and you'll simply feel energized by being kind. Regardless, by helping others, you can grow as an individual.

5. "Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the figure of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

A nation doesn't have to be cruel to be tough, and neither does your business. In designing your company with kindness in mind, customers and clients will recognize and respect both you and your business.

6. "Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again." -- Og Mandino, Author

In business and in life, it's all too easy to put off those things that we really should prioritize. Find a way to make changes in your business, today. Be kind, start that new project and establish a personal connection with your clients.

7. "You can be rich in spirit, kindness, love and all those things that you can't put a dollar sign on." - Dolly Parton

You may have started a business with the goal of becoming rich, but money is only one way to measure a fortune. Be sure to balance your business life with your personal life so that you can enjoy love, kindness and those other elements that can also build your fortune.

8. "You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson speaks here to the temporary nature of everything in life. Keeping this in mind might make you want to stop and evaluate how you treat people, whether they're competitors or co-workers. How can you make a difference in someone's life today?

9. "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." -- Sir Winston Churchill

Just think of how good you feel when you give a little to others. Consider donating a percentage of your business's profits. It won't just change your life; it will change others's lives, too.

10. "A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees." -- Amelia Earhart

Your journey as an entrepreneur isn't just about you, but what you do for others and how you affect their lives. Starting with kindness means you can leave a legacy that's larger than you.

11. "Life is an echo. What you send out, comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others, exists in you." -- Zig Ziglar, Author and Motivational Speaker

When you're kind to others, that kindness comes back to you, too. You can make the journey easier for everyone simply by being kind.

When you're building a business, it's easy to become so focused on your own goals and progress that you forget about how you're treating others. But in a world full of entrepreneurs and new businesses, kindness is one quality that can quickly help you to stand out from everyone else. Work on incorporating kindness into your daily routine, and that routine may soon become a joyful experience.