But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
Matthew 22:34-40
“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
~ Henri Frederic Amiel
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
~ Charles Dickens
Words can never fully say what we want them to say, for they fumble, stammer, and break the best porcelain. The best one can hope for is to find along the way someone to share the path, content to walk in silence, for the heart communes best when it does not try to speak.
~ Margaret Weis
“The Christian life is not about pleasing God the finger-shaker and judge. It is not about believing now or being good now for the sake of heaven later. It is about entering a relationship in the present that begins to change everything now. Spirituality is about this process: the opening of the heart to the God who is already here.”
― Marcus J. Borg, The God We Never Knew: Beyond Dogmatic Religion To A More Authenthic Contemporary Faith
Be fearless and pure; never waiver in your determination or your dedication to the spiritual life, Give freely. Be self controlled, sincere, truthful, loving and full of desire to serve. Realize the truth of the scriptures. learn to be detached and to take joy in renunciation. do not get angry or harm any living creature but be compassionate and gentle; show good will to all.
Bhagavad Gita 16: 1-3
What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
The Analects of Confucius 15
What is hateful to you do not to your neighbour: that is the whole of the Torah, while the rest is the commentary thereof; go and learn it.
The Babylonian Talmud Shabbat
In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
Matthew 7:12
The "golden rule" in Christianity may be found in other beliefs also. I think the thing that strikes me about it is the positive way it is expressed. Do unto others, If you would be treated with respect you must respect others. If you would be treated kindly you must be kind. It may not always return to you as you would wish but it is certainly a way to live your life.
If you would be loved you must love.
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