Socially active in her youth, Emily Dickinson gradually withdrew from public life to live largely in solitude at her family home in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her body of work includes nearly 1,800 poems — though only a few were published during her lifetime. Even in her quiet later years, however, she maintained close friendships and meaningful connections through letters, which often carried the same wit and emotional insights found in her poetry. This heartfelt verse, written around 1864 and first published posthumously in “Poems by Emily Dickinson” in 1890, reflects her belief that a meaningful life can be measured by small acts of kindness toward others. More than 150 years later, her words remind us that easing another’s suffering is enough to give one’s life purpose.
