Activist, musician, and actor River Phoenix wrote these lyrics for an unreleased song six years before his tragic death in 1993 at just 23 years old. Sometimes referred to as the “vegan James Dean,” Phoenix was a passionate animal rights activist and environmentalist. He reflects the sentiments of this work in his writing, urging readers and listeners to understand the importance of loving and empathetic compassion. Phoenix’s younger brother, actor Joaquin Phoenix, quoted these lyrics while accepting his 2020 Academy Award for Best Actor for “The Joker.” “I think that’s when we’re at our best: when we support each other,” he added. “Not when we cancel each other out for past mistakes, but when we help each other to grow, when we educate each other, when we guide each other toward redemption. That is the best of humanity.” River’s poetry is a reminder that we can cultivate great outer and inner peace through active and deliberate benevolence. 

Known for his deep empathy for the struggles of the working class and his unflinching examinations of social injustice, Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck often used his fiction to explore what connects — and divides — human beings. This line, taken from a 1938 journal entry later cited in Susan Shillinglaw’s 1994 introduction to “Of Mice and Men,” highlights one of his lifelong themes: In the fight between good and evil, compassion begins with understanding. Writing during a turbulent era marked by economic hardship and looming war, Steinbeck recognized that cruelty often grows out of fear and ignorance. His words still echo today, reminding us that in a world increasingly divided by politics, culture, and technology, kindness is still possible when we make the effort to truly see and understand each other.