Hillsdale College

Kindness

Care for others and seek to fulfill their genuine needs.

Kindness is the moral virtue that inclines one to assist others by supplying their needs and alleviating their suffering or distress. The virtue of kindness begins in compassion, but it works to fulfill others’ true needs, rather than their felt needs; thus, it is more than a habit of sympathy or emotion. Insofar as kindness begins in fellow-feeling and aims at the good of others, it is closely related to the virtue of friendship.

Grades K-2:

The virtue of kindness gives us the desire to help others by supplying what they truly need and easing their suffering or distress. 

Grades 3-6:

The virtue of kindness inclines us to assist others by supplying what they truly need and easing their suffering or distress. Kindness begins in compassion but goes further than mere feeling, and it seeks to obtain real goods for others, rather than satisfying their subjective desires.  


Featured Stories

The Thanksgiving Story
Alice Dalgliesh
Grade K-2

Story

The Little Prince
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Grade K-5

Story

Pinocchio
Carlo Collodi
Grade 1-4

Story

Charlotte’s Web
E.B. White
Grade 2-3

Story

Anne of Green Gables
L. M. Montgomery
Grade 4-6

Story

The Secret Garden
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Grade 4-6

Story


Featured Biographies

Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Francine Bay
Grade 1-5

Biography

A Picture Book of Florence Nightingale
David A. Adler
Grade 1-3

Biography

Florence Nightingale: A Life Inspired
Lynn M. Hamilton
Grade 4-6

Biography

Who Was Johnny Appleseed?
Joan Holub
Grade 3-6

Biography

Johnny Appleseed: The Story of a Legend
Will Moses
Grade 3-6

Biography

Heart and Soul: The Story of Florence Nightingale
Gena K. Gorrell
Grade 5-8

Biography

Lives of Virtue

Jane Addams
Jane Addams
Jane Addams demonstrated kindness, generosity, and respect by founding Hull House, a settlement house in Chicago that provided essential services, education, and support to impoverished immigrants, fostering community and social reform.
John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed)
John Chapman earned his moniker "Johnny Appleseed" because of his dedication to planting apple trees and selling seeds and saplings to pioneers. An eccentric and nomadic figure, Johnny stood apart from the usual frontiersman. However, he became an American hero through his generosity and kindness, which was remembered by all who knew him.
Clara Barton
Clara Barton
Clara Barton, driven by compassion and courage, founded the American Red Cross and tirelessly devoted her life to providing aid and comfort to those in crisis, embodying selflessness and resilience in the face of adversity.
Anne Sullivan Macy
Anne Sullivan Macy
Anne Sullivan, with remarkable patience and dedication, transformed Helen Keller’s life through innovative teaching, embodying kindness, perseverance, and an unwavering belief in the power of education to uplift and empower.