I have always felt compassion for the planet. Sometimes I just start to get emotional. I cry because I can almost feel the pain in the air. I put it in words, and in song, and in dance, I think that is what artistry is.

I believe compassion to be one of the few things we can practice that will bring immediate and long-term happiness to our lives. I'm not talking about the short-term gratification of pleasures like sex, drugs, or gambling (though I'm not knocking them), but something that will bring true and lasting happiness. The kind that sticks.

We must each lead a way of life with self-awareness and compassion, to do as much as we can. Then, whatever happens we will have no regrets.

Compassion naturally creates a positive atmosphere, and as a result, you feel peaceful and content.

I really feel that some people neglect and overlook compassion because they associate it with religion. Of course, everyone is free to choose whether they pay religion any regard, but to neglect compassion is a mistake because it is the source of our own well-being.

Real love is not based on attachment, but on altruism. In this case, your compassion will remain as a humane response to suffering as long as beings continue to suffer.