Random Acts of Kindness

By Dawna Markova and Daphne Rose Kingma

It all started in Sausalito, California, in 1982, when Anne Herbert scrawled "practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty" on a place mat in a restaurant. From there it spread to bumper stickers, quietly at first, but with the powerful momentum of something important calling us to lives of caring and compassion. The bestselling book, Random Acts of Kindness, which includes touching stories, quotations, and thoughtful suggestions, creates a feeling of possibility that can propel us into lives of compassion.

The Editors of Conari Press have produced the bestselling Random Acts of Kindness series, with over 1 million copies sold.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Red Wheel Weiser
• Release date: Sep 15, 2002
• ISBN: 9781609252854

Dawna Markova

Dawna Markova, PhD, is internationally known for her groundbreaking research in the fields of learning and perception. She is the CEO of Professional Thinking Partners and a research member of the Society for Organizational Learning. In 2003, Dawna cofounded SmartWired.org, an organization devoted to maximizing individual and collective human potential in all areas of life. As one of the editors of the Random Acts of Kindness series, she was influential in launching a national movement to help counter America’s crisis of violence. She is the author of I Will Not Die an Unlived Life, The SMART Parenting Revolution, The Open Mind book and audio series, No Enemies Within, How Your Child IS Smart, and Learning Unlimited. Dawna was recently honored with the Visions to Action Award “for people who have made a profound contribution to the world.” A long-term cancer survivor (she was told she had six months to live almost thirty years ago), Dawna has appeared on numerous television programs and is a frequent guest on National Public Radio and New Dimensions Media. At business and educational conferences around the globe, she has inspired audiences to live with purpose and passion. To find out about Dawna’s upcoming inspirational speeches and training on realizing purpose and passion, visit www.dawnamarkova.com. To learn more about her work recognizing, utilizing, and developing intellectual capital in organizations, visit www.ptpinc.org.

Reviews for Random Acts of Kindness

[kellyholmes-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A neat idea, and a sweet book.

[bohemiangirl35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This collection of "quotable quotes" and super short stories contains some of the usual quotes you expect to find, but also some "new" ones; at least they were new to me. The book is a very quick read and worth it for the unique and inspirational nuggets within. Thank you to Linda for sharing.

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I was very young I wondered how "older" people became so cranky and so disenchanted with life. Now that I've crossed the threshold of becoming one of the "older" people, I sometimes marvel that it is a miracle if, after weathering so much, we don't naturally become cranky.After a post Christmas crisis with a few of my partner's family members from his father's side -- those on his mother's side are lovely, kind, sensitive and considerate -- I realized that I no longer want to be around nasty, negative people. I felt abused and beaten down, and after tolerating this behavior for far too long, I said enough, and now I refuse to be around these two incredibly unkind and wicked folk.When I found this book, it seemed to be just what I needed, ie, a reminder that there are many who are kind and dare to pay a price for their kindness. And, I do firmly believe that there is a price we pay if we are kind and sensitive.At the risk of waxing philosophically, I'm going out on a limb to say that far too often in life it seems that the negative, snippy, back stabbers blithely go through life without paying a price for those them harm.While some of the quotes and stories in this book are trite, there are gems of wisdom scattered throughout. In remembering those who have helped me along the way, I quote the following:"One can never pay in gratitude; one can only pay "in kind" somewhere else in life."Anne Morrow Lindberg"When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people."Abraham Heschel

[snozzberry_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A neat idea, and a sweet book.