Who said “You can never do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”?

Verified

Ralph Waldo Emerson. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceThe Conduct of Life (1860)

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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: The Conduct of Life (1860).

APA

Emerson, R. W. (n.d.). You can never do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/24809-you-can-never-do-a-kindness-too-soon/

MLA

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “You can never do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/24809-you-can-never-do-a-kindness-too-soon/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “You can never do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/24809-you-can-never-do-a-kindness-too-soon/.

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“Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt
VerifiedSpeech in 1935, as quoted by Donna E. Shalala, as Secretary of Health and Human Services, in a speech to the American Public Welfare Association (27 February 1995) · evidenceDetails & citeKindness
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