Pema Chödrön, from the preface of Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living (1994):

... the first step is to develop compassion for our own wounds. It is unconditional compassion for ourselves that leads naturally to unconditional compassion for others. If we are willing to stand fully in our own shoes and never give up on ourselves, then we will be able to put ourselves in the shoes of others and never give up on them. True compassion does not come from wanting to help out those less fortunate than ourselves but from realizing our kinship with all beings. ...

_{(cf No Expectation (2015-01-02), Watch the Wound (2015-07-24), Mantra - You Are Loved (2016-01-10), Let It Be (2016-12-06), Mantra - Love Your Self (2016-12-30), Kindness, Gentleness, Compassion (2017-04-05), New Superpower (2018-10-27), Self-Compassion (2020-06-08), ...) - ^z - 2020-08-30}