It is a terrible thing, this kindness that human beings do not lose. Terrible because when we are finally naked in the dark and cold, it is all we have. We who are so rich, so full of strength, wind up with that small change. We have nothing else to give.
ATTRIBUTION:
Ursula K. Le Guin (b. 1929), U.S. author. The Left Hand of Darkness, ch. 13 (1969).
