1. “You remind me of sunshine. I’d almost forgotten what that was like.”
“I was doing volunteer work at a women’s shelter and a lady there said, ‘You remind me of sunshine. I’d almost forgotten what that was like.’
I will never forget that woman’s face as long as I live. I never saw her again but I think about her often and wonder what path she went down after that day.”
2. “I hope my girls find a man like you one day.”
“‘I hope my girls find a man like you one day. You see the world with more wisdom, compassion, and clarity than anyone I know.’
Compliment giver was a little intoxicated, but given all my bad habits of negative self-talk, nothing could make me feel more proud. It was basically someone telling me ‘you exude everything you aspire to be’.”
3. “Now that I’ve gotten to know you, I understand why all your friends like you so much.”
“In high school, a friend of mine started dating this girl. She knew the entire group of our friends, but I had never met her. We meet for the first time in the library and get to finally know each other. After a few days, I see her again and she tells me, ‘now that I’ve gotten to know you, I understand why all your friends like you so much.’
Still the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
4. “Every day you teach me something without making me feel stupid.”
“An ex told me, ‘Every day you teach me something without making me feel stupid.’ I’ve been proud of that for years.”
5. “We need more people like you in this world.”
“It was early morning rush hour in the subway, and I was lucky enough to find a seat. After a few stops a woman came in with her luggage, she must have been on her way to the airport. She tried to rest her body by sitting on her luggage, or half-sitting. So I got up from my seat and said please sit. She insisted against it, but I said I’ll be standing for the rest of the trip. She waited 10 seconds or so to see if I was bluffing, but I wasn’t. So she sat down with a huge smile on her face and said, ‘we need more people like you in this world.’
It was such a small gesture by me but it made her really happy and probably made her day. And she made mine with that compliment.”
6. “You at your worst is still better than some people at their best.”
“I was (and still am) working through grief. I felt like I was barely surviving, and my boss told me, ‘you at your worst is still better than some people at their best.’”
7. “Don’t let them take away what makes you different.”
“I never knew my step-grandfather very well, but despite being an alcoholic, there’s something he told me that always stuck with me.
‘The kids at school bully you because they’re afraid of you. You have something they don’t. Something they can never have. And the only way they can take that from you is if you let them. Don’t let them, SchluberSnootin. Don’t let them take away what makes you different.’”
8. “I see your light. No one else does, but I do and you have a beautiful heart.”
“‘I see your light, CosmosWithoutHatred. No one else does, but I do and you have a beautiful heart.’
She was tripping on acid at the time, but I’ll take it.”
9. “I just wanted to tell you I can feel God’s presence in you and it’s so intense.”
“I was in the bus and this man I’ve never seen before came to me and said ‘Excuse me, miss, I just wanted to tell you I can feel God’s presence in you and it’s so intense. By the end of your life He’s gonna give you something great. Don’t change,’ and then he left. It was weird and kinda creepy, but it also made me feel like maybe I’m not as disgusting and evil as I often see myself.”
10. “You’re the son I wished I had all those years ago.”
“‘You’re the son I wished I had all those years ago. Please, remember me.’ Said my best friend days before he died.”
11. “I’m so glad you’re my mom.”
“‘I’m so glad you’re my mom.’ Doesn’t get any better than that ❤”
12. “I have friends like you—especially you.”
“‘But I have friends like you—especially you.’
Context; I sent a few voice messages comforting my Turkish best friend after she had a break up. That was her response.
I never felt so loved by a friend before.”
13. “You look like little birds help you get dressed in the morning.”
“My boss told me I look like little birds help me get dressed in the morning.”
14. “This is probably really creepy but you’re just the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”
“I was walking around the Smithsonian during a school field trip and this girl my age stopped me and said: ‘This is probably really creepy but you’re just the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. Just thought you should know,’ and walked away.”
15. “I like doing things alone, too, but I think I like doing stuff with you more.”
“My ex, actually right before we started dating, made an offhand comment that really stuck with me.
We were just walking on campus from the library and were talking about homework and I casually mentioned that CS can be kinda isolating but I don’t mind it too much, I don’t get lonely easily, campus is full of people etc. etc. and she quipped, ‘Yea, I like doing things alone, too, but I think I like doing stuff with you more.’
Made me feel great. I looked right at her as she said it and I guess she realized how it sounded ’cause she blushed and smiled, so I said ‘I like doing stuff with you too’ smiling back.”
—b8le
16. “You made this place feel like home.”
“‘You made this place feel like home.’
In high school I met a foreign exchange student from Italy about halfway through her stay in America. When we first met she told me about how alone she felt in America and how much she missed everyone back home. We had a ‘thing’ for several months before she went home. A couple days before she left she told me that and it made me feel so good that I could bring her a little happiness and safety in a place so strange and far from home.”
17. “You look just like a painting.”
“‘You look just like a painting.’
It had been raining all day. I had just spent the last hour at the DMV, and at this point I was setting up for another hour at the social security office.
The woman next to me was very…put together. Sitting up straight, really nice clothes. She was talking to a man who I assume was her husband. She kept turning and glancing at me and it was making me feel a little self-conscious. I was tired, my hair was in a side braid that was starting to get frizzy because I had been rained on.
This lady was immaculate, and I am beside her looking like a wet dog.
She suddenly reaches out, placing her hand on top of mine, ‘You look just like a painting.’
…
It could have been a backhanded compliment, but I choose to see it positively and it made me feel good leave me alone.”
18. “I know I will never see you again but I wanted to thank you for changing my life.”
“I once had flowers delivered to my office and the card said, ‘I know I will never see you again but I wanted to thank you for changing my life.’
I had no idea who sent them, but I’ll never forget it.”
19. “That’s my brother, man!”
“‘That’s my brother, man!’
I went to a party with some friends. I knew a grand total of 3 people at that party. There were dozens of people in attendance.
Anyways, I show up kind of late, my best friend has already been drinking, he sees me, gives me a hug, and when he’s asked who I am, he responds with ‘that’s my brother, man!’
I can’t express how much hearing that meant.”
20. “I just have to say that you are absolutely stunning. Everyone has been talking about how beautiful you’ve become.”
“I had a rough time with my peers growing up. I got bullied mercilessly. I WAS that chubby redheaded kid that everyone thought was weird. My hair was big and unruly, I was covered in freckles and I just couldn’t figure out who I was or how to dress. I didn’t fit in AT ALL.
I was at a funeral for the father of one of the kids I went to school with when I was home from university. A bunch of the kids I grew up with were there and one of them came up to me and said, ‘I just have to say that you are absolutely stunning. Everyone has been talking about how beautiful you’ve become.’
I almost started to cry. I moved 8 hours away from there because I hated them all so much for making my life hell because I was ‘ugly.’ Still can’t forgive them for everything they did, but to know that they regret it makes me feel so much better.”
21. “I think your hair is beautiful and I’m very jealous of it.”
“I was much the same, albeit with hair that was naturally very straight & easy to manage. The bullying I experienced doesn’t sound as horrible as what you had to go through.
One day I said to one of my teachers that I hated my hair because of all this and she said, ‘I think your hair is beautiful and I’m very jealous of it.’
From then on, whenever someone made a snide comment about my hair color I always think back to what that teacher said and it reminds me that there are far more important things in the world than caring about what idiots think of me & the color of my hair. Those words were what enabled me to concern myself with what matters, ignore the idiots & be myself. Things are better now.”
22. “You always look so confident and sure of yourself, and I just want to say that I admire that.”
“I posted this in a different thread, cross-posting here.
Guy I’d never met before approached me on the street, ‘Miss, do you have a second for me to tell you something? I’ve seen you around downtown for a while now, and you always look so confident and sure of yourself, and I just want to say that I admire that and I hope you never lose it.’”
23. “I think you could never say anything mean to me.”
“I have some minor anxiety disorders. Mostly I think about stuff I said in conversations with others and I wonder if there was some inappropriate content coming from me that maybe hurt someone.
I talked with a female colleague (I am male) about this and asked her if I said anything wrong that made her feel bad or something and she simply replied with ‘I think you could never say anything mean to me.’
That’s a single sentence, but it makes me feel good thinking about it until this day.”
24. “I’m glad you are my friend.”
“‘I’m glad you are my friend’—friend, after he accidentally poured juice in my books and notebook. I said it was all right, since nothing bad ended up happening, and then he said that line. It was a big moment for me, OK?”
25. “You’re the only person who makes me feel like it’s okay to be me.”
“‘You’re the only person who makes me feel like it’s okay to be me.’ Friend of mine gets tons of shit from her family and her boyfriend over stupid stuff and has a history of eating disorders and depression. Told me this when we were talking one day and it simultaneously broke my heart and made my day.”
26. “Everyone I talk to says you’re a standup guy.”
“I once had a dude come up to me at a party and say, ‘You’re [DrChimp] right?? I’ve heard such amazing things about you. Everyone I talk to says you’re a standup guy.’
I blessed him then walk away on top of the water after that.”
27. “You’re the only person I spend time with who doesn’t make me feel drained.”
“‘You’re the only person I spend time with who doesn’t make me feel drained.’
As an introvert, that meant a hell of a lot to me.”
28. “You’re special, you’re great, and don’t let anybody else tell you otherwise.”
“Walking out from the staff area of a food establishment after working a shitty shift, random guy at the line points at me and says: ‘You’re special, you’re great, and don’t let anybody else tell you otherwise.’
Almost 5 years ago and still remember it like it was 5 minutes ago.”
29. “The kindness shines out of your eyes.”
“We were receiving some people from an LGBT refugee rights charity (Movement for Justice) around my university and the guy they were campaigning for (a gay Nigerian guy who was seeking asylum) had gotten separated from everyone else. I didn’t know where they were, but I knew they’d be mustering at a specific location later on to get a coach, so I figured I’d just take him on a tour of campus and have a natter rather than keep him awkwardly waiting around after his talk.
When we got back everyone was waiting for him and having a laugh about it, but he turned to me and just said, ‘The kindness shines out of your eyes.’ I hadn’t done anything, really, but it’s something I’ve never forgotten.”
30. “You are amazing. Don’t let anyone tell you any different.”
“In college, I was really drunk at a fairly small party of our group of close friends. Maybe 12 or 13 people there. I was very intoxicated because I was going through a rough patch in my life and when I drank I had way more than I should.
We were all gathered around playing 7 different instruments and singing like we often would. I decided I was way too drunk to play guitar and handed it off to my left and got up to go get another round. I guess my friend had noticed my mood lately and chased me into the kitchen. She put her hands on my shoulders, looked me straight in the eyes and told me,
‘You are amazing. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. You’ve got something special; drive. I’ve seen your work, and you can do incredible things. So keep it up. And I will always be here if you ever need someone to talk to.’
Then she gave me the sweetest and most sympathetic smile. I wanted to fucking cry. I just gave her a hug and said thank you.
I still think about that interaction on a daily basis.”
31. “You’re probably the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”
“I went out shopping by myself (which I never do because of my anxiety) but had to because I needed an outfit for a friend’s graduation. I noticed a younger girl staring at me and I could only assume her and her friends were making fun of me. But she approached me and said, ‘you’re probably the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.’ It took me by surprise but I just said thank you and left the store without buying anything. I don’t know why, but stranger’s compliments mean more to me than people who are obligated to say something nice.”
32. “If I ever have kids someday I hope they are half as kind, intelligent, imaginative, and all-around wonderful as you.”
“On the last day of class of my freshman year we were fooling around doing nothing. I was passing around my yearbook for kids to sign. There was a popular senior boy who was sitting next to a friend. After the friend signed my yearbook I shyly asked the senior boy if he maybe wanted to sign my year book. He did and I figured he did it to be polite. Later, when I got home I was reading over the signatures. Laughing at inside jokes and stuff. I was stunned when I read what the senior wrote. It actually made me tear up. He said:
‘If I ever have kids someday I hope they are half as kind, intelligent, imaginative, and all-around wonderful as you.’”
33. “You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen.”
“Random lady on the mall escalator looked up at me and said—‘You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen.’ I’ve never seen her in my entire life, don’t know if she’ll ever turn up again. :)”
34. “You make me happy to be me.”
“Someone once told me, ‘You make me happy to be me.’ I was so touched that I nearly started crying, since up until that point I’d been believing that I was nothing but a burden on everyone.”
35. “Any girl would be lucky to have you.”
“‘Any girl would be lucky to have you’—one of my exes.
I know it’s somewhat of a generic compliment, but it was the way she said it that flattered the shit out of me. First off, not to toot my own horn, but I always considered myself a decent catch, so I knew there was some truth to her compliment. Now on top of that, we weren’t actually dating yet at the time and she had just started to like me, so it came across as very sincere. She genuinely meant it.”
36. “You are an angel and I thank God for you.”
“‘You have no idea how much you meant to me today. You are an angel and I thank God for you.’
I helped a woman land a position where I work the same day she applied. I found out a month later she got evicted, couldn’t get a job anywhere, and was flat broke. She was going to kill herself later that day before I helped her.
She bought me cookies as a present.”
37. “I’m glad you exist. People like you give me hope that the world can get better.”
“‘You are the first person I feel safe enough with to really talk to.’ I’ve heard some variation of this a few times from friends and it has always meant so much to me. But just recently my significant other said that same thing and added, ‘I’m glad you exist. People like you give me hope that the world can get better.’
I’m studying to become a Marriage and Family Therapist so hearing comments like this make me feel confident I am on the right career path. :3”
38. “You make me want to be a nice person.”
“‘You make me want to be a nice person. I mean it.’ Written in my high school yearbook.”
39. “You are my rock, my counselor, my confidante.”
“‘You are my rock, my counselor, my confidante.’ ~ my terminally ill mother.”
