Is there anyone out there more equipped to speak on kindness than Hollywood’s wholesome Tom Hanks?
Hanks is perhaps best known for his starring role in the 1994 film “Forrest Gump,” playing a sweet Alabama man who spends his adult life trying to reconnect with his childhood love, Jenny. The role earned him his second Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. His first win came just one year earlier for playing Andrew Beckett in “Philadelphia.”
During his decades-long career, Hanks has starred in other iconic films, such as “Cast Away,” “Big,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “A League of Their Own,” “Apollo 13,” and the Mister Rogers biographical drama “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.”
His popularity has spanned generations through his work in the “Toy Story” film franchise. He has voiced Sheriff Woody in all five “Toy Story” movies, including the most recent, which premiered in 2026. Hanks has also voiced the character in numerous other spin-offs and shorts.
In addition to his work in cinema, Hanks has appeared in TV series, including “Bosom Buddies,” “Family Ties,” “Electric City,” and more.
On and off the screen, Hanks exudes warmth and kindness, making him the perfect person to deliver today’s quote of the day.
Quote of the Day by Tom Hanks
“Being kind is just being open to a possibility of making a simple choice that makes a day a little bit better.”
The above quote comes from a 2019 “CBS This Morning” interview with Tom Hanks, when the actor was doing press for his Mister Rogers biographical film, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” Hanks shared how diving into Mister Rogers’ own life and background changed him. Each day, he would look at a quote by Mister Rogers himself, and he remembered one in particular: “The three secrets of happiness are be kind, be kind and be kind.”
“And you think, ‘Well, that’s namby-pamby, that’s goody two shoes,'” Hanks said. “No matter what your bent is, being kind means you give everybody a fair shake.”
Deeper Meaning of Tom Hanks’ Quote — Being Kind Is Simple
We all have bad days: Perhaps a pick-up truck with monster wheels cut you off in traffic, or the Starbucks barista spilled your iced white latte all over a newly laundered shirt, or maybe you stubbed your toe on that barbell your gym-rat roommate leaves laying around. In situations such as that, it’d be easy and understandable to respond with anger, rudeness, or disrespect. But, per Hanks, it’s just as easy to respond with kindness.
According to Hanks, being nice hinges only upon being open to the possibility of kindness — it hardly requires any actual effort at all! He’s not saying one must climb the proverbial kind mountain day in and day out. Instead, he’s offering up a new framework which to view the world, which requires an openness to possibilities beyond a negative, knee-jerk reaction.
Being kind is easy; you just have to believe that small exchanges throughout the day can amount to big pay-offs by the time the sun sets each night.
More Quotes From Tom Hanks
- “No matter what, here’s what you always want people saying after a movie: ‘I’m glad we went to the movies today.’ What is worse than going to a movie and coming out and saying, ‘Coulda seen that on a plane’?” — from a 2013 New York Times interview
- “There’s plenty of reason to be demoralized. Goodness is not a constant, and the good fight is not always fought, but there is a strength and a resiliency and an eventuality to vox populi. There are events that shake up those Americans who still believe there is a right way to do things.” — from a 2013 New York Times interview
- “I think the knee-jerk reaction is that because you’re optimistic, you’re naive. Or that, because you’re essentially cheerful, you’re ignoring the pain of the real things that are going on. And that’s just not the case. I weigh everything. But I can’t help it that I wake up in the morning and think: What good thing is going to come around?” — from a 2017 interview with the Guardian
