9 People Who Refused to Get Even and Chose Kindness Instead

Life has a funny way of rewarding the people who choose compassion over cruelty, even when revenge seems easier. In this article, you’ll find stories of people who took the high road and watched kindness come back to them in the most unexpected ways. These moments prove that doing the right thing isn’t just about feeling good — it’s about creating ripples that eventually return as waves.

• My teacher told everyone I’d never amount to anything because I failed math repeatedly. Twenty years later, I ran into her at a coffee shop where she was working part-time. She didn’t recognize me until I paid for her coffee and introduced myself as the owner of the tech company she’d applied to. I hired her daughter for our summer internship program.

• My coworker took credit for my project and got the promotion I deserved. I was devastated but kept working hard quietly. Two years later, she was fired for incompetence when she couldn’t replicate her “success.” They offered me her position, but I’d already accepted a better job at their competitor.

• My ex-boyfriend left me for someone “more successful” right before my business launched. He said I was wasting my time. Three years later, my company went public. He reached out to “reconnect.” I politely declined but did hire his sister, who’d always been kind to me during our relationship.

• My professor publicly humiliated me for asking “stupid questions” in front of the entire class. I almost dropped out. Instead, I became a professor myself and built my reputation on creating a classroom where no question is stupid. Students tell me it changed their lives.

• The scholarship committee rejected my application because I didn’t fit their “ideal candidate” profile. I worked three jobs to pay for school instead. Years later, I endowed a scholarship specifically for students who don’t fit the traditional mold. It’s now the university’s largest scholarship fund.

• My friends ditched me when I couldn’t afford to go out anymore after losing my job. I rebuilt my life alone. When I was back on my feet, some of them tried to reconnect. I was polite but kept my distance, investing my energy in the people who stayed.

• I was ashamed my mom cleaned school bathrooms while other parents had ’real jobs.’ She scrubbed toilets to pay for my college. At graduation, I thanked everyone except her. She smiled. After the ceremony, she gave me an envelope and left. Inside was a letter that said: “I’m proud of you. I never needed you to thank me publicly — I just needed you to succeed. But maybe someday you’ll understand what real work looks like.” Attached was her resignation letter from the school. She’d gotten hired as head of facilities management at my new company, meaning she’d be working in the same building as me. We have lunch together every Wednesday.

• My brother borrowed $10,000 and never paid me back, then cut off contact. Years later, his daughter reached out asking for college advice. I mentored her through applications and helped her get scholarships. She didn’t need to pay for her father’s mistakes.

• My rich relatives mocked my mom’s second-hand gifts during the holidays while showing off their expensive presents. When they lost everything in a bad investment, my mom was the only one who helped them financially. They never apologized, but they stopped bragging.

What happens when you babysit your grandchildren and your daughter-in-law demands you pay for food you ate while being at her house? Find out in our article I Refuse to Pay for Food I Ate While Babysitting My Own Grandchildren.