Recently we asked the BuzzFeed Community to share the nicest thing a stranger has ever said to them. Here are some of the seriously heartwarming responses:
1.The old Christmas angel:
“A few years ago, I was shopping at Target during Christmas time. A little girl kept staring at me and watching me whenever she and her mum were near me. Finally she walked over with huge eyes, and said. ‘You are so pretty! You look like our Christmas angel on top of our tree! Except you’re so old!’ I was 35. Her mom was horrified and thought I’d be insulted, but I told her it was the nicest thing anyone had said to me in a long time.” –Roberta Underwood Sadek, Facebook
2.The beautiful saleswoman:
“I was shopping for jeans one day and I was having no luck. Every pair I tried on looked awful on me and made me feel worse about my body. But I decided to try one last store, where the saleswoman came up and asked me how I was. I told her that I felt awful and fat because everything looked good on the mannequins but not on me. After two hours of her helping me, I left the store with three pairs of beautiful jeans and renewed self-confidence. Later at home, I found a note in the pocket of one of the jeans: ‘You’re more beautiful than any mannequin’.” –kailing
3.The beautiful reader:
“Someone complimented my voice one time. I was at the library with my niece and she wanted me to read to her. A man was there with his granddaughter and heard me. He told me how calm and soothing I sounded and how he could listen to me read out loud all day. It was the most random, but purest compliment I’ve ever gotten.” –Amber Reed, Facebook
4.The Target pregnancy glow:
“I stopped by Target before my baby shower for Spanx because I felt fat (I was eight months pregnant!) and these two teenage girls came up to me. I was thinking, ‘Oh fuck, they’re going to make fun of me for something’ and they actually told me ‘you are the prettiest pregnant woman we’ve ever seen! You really are glowing!’ I will never forget how good that made me feel.” –kaylarossl
5.The prettiest Shrek of them all:
“One day the little kids in my neighbourhood came to my door, wanting me to play with them or something. I was doing a face mask, a bright green Shrek-ish one, but answered the door anyway. The little boy in the group told me I looked like a monster, but the little girl said, ‘You look like a princess getting ready for a ball’ and that was literally the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.” –Crystal Buerke Heim, Facebook
6.The most generous man:
“I grew up in San Fransisco and I used to hang out with the homeless guys along the street sometimes. One day when I was 15 I sat in the sun and chatted with this guy for like 15 minutes. When I got up to go, he pressed $ 5 into my hand, smiled, and said, ‘You’re a sweet and beautiful young lady. Go buy yourself something pretty.’ I know how much the five bucks meant to him, and I’ve never forgotten it.” –Sonnet Fitzgerald, Facebook
7.The secret Disney princess:
“I have dark hair and dark features, and used to work at a cancer hospital on the paediatric floor. Most of the patients were end-stage, admitted for long periods of time, so it was easy to get close with them. One morning when I came into work, I heard the sound of an IV pole rolling my way. I looked over my desk to see one of my favourites in his little gown, looking up at me, with a shy look on his face as he handed me a sticker. (We usually wore the fun stickers that the kids would give us on our ID badges.) I looked at it and it was a Princess Jasmine sticker. He then whispered: ‘I know your secret.’ I was like ‘what secret?’ And he goes, ‘you’re her.’ I didn’t have the heart to let him down, so I gave him a wink and told him to keep it our little secret.” –LunaMagnolia86
8.The vocal third-grader:
“When I was in high school, laden with the typical self-image and self-esteem issues that every teenager has, I went over to a friend’s place on the bus after school one day. As we were walking up the bus aisle to get off, a boy in grade two or three stopped and said shyly, ‘Ummmm, I like the way you look’. It’s still the best compliment I’ve ever received.” –Delilah Kohl, Facebook
Comedy Central
9.The kind stranger bearing late-night gifts:
“I was working a dead-end job as the overnight cashier at a grocery store. One night I was standing at my register, and a man came to my line with a box of ‘charity’ chocolates and a dozen roses. We exchanged pleasantries and as I completed his purchase, I complimented the lucky person who was getting the flowers. Then he put a chocolate bar in my hand and gave me a rose and I told him he really didn’t have to. He then told me I was doing a wonderful job and thanked me for that. He explained that he was visiting all the late-night employees on the beach, gifting them something sweet, and thanking them for pandering to all the tourists. I was beaming the rest of the night.” –Abigail Winchester, Facebook
10.The attentive cook:
“In college I was working on a final paper in one of the dining halls. It had been a few hours and I was beginning to feel frustrated. When I looked up from my laptop, one of the cafeteria ladies had a cup of tea for me. She gave it to me and said, ‘I’ve seen how hard you’ve been working today. I know your parents would be really proud of you. Keep it up.’ I totally cried.” –Marie McCabe, Facebook
11.The stranger-turned-client:
“About two years ago a girl came up to me in Target and complimented my eyebrows. She asked me where I got them done and when I told her I did them myself, she asked if I’d be willing to do hers. At this time I was thinking about possibly enrolling in cosmetology school so I figured, why not? I ended up doing her brows and she’s been coming to me ever since. I also do her hair and she’s referred a ton of clients to me since I’ve gotten my license. All of this because she was sweet and complimented my eyebrows!” –Amanda Sargent, Facebook
12.The lakefront princess:
“My friends and I met at a lakefront for our prom photos but my mum and I got there first. So while I was all dressed up and waiting for everyone to turn up, I really stood out amongst all the other people just walking by. When one family walked past, I noticed the little girl stop and whisper something to her mum. The mother came over to me and said, ‘I just wanted to let you know that my daughter thinks you are a princess’. It was the most touching thing anyone has ever said about me and it’s probably my best memory of prom too.” –Megan Maginnis, Facebook
Syndication
13.The innocent compliment:
“One day when I was 15, I was at a restaurant on vacation and this woman and her daughter walked up to my table. The mom said ‘she’s a little shy but she just wanted to tell you how beautiful she thinks you are’. I’d never actually cried from a compliment until that moment. The best and truest compliments come from children who have no ulterior motives, just positive intentions.” –moondustfairy
14.The gift shop beauty:
“I was in a hospital gift shop visiting a relative, and one of the ladies who worked there looked at me with this profound expression on her face. She simply said, ‘Baby girl, you are one of the most beautiful things that has come through this gift shop in a long damn time. You’re like a doll.’ And then proceeded to ‘brag’ about me to the other ladies who were working in with her.” –graciem4b0a7f91d
15.The voice admirer:
“I’ve always had a lower, more raspy voice than all my other female friends and it made me feel self-conscious. But one day, while I was in a clothing store reading the label of an item out loud to my friend, a woman walked up to me. She told me I had the most beautiful voice she had ever heard and that I should do voiceovers because she could listen to me talk for hours. That comment made my day, and it helped me embrace my unique voice.” –caelane
16.The not-so-creepy direct message:
“A random dude that used to see me walk to 7/11 all the time somehow found me on Instagram. What I thought was gonna be a creepy DM actually ended up really nice: ‘Congrats on graduating and moving on to bigger things. You look very down to earth. I hope your boyfriend, family, and friends are the best to you. You are tiny but carry yourself with amazing poise and confidence like you are eight-feet-tall. I just wanted to give you that compliment. Love life and take care. Peace.’ Pretty sweet!” –Sarah Healy, Facebook
17.The princess of the golf course:
“I was riding my bike on a golf course, which you’re not supposed to do, when I came face-to-face with an employee of the course. I fully expected him to yell at me, but instead he smiled and said: ‘Oh my, a beautiful princess has emerged from the woods!’ He then went on to just tell me to be careful to not get hit in the head with a golf ball. Totally made my day and I still remember it now!” –tylerg47b24034a
18.The juiciest smell:
“I was at the supermarket one Sunday, and I insisted to my partner that we get some peaches because they were particularly delicious the week prior. My husband walked away, but a lady at the display said something about ‘smelling wonderful’ and I said, ‘I know, right? And they’re so juicy!’ But the woman clarified and said, ‘No dear, I meant you smell wonderful.’ It still warms my heart.” –mommyh
19.The unexpected husband:
“In high school I had a super tough time. I remember one day I was contemplating suicide for various reasons, as I was sitting at a table waiting for the first bell to ring. The group of friends, who were honestly more like acquaintances to me, were standing nearby. One of the guys, who I secretly had a crush on, looked over at me and simply said, ‘Hey beautiful’. After about 13 years of on-and-off friendship with him, we started dating. We’ve now been married for a little over a year and have an amazing baby girl together.” –jbishop1101
20.The Subway coming out:
“I was talking on the phone in a Subway to my friend about how I was going to come out to my family. A woman came over to me, and said, ‘Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear. You seem like a lovely girl. Your family should love you no matter what. Take it from a parent, as long as your kids are happy, we’ll be happy.’ She then pat my shoulder and said, ‘I wish you the best of luck.’ I’ve never forgotten that day, and I cry thinking about it. :)” –crazydailywriter
21.The singing supporter:
“When I was in the second grade, I was in line waiting for tickets to a Broadway show, and I was singing something from Mary Poppins. Then a drag queen came up to me, put her hands on my shoulders, and said, ‘You are going to be a star one day. Keep doing what you do, girl!’ It put such a smile on my face, and it’s what started my passion for theatre.” –kelbell63
22.The shoulder to cry on:
“Once in high school I was completely heartbroken because I had fallen in love with my best friend, but she fell in love with a guy. So at lunch I sat alone in the hallway, away from everyone just crying to myself, and a girl I didn’t even know came up to me. She told me: ‘I don’t know who you are, but I know heartbreak when I see it. I’m not going to leave you alone. We’re gonna talk and I’m gonna help you feel better.’ And that stranger? We’ve been dating for three years now and I couldn’t be happier.” –karas4fc680812
23.The welcoming grocery shopper:
“I’m Muslim and wear a hijab. When I was at the grocery store, a middle-aged lady tapped me on the shoulder and said: ‘I just want you to know that I’m happy that you’re a part of this country. There’s a lot of crazy things going on with Trump and his followers right now, but I just wanted you to know that there are a lot of people here who support you and want you to feel welcome here.’ It was the sweetest thing a stranger has said to me, and it put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.” –PrincessofCorona
Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
