The world may seem like a cold and harsh place, but little acts of kindness, hope and compassion remind us that it is not completely so. When it comes to capturing these instances, pictures do speak – no, scream, a thousand words. No matter the passage of time, some photographs leave such a powerful emotional imprint on us that they remain branded in our memories and our histories forever. These photographs are important to us as a collective species – for they not only convey the pain and despair of the human condition, but also the beauty that lies beneath it. We bring you a list of 15 such powerful photographs that will restore your faith in humanity.

1 Miles Scott, a.k.a. “Batkid”; child and cancer survivor. When asked what he wanted more than anything else in the world, he replied, “I wish to be Batkid”. San Francisco made his wish come true.

2 A boy holds his mother’s leg outside of their home in Sichuan province, China, after being ravaged by a 6.6 magnitude earthquake.

3 San Francisco’s City Hall, after the Supreme Court green-lighted same-sex marriage in California. Sue Rochman and Robin Romdalvik hug their son Maddox Rochman-Romdalvik.

4 Peshawar, Northwest Pakistan; A man carries a child away from the site of a car bombing.

5 Rescue workers carry a child away from the rubble of a collapsed building in Mumbai, India.

6 A woman stops a military bulldozer from advancing towards a wounded man in the street; Cairo.

7 A boy carries a dog through the monsoon floodwaters in Manila, Philippines.