Quotes About Empathy

We speed past the questions that would help us get to know another person's story and instead immediately look to the places of greatest difference and disagreement.

the teacher transfers the spirit of the right art from heart to heart, that it may be illumined.

Knowing our weakness, dividing leaders on both the left and right seek power and fame by setting American against American, brother against brother, compatriot against compatriot. These leaders assert that we must choose sides, then argue that the other side is wicked—not worthy of any consideration—rather than challenging them to listen to others with kindness and respect. They foster a culture of contempt.

Another way to understand Brown's point is that, as we all know, defensiveness is a terrible quality and never helps us. The right goal is defenselessness.

Further, we have a tendency to assume that traumatic events, from accidents to illnesses to all kinds of personal loss, can only provoke pain and lingering problems, especially if we talk about them with others. However, this isn't generally the case.

The key, as Colbert and Frankl suggest, is finding meaning in the suffering and sharing that meaning. I

You need strong human connections to help you get on the second curve and flourish.

Nothing is about honest disagreement; it is all about your interlocutor's lack of basic human decency.

Rule 3. Say no to contempt. Treat others with love and respect, even when it's difficult.

I must come back to a point I have made repeatedly: never treat others with contempt, even if you believe they deserve it.

From my earliest days, I learned of the evils of objectifying others.

Further, my connection to others makes my jump to the second curve all the more natural and normal. Indeed, the crystallized intelligence curve is predicated on interconnectedness. Without it, my wisdom has no outlet.

The point is to destroy your empathy for the object of his or her derision through dehumanization. Perhaps that seems like no big deal, but make no mistake: You are being manipulated to hate a fellow human being.

We know in our hearts that the objectification of others is wrong and immoral. But it is easy to forget that we can do it to ourselves as well.

intimate friendship, whether it be from the companionate love of your spouse or an Aristotelian "perfect friend," is better than any professional success. It will salve the wounds of professional decline like nothing else.

What happened after this exchange, though, is just as instructive. Colleagues made fun of john because of his "homeless girlfriend." This reveals a sobering truth. "Sometimes," says john, "there's a cost associated with bridging. And sometimes, the cost can be quite high.

Bridging, like warm-heartedness, takes courage.

However, loneliest of all are those who are married but with an "absent spouse." (Workaholics, take note: your spouse is probably lonely—and suffering as a result.)

Research shows that insults actually intensify people's opposition to one's point of view.

Rule 2. Don't attack or insult. Don't even try to win.

These are practical reasons to avoid them, but there's the moral reason, too: they're just plain wrong. We simply should not put up with insults, whether from the other side or our own. Indeed, I'll take it a step further. When someone on your side insults people on the other side, it is your responsibility to take it personally and stand up for those with whom you disagree.

You know what our world needs: more love, less contempt.

Rule 3. Never assume the motives of another person.

On reflection, I realized that I am the angry one, the ill-tempered one, the miser, and the liar. My job is to conquer me. My tool for doing so is to show warm-heartedness to others, especially when they are not showing it to me. Your opportunity when treated with contempt is to change at least one heart—yours.