Quotes About Empathy

When we bring deep awareness to whatever's bothering us, the same things might be happening, but we are able to relate to them differently.

To celebrate someone else's life, we need to find a way to look at it straight on, not from above with judgment or from below with envy.

Compassion grows in us when we know how the energy of love is available all around us.

When we relate to ourselves with loving kindness, perfectionism naturally drops away.

Respecting differences while gaining insight into our essential connected-ness, we can free ourselves from the impulse to rigidly categorize the world in terms of narrow boundaries and labels.

Sit comfortably, in a relaxed way, and close your eyes. As much as possible, let go of analysis and expectation. For ten to fifteen minutes, call to mind something you have done or said that you feel was a kind or good action—a time you were generous, or caring, or contributed to someone's well-being. If something comes to mind, allow the happiness that may come with the remembrance. If nothing comes to mind, gently turn your attention to a quality you like about yourself.

In a situation of potential conflict, let compassion guide you.

Often in close relationships, the subject being discussed is not the subject at all.

Being happy at work is possible for all of us, anytime & anywhere, with open eyes and a caring heart

We so often in our lives serve as mirrors for one another. We look to others to find out if we ourselves are lovable; we look to others to find out if we are capable of feeling love; we look to others for a reflection of our innate radiance.

Can we allow the lives of others to be different from ours and feel happy for them? Can we rejoice for them as their happiness grows, in whatever way that is happening?

The more we practice sympathetic joy, the more we come to realize that the happiness we share with others is inseparable from our own happiness.

The skills available to us through mindfulness make it possible to bring love to our connections with others.

We cannot instantaneously force ourselves to forgive—and forgiveness happens at a different pace for everyone and is dependent on the particulars of any given situation.

There are an incalculable—even infinite—number of situations in which we can practice forgiveness. Expecting it to be a singular action—motivated by the sheer imperative to move on and forget—can be more damaging than the original feelings of anger. Accepting forgiveness as pluralistic and as an ongoing, individualized process opens us up to realize the role that our own needs play in conflict resolution.

The practice of loving-kindness is about cultivating love as a trans-formative strength

Loving kindness is the practice of offering to oneself and others wishes to be happy, peaceful, healthy, strong

Ultimately, we forgive others in order to free ourselves.

Looking at people and communicating that they can be loved, and that they can love in return, is giving them a tremendous gift. It is also a gift to ourselves. We see that we are one with the fabric of life. This is the power of metta: to teach ourselves and our world this inherent loveliness.

Learning to treat ourselves lovingly may at first feel like a dangerous experiment.

When we direct a lot of hostile energy toward the inner critic, we enter into a losing battle.

Seeking happiness is not the problem. The problem is that we often do not know where and how to find genuine happiness and so make the mistakes that cause suffering for ourselves & others.

Hatred does not help us alleviate our pain even in the slightest.

Ask yourself, 'who is the one suffering from this anger? The person who has harmed me has gone on to live their life (or perhaps has died), while I am the one sitting here feeling the persecution, burning and constriction of anger. Out of compassion for myself, to ease my own heart, may I let go.