Quotes About Empathy

it is important to assume that the speaker shares the same human nature as yourself and that, even though your belief systems may differ, you both have the same idea of what constitutes truth.

our version of the same event is also likely to be a reflection upon our own situation and suffering rather than a dispassionate and wholly factual account. We

the attempt to become a compassionate human being is a lifelong project.

Charity," Davidson continues, "is forced on us, whether we like it or not; if we want to understand others, we must count them right in most matters."13

There are many opinionated religious people who would do well to heed Paul's warnings to the "strong" who were intimidating the "weak" with their overbearing certainty. Above all, we need to take seriously Paul's insight that no virtue was valid unless it was imbued with a love that was not a luxurious emotion in the heart but must be expressed daily and practically in self-emptying concern for others.

With this new empathetic understanding of the context, we will find that we can imagine ourselves, in similar circumstances, feeling the same.

Shu required that "all day and every day" we looked into our own hearts, discovered what caused us pain, and then refrained, under all circumstances, from inflicting that distress upon other people. It demanded that people no longer put themselves into a special, separate category but constantly related their own experience to that of others. Confucius was the first to promulgate the Golden Rule. For Confucius it had transcendent value.

Humiliate your enemy is dangerous.

Understanding different national, cultural, and religious traditions is no longer a luxury; it is now a necessity and must become a priority. The

if we harm our neighbors, we also inflict damage on ourselves. There

Constantly the Qur'an insists upon the importance of mercy and forgiveness, even during armed conflict.

We are trying to retrain our responses and form mental habits that are kinder, gentler, and less fearful of others.

included: no religious doctrine or practice can be authentic if it does not lead to practical compassion.

Religious people prefer to be right rather than be compassionate.

A truly compassionate person touches a chord in us that resonates with some of our deepest yearnings. People flock to such individuals, because they seem to offer a haven of peace in a violent, angry world. This is the ideal to which we aspire, and it is not beyond our capacity. But even if we achieve only a fraction of this enlightenment and leave the world marginally better because we have lived in it, our lives will have been worthwhile.

Golden rule is not a notional doctrine that you either agree with, or make yourself believe in. It is a method and the only adequate test of any method is to put it into practice.

Why do you observe the splinter in your brother's eye and never notice the plank in your own?

We are a talkative and opinionated society and not always good at listening

it is neither helpful nor accurate to assume that other people are always responsible for our pain.

People who have been taught to despise themselves cannot easily respect others.

The Golden Rule requires self-knowledge; it asks that we use our own feelings as a guide to our behavior with others. If we treat ourselves harshly, this is the way we are likely to treat other people. So we need to acquire a healthier and more balanced knowledge of our strengths as well as our weaknesses. As

The aim of this step is threefold: (1) to recognize and appreciate the unknown and unknowable, (2) to become sensitive to overconfident assertions of certainty in ourselves and other people, and (3) to make ourselves aware of the numinous mystery of each human being we encounter during the day. First

we rarely convey our thoughts adequately to others and this makes our relationships with other people problematic.

Compassion has dropped so far out of sight these days that many are confused about what is required. It even inspires overt hostility.