Quotes About Empathy

We are reminded of the comment by Linus in the comic strip Peanuts: "I love humanity—it's people I can't stand.

An aha experienced decades ago by one of us is relevant to this point. Halfway through a grueling clinical internship, CP [Christopher Peterson] complained to his supervisor, "No one [meaning the patients] ever says thank you for anything I try to do." The response from the experienced psychiatrist stopped CP mid-whine: "If they [the patients] could say thank you, how many of them do you think would be in a psychiatric hospital?

In addition, the care perspective legitimates emotional responsiveness, in the form of empathy or being moved by the plight of another, as a source of knowledge and appropriate motivation. The strong emotional sense that one must prevent harm or right an interpersonal or social injustice is seen as a moral voice as undeniable as our justice-based codes and laws regarding moral conduct.

In this world of gossip, a good listener is rarer than a great orator.

When you are in love you know no fear or hatred. when you are fearful there is no possibility of love or hatred. And when there is hate, there is only hate.

If you honestly feel you have done something so terrible that you cannot be forgiven, then I am willing to share your sins with you. When we die, if we should have to stand before God and be judged, then I will tell him I am as much to blame as you and that half your punishment should be portioned out to me.

Yet, ironically, it is her very wretchedness that makes me pity her so. I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know what to do!

But centuries of time have not made me insensitive

Watch hugged her back and spoke in her ear. 'I'll tell you a secret,' he said. 'I'm never sad around you guys.

Sharon dropped to her knees and reached her hand over the edge. The gesture was supposed to be a sign of support. But she realized then that it was useless. His insanity was like the stream beneath the ground. It only flowed in one direction, into deeper and deeper darkness. She was going to lose him.

That's the beauty of meeting in the middle of the story. We already know each other.

Comforting your child is different from spoiling; it gives a child a sense of security

Every baby is a person who has language, feelings, and a unique personality—and, therefore, deserves respect.

If you say that seven hours is too long to walk for two families of patients, you're saying that their lives matter less than some others. And the idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that's wrong with the world.

Just give love," it read in part. "The soul will take that love / and put it where it can best be used.

Farmer liked to tell his Harvard students that to be a good clinician you must never let a patient know that you have problems too, or that you're in a hurry.

Listening to the man's story, Jim felt he'd been granted a privilege. This was intimate contact with life, the very thing he had missed during all those years of reading philosophy.

As the first component of social competence, social awareness is a foundational skill. Social awareness is your ability to accurately pick up on emotions in other people and understand what is really going on with them. This often means perceiving what other people are thinking and feeling even if you do not feel the same way.

Relationship management is your ability to use your awareness of your own emotions and those of others to manage interactions successfully.

Maintaining relationships may not be on your job description and may not have even been discussed, but for you to be successful, being open and curious is absolutely, unequivocally part of your job.

Being an open book on your end isn't the whole story with managing a relationship—you also need to be interested in the other person's story as well.

Resist the urge to plan a "comeback" or a rebuttal. Your brain cannot listen well and prepare to speak at the same time. Use your self-management skills to silence your inner voice and direct your attention to the person in front of you.

Giving feedback is a relationship-building event that requires all four EQ skills to be effective.

Instead of making a change and expecting others to just accept it, take time to explain the why behind the decision, including alternatives, and why the final choice made the most sense. If you can ask for ideas and input ahead of time, it's even better. Finally, acknowledge how the decision will affect everyone.