Quotes About Empathy

I try to stay in touch with my friends who are far away, and I do a bad job of that, but I carry them with me.

You lose a certain kind of innocence when you experience this type of kindness. You lose your right to be a jaded cynic. You can no longer go back through the looking glass and pretend not to know what you know about kindness. It's a defeat, in a way.

I'm much better at bringing out the best in others than in myself. That's just the kind of person I am. I'm the scratchy stuff on the side of the matchbox.

I made a new friend in the summer of 1999 who wore a rubber band around her wrist with Paul Westerberg's name written on it. Her favorite song was "Unsatisfied" and she gave the song back to me, without knowing she was doing it, and soon I loved it as much as ever.

How do you turn down the volume on your personal-drama earphones and learn how to listen to other people?

I realize that I will never fully understand the millions of bizarre ways that music brings people together.

Unlike me, Renee was not shy; she was a real people-pleaser. She worried way too much what people thought of her, wore her heart on her sleeve, expected too much from people, and got hurt too easily. She kept other people's secrets like a champ, but told her own too fast. She expected the world not to cheat her and was always surprised when it did.

some people aren't worth the trouble of being kind to, because they have neither the brains nor the power to make something for themselves out of your kindness.

The purpose of our existence is not to kill each other. Neither is it to encourage or manipulate circumstances that would result in such acts.

There weren't many people in this world who would let you be vulnerable and still believe you were strong.

And for about the millionth time in her life she felt an overwhelming gratitude for her best friend. Because she knew he wouldn't mention this afterward; she knew he wouldn't take it as a sign that she was losing her nerve or was in too deep. There weren't many people in this world who would let you be vulnerable and still believe you were strong.

It's hard to look the people you love in the face when they've seen you fuck up everything you touch. Sometimes, it's easier to rebuild your life if you're with someone who's been as low as you've been.

If I had a bad day, which, now that I ran my own life, was a helluva lot less than the old days, I sat on the floor with Houdini, placed a hand on his broad head, and soaked up endless doggy wonder. A full stomach, a well-chewed toy, a soft couch—through a dog's eyes, that was a true glory that couldn't be matched, the only heaven in existence. I missed the furball, missed him like crazy.

But it's hard to be judgmental about anybody when you're no angel yourself, so you live and let live without recognizing danger up ahead.

People who sneer at a half a loaf of bread have never been hungry." George Reedy

He not only had the gift of "reading" men and women, of seeing into their hearts, he also had the gift of putting himself in their place, of not just seeing what they felt but of feeling what they felt, almost as if what had happened to them had happened to him, too.

A handshake, as delivered by Lyndon Johnson, could be as effective as a hug.

When connectedness to others is truly understood, hurting others simply becomes impossible. Ignoring the plight of others or failing to appreciate what they add to the world is also impossible. Connectedness inherently creates an interest in the welfare of others because it becomes indistinguishable from self-interest.

Do you believe that people can see your human imperfections and still love you? How would you be different if you knew the people who care about you would never leave you or stop loving you — no matter what?

Later, Elizabeth revealed to me (and several of her friends) how much safer she felt when I had my feelings. She was able to hear that I was upset about the car but that I didn't think she was bad, and I wasn't going to abandon her. The fact that I had such intensity about not letting her push me away actually made her feel secure and loved. As a result, she felt safe to stay connected to me and hear my feelings about the car.

women, security means not having to guess what a man is thinking or where he wants to go. Furthermore, it means not having to take responsibility for making all the decisions and not having to take charge.

In time, they also learn that boundary setting isn't about getting other people to be different. It's about getting themselves to be different. If someone is crossing their boundary, it isn't the other person's problem; it is theirs.

Nice Guys have a difficult time comprehending that in general, people are not drawn to perfection in others. People are drawn to shared interests, shared problems, and an individual's life energy.

It is actually a person's rough edges and human imperfections that give others something to connect with.