Quotes about Empathy

When people injure you, ask yourself what good or harm they thought would come of it. If you understand that, you'll feel sympathy rather than outrage or anger.

You have grown beyond supposing such actions to be either good or bad, and therefore it will be so much the easier to be tolerant of another's blindness.

With each person you meet, remind yourself that you share a common humanity. You are members of the same family. They may not know this, but you do—so show them by the way you treat them.

I have no right to do myself an injury. Have I ever injured anyone else if I could avoid it?

Love all people, including those who do wrong. They may be acting unintentionally, out of ignorance. Even if they are acting intentionally, they can't harm you—that is, they can't make you a worse person than before. Only you can harm yourself, by fanning the flames of hatred and resentment. When someone wrongs you, identify the mistaken ideas that motivated their behavior. Then, instead of being angry, you'll pity them.

We're all human beings. Why hate anyone, flatter anyone, lord over anyone, or bow before anyone?

So it is that we have more respect for what our neighbours will think of us than we have for ourselves.

It's silly to try to escape other people's faults. They are inescapable. Just try to escape your own.

I often wonder how it is that most people value their own lives above others, yet value other's opinions of them over their own self-opinions.

When thou art offended with any man's shameless conduct, immediately ask thyself, Is it possible then that such men should not be in the world? It is not possible. Do not then require what is impossible. ... For at the same time that thou dost remind thyself that it is impossible that such kind of men should not exist, thou wilt become more kindly disposed towards every one individually.

Marcus sought by-laws to protect the weak, to make the lot of the slaves less hard, to stand in place of father to the fatherless.

Not to contemn any friend's expostulation, though unjust, but to strive to reduce him to his former disposition