Empathy quotes
Welcome to our collection of empathy quotes! Empathy is a powerful human quality that allows us to understand and share the feelings of others. It is the ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes, to see the world through their perspective, and to truly connect on an emotional level.
These quotes delve into the depths of empathy, reminding us of its significance in our lives. They provide insights from notable individuals who have acknowledged its importance and have experienced its profound impact. Reading these quotes will inspire you to cultivate empathy in your own life, fostering compassion, understanding, and positive relationships.
Explore this page to find a diverse range of quotes that capture the essence of empathy. Whether you seek words of wisdom, motivation, or validation, you are sure to find them here. Join us on this journey as we celebrate and explore the power of empathy through the profound words of thinkers, artists, and leaders.
Feel free to browse through the various quotes in this category, and let them serve as a reminder of the beauty and transformative potential of empathy.
Kathryn Stockett
— NovelistWasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought.
Joyce Carol Oates
— AuthorWriting allows for fictitious voices - the voices of persons unlike myself - that might otherwise be muted.
Patricia Piccinini
— ArtistI think people perceive my creatures as absurd because they look different, but at the same time, they are a little bit familiar. I want people to feel a kind of empathy with them. When you think about it, all nature is kind of strange looking.. in fact, I'm a strange a looking creature.
E. B. White
— Versatile Writer & Author of Beloved ClassicsThe world is full of people who have never, since childhood, met an open doorway with an open mind.
Stan Lee
— Comic Book Icon & Creator of Marvel HeroesIf you have a character that seems to be all perfect, it's hard to relate to him because when you read a story you really want to empathize with the character that you are reading about. And it's hard to empathize with someone who is flawless and who has no problems.
Harvey Mackay
— Business Guru & Motivational SpeakerYou can win more friends with your ears than with your mouth. People who feel like they're being listened to feel accepted and appreciated. They feel like they're being taken seriously and what they say really matters.
M. F. K. Fisher
— Pioneering Food WriterI think that when two people are able to weave that kind of invisible thread of understanding and sympathy between each other, that delicate web, they should not risk tearing it. It is too rare, and it lasts too short a time at best.
Ricky Martin
— MusicianWhen someone isn't ready we must not try to force them out. People are being bullied and committing suicide because they're gay and it's horrible.
Will Ferrell
— American actor, comedian, producer, and writerWhenever someone calls me ugly I get super sad and hug them, because I know how tough life is for the visually impaired.
Rachel Grady
— Film directorAlways put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person, too.
Pope John XXIII
— Head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in 1963I have looked into your eyes with my eyes. I have put my heart near your heart.
Lindy West
— American writer, comedian and activistIf you're making yourself vulnerable in your writing, then they know where to hurt you, which is extra fun. I had to develop coping mechanisms on the fly, and slowly it got better, to the point where now I barely notice. I'm like an old, gnarly turtle now. The interaction with the troll who impersonated my dad made me start to understand who these people are, and I figured out, in a really profound way, that happy people don't do this. It's hard to feel afraid of someone when you pity them.
Kafu Nagai
— Japanese writer, essayist, diarist and translatorEmpathy is not merely the basic principle of artistic creation. It is also the only path by which one can reach the truth about life and society.
Reba McEntire
— American country music singer, actress and businesswomanI just try not to judge. Dont judge me, and I wont judge you.
Eli Roth
— American film director, producer, and actorIt's the difference between hunting a lion and hunting a deer. If someone hunts a lion, it's like: "Wow, they're brave!" But if they're hunting a deer it's like: "That poor deer!" I know that. I know that guys getting killed is horrible but people have seen it before. You've seen The Evil Dead. With girls, it's like: "I don't want to see that happening..." I know that.
Glennon Melton
— American author and activistThe only meaningful thing we can offer one another is love. Not advice, not questions about our choices, not suggestions for the future, just love.
Alber Elbaz
— Israeli fashion designerI am always trying to put myself inside: Every dress I do, I think, 'If I were a woman, would I wear it?'
Abraham Lincoln
— American PresidentWhatever woman may cast her lot with mine, should any ever do so, it is my intention to do all in my power to make her happy and contented; and there is nothing I can imagine that would make me more unhappy than to fail in the effort.
Joyce Carol Oates
— AuthorI was brought up to be sympathetic toward others.
Will Ferrell
— American actor, comedian, producer, and writerI think it just came with me evolving as a person and me understanding that it's not right to judge or to say anything derogatory about other people, especially if I don't know them.
Lindy West
— American writer, comedian and activistI don't want any woman to think that I don't have empathy and deep care for all women's body issues. I just want to make sure that we don't only focus on the most palatable ones.
Kathryn Stockett
— NovelistI'd cry, if only I had the time to do it.
Joyce Carol Oates
— AuthorReading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul.
Kathryn Stockett
— NovelistIm a Southerner - I never take satisfaction in touching a nerve.
Joyce Carol Oates
— Author...[I am] utterly entranced, at times, with the mere fact that there are other people, and that they experience themselves as the primary center of consciousness just as I do. That fact alone...Well, that fact alone is staggering.
Kathryn Stockett
— NovelistSome readers tell me, 'We always treated our maid like she was a member of the family.' You know, that's interesting, but I wonder what your maid's perspective was on that.