Empathy is the ability to sense, share, and understand the feelings of another. By putting yourself in another person's point of view, you will see what that person is going through and realize their circumstances. May these short quotes about empathy give you insights into having a purpose in life and making it more meaningful.
1. “Empathy is important, openness, honesty, and an understanding for others.” – Niko Kovac
2. “There are so many men, all endlessly attempting to sweep me off my feet. And there is one of you, trying just the opposite. Making sure my feet are firm beneath me, lest I fall.” – Patrick Rothfuss
3. “Change begins with understanding and understanding begins by identifying oneself with another person: in a word, empathy. The arts enable us to put ourselves in the minds, eyes, ears and hearts of other human beings.” – Richard Eyre
4. “Are you proud of yourself tonight that you have insulted a total stranger whose circumstances you know nothing about?” – Harper Lee
5. “The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy, we can all sense a mysterious connection to each other.” – Meryl Streep
6. “What dooms our best efforts to cultivate empathy and compassion is always, of course, other people.” – Tim Kreider
7. “I've been fascinated by the idea that evil is the absence of empathy.” – John Connolly
8. “Empaths did not come into this world to be victims, we came to be warriors. Be brave. Stay strong. We need all hands on deck.” – Anthon St. Maarten
9. “Empathy is about standing in someone else's shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place.” – Daniel H. Pink
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10. “Walk with me for a while, my friend, you in my shoes, I in yours, and then let us talk.” – Richelle E. Goodrich
11. “I believe empathy is the most essential quality of civilization.” – Roger Ebert
12. “If you look into someone's face long enough, eventually you're going to feel that you're looking at yourself.” – Paul Auster
13. “All advocacy is, at its core, an exercise in empathy.” – Samantha Power
14. “Empathy isn’t just listening, it’s asking the questions whose answers need to be listened to. Empathy requires inquiry as much as imagination. Empathy requires knowing you know nothing. Empathy means acknowledging a horizon of context that extends perpetually beyond what you can see.” – Leslie Jamison
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15. “Treat people like people. Beware of pity and patronization because in them, you can't see when you're unashamedly looking down on someone.” – Criss Jami
16. “Empathy begins with understanding life from another person's perspective. Nobody has an objective experience of reality. It's all through our own individual prisms.” – Sterling K. Brown
17. “History is not just facts and events. History is also a pain in the heart and we repeat history until we are able to make another's pain in the heart our own.” – Julius Lester
18. “It's very difficult to design something for someone if you have no empathy” – Stewart Butterfield
19. “One of the benefits of aligning yourself with an indistinct cluster of people is that claiming to feel their pain is often enough.” – Charlie Brooker
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20. “When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and positive energy replaces it. That's when you can get more creative in solving problems.” – Stephen Covey
21. “Think about it. We all have our bits of madness. Don't be too harsh about the madness of others.” – Osamu Tezuka
22. “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” – Mohsin Hamid
23. “Human morality is unthinkable without empathy.” – Frans de Waal
24. “The opposite of anger is not calmness, its empathy.” – Mehmet Oz
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25. “Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It's the impetus for creating change.” – Max Carver
26. “When you start to develop your powers of empathy and imagination, the whole world opens up to you.” – Susan Sarandon
27. “An exchange of empathy provides an entry point for a lot of people to see what healing feels like.” – Tarana Burke
28. “In my view, the best of humanity is in our exercise of empathy and compassion. It's when we challenge ourselves to walk in the shoes of someone whose pain or plight might seem so different than yours that it's almost incomprehensible.” – Sarah McBride
29. “The greater good is achieved by not only telling people what they need to know, but also filling them with a sense of empathy and love.” – Abigail Disney
30. “People complain not because something sucks. People complain because they're looking for empathy and to feel connected with those around them. Unfortunately, complaining is maybe the least useful way to connect with other human beings.” – Mark Manson
More Deep Empathy Quotes
31. “The idea of faking empathy to take a step forward to understanding is really a powerful idea.” – Jonathan Groff
32. “The more you learn about someone, how could you not want to protect them and their rights? The more you learn about a culture or a certain identity, it's hard to not feel empathy.” – Yara Shahidi
33. “Anyone who has experienced a certain amount of loss in their life has empathy for those who have experienced loss.” – Anderson Cooper
34. “I believe that stories are incredibly important, possibly in ways we don't understand, in allowing us to make sense of our lives, in allowing us to escape our lives, in giving us empathy and in creating the world that we live in.” – Neil Gaiman
35. “A prerequisite to empathy is simply paying attention to the person in pain.” – Daniel Goleman
36. “The struggle of my life created empathy. I could relate to pain, abandonment, having people not love me.” – Oprah Winfrey
37. “Stories teach us empathy. They reveal to us ourselves in the skins of others.” – Justin Simien
38. “Empathy is the faculty to resonate with the feelings of others. When we meet someone who is joyful, we smile. When we witness someone in pain, we suffer in resonance with his or her suffering.” – Matthieu Ricard
39. “Empathy is about two people, two people meeting, getting to know each other, and tuning in to what the other person is thinking and feeling.” – Simon Baron-Cohen
40. “The discoveries of how we can grow and the insights we need to have really come from the inside out. To have genuine empathy, not as a make-nice tool but as an understanding, is essential to the next step.” – Patricia Sun
41. “We think we listen, but very rarely do we listen with real understanding, true empathy. Yet listening, of this very special kind, is one of the most potent forces for change that I know.” – Carl Rogers
42. “I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.” – Maya Angelou
43. “Empathy has no script. There is no right way or wrong way to do it. It’s simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of You’re not alone.” – Brene Brown
44. “Empathy 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.” – Nagai Kafu
45. “Empathy is a necessary step for truth and reconciliation.” – Simon Baron Cohen
46. “Empathy is connection; it's a ladder out of the shame hole.” – Brene Brown
47. “Empathy feels these thoughts; your hurt is in my heart, your loss is in my prayers, your sorrow is in my soul, and your tears are in my eyes.” – William Arthur Ward
48. “If you aren't humble, whatever empathy you claim is false and probably results from some arrogance or the desire to control. But true empathy is rooted in humility and the understanding that there are many people with as much to contribute in life as you.” – Anand Mahindra
49. “Empathy is the ability to step outside of your own bubble and into the bubbles of other people.” – C. JoyBell C.
50. “Empathy is really the opposite of spiritual meanness. It's the capacity to understand that every war is both won and lost. And that someone else's pain is as meaningful as your own.” – Barbara Kingsolver
51. “There’s nothing that inspires that deep sense of belonging like shared empathy.” – Brene Brown
52. “It's dangerous to think of yourself as a hero and someone else as a villain. It gets in the way of empathy.” – Megan Ganz
53. “An empathic person is a good listener, patient, understanding, and kind.” – Laura Raskin
54. “I do not shy away from accepting that I had a troubled past, but in the journey of coming out of that dark phase, I understand humans better. I am less judgmental and more compassionate. I learned empathy and forgiveness, and that gives me confidence as a person.” – Amit Sadh
55. “If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.” – Dolly Parton
56. “Empathy is choosing to see ourselves in another despite our differences. It's recognizing that the same humanity, the same desire for meaning, fulfillment and security, exists in each of us, even if it's expressed uniquely.” – Vivek Murthy
57. “The more empathy you have and the more connected you are to society, the better off you’ll be.” – Jasmila Zbanic
58. “True contentment comes with empathy.” – Tim Finn
59. “If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.” – Daniel Goleman
60. “We shall listen, not lecture; learn, not threaten. We will enhance our safety by earning the respect of others and showing respect for them.” – Theodore C. Sorensen
Share these Quotes on Empathy with your friends, family, and loved ones to inspire them as well.
2. “There are so many men, all endlessly attempting to sweep me off my feet. And there is one of you, trying just the opposite. Making sure my feet are firm beneath me, lest I fall.” – Patrick Rothfuss
3. “Change begins with understanding and understanding begins by identifying oneself with another person: in a word, empathy. The arts enable us to put ourselves in the minds, eyes, ears and hearts of other human beings.” – Richard Eyre
4. “Are you proud of yourself tonight that you have insulted a total stranger whose circumstances you know nothing about?” – Harper Lee
5. “The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy, we can all sense a mysterious connection to each other.” – Meryl Streep
6. “What dooms our best efforts to cultivate empathy and compassion is always, of course, other people.” – Tim Kreider
7. “I've been fascinated by the idea that evil is the absence of empathy.” – John Connolly
8. “Empaths did not come into this world to be victims, we came to be warriors. Be brave. Stay strong. We need all hands on deck.” – Anthon St. Maarten
9. “Empathy is about standing in someone else's shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place.” – Daniel H. Pink
11. “I believe empathy is the most essential quality of civilization.” – Roger Ebert
12. “If you look into someone's face long enough, eventually you're going to feel that you're looking at yourself.” – Paul Auster
13. “All advocacy is, at its core, an exercise in empathy.” – Samantha Power
14. “Empathy isn’t just listening, it’s asking the questions whose answers need to be listened to. Empathy requires inquiry as much as imagination. Empathy requires knowing you know nothing. Empathy means acknowledging a horizon of context that extends perpetually beyond what you can see.” – Leslie Jamison
16. “Empathy begins with understanding life from another person's perspective. Nobody has an objective experience of reality. It's all through our own individual prisms.” – Sterling K. Brown
17. “History is not just facts and events. History is also a pain in the heart and we repeat history until we are able to make another's pain in the heart our own.” – Julius Lester
18. “It's very difficult to design something for someone if you have no empathy” – Stewart Butterfield
19. “One of the benefits of aligning yourself with an indistinct cluster of people is that claiming to feel their pain is often enough.” – Charlie Brooker
21. “Think about it. We all have our bits of madness. Don't be too harsh about the madness of others.” – Osamu Tezuka
22. “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” – Mohsin Hamid
23. “Human morality is unthinkable without empathy.” – Frans de Waal
24. “The opposite of anger is not calmness, its empathy.” – Mehmet Oz
26. “When you start to develop your powers of empathy and imagination, the whole world opens up to you.” – Susan Sarandon
27. “An exchange of empathy provides an entry point for a lot of people to see what healing feels like.” – Tarana Burke
28. “In my view, the best of humanity is in our exercise of empathy and compassion. It's when we challenge ourselves to walk in the shoes of someone whose pain or plight might seem so different than yours that it's almost incomprehensible.” – Sarah McBride
29. “The greater good is achieved by not only telling people what they need to know, but also filling them with a sense of empathy and love.” – Abigail Disney
30. “People complain not because something sucks. People complain because they're looking for empathy and to feel connected with those around them. Unfortunately, complaining is maybe the least useful way to connect with other human beings.” – Mark Manson
More Deep Empathy Quotes
31. “The idea of faking empathy to take a step forward to understanding is really a powerful idea.” – Jonathan Groff
32. “The more you learn about someone, how could you not want to protect them and their rights? The more you learn about a culture or a certain identity, it's hard to not feel empathy.” – Yara Shahidi
33. “Anyone who has experienced a certain amount of loss in their life has empathy for those who have experienced loss.” – Anderson Cooper
34. “I believe that stories are incredibly important, possibly in ways we don't understand, in allowing us to make sense of our lives, in allowing us to escape our lives, in giving us empathy and in creating the world that we live in.” – Neil Gaiman
35. “A prerequisite to empathy is simply paying attention to the person in pain.” – Daniel Goleman
36. “The struggle of my life created empathy. I could relate to pain, abandonment, having people not love me.” – Oprah Winfrey
37. “Stories teach us empathy. They reveal to us ourselves in the skins of others.” – Justin Simien
38. “Empathy is the faculty to resonate with the feelings of others. When we meet someone who is joyful, we smile. When we witness someone in pain, we suffer in resonance with his or her suffering.” – Matthieu Ricard
39. “Empathy is about two people, two people meeting, getting to know each other, and tuning in to what the other person is thinking and feeling.” – Simon Baron-Cohen
40. “The discoveries of how we can grow and the insights we need to have really come from the inside out. To have genuine empathy, not as a make-nice tool but as an understanding, is essential to the next step.” – Patricia Sun
41. “We think we listen, but very rarely do we listen with real understanding, true empathy. Yet listening, of this very special kind, is one of the most potent forces for change that I know.” – Carl Rogers
42. “I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.” – Maya Angelou
43. “Empathy has no script. There is no right way or wrong way to do it. It’s simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of You’re not alone.” – Brene Brown
44. “Empathy 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.” – Nagai Kafu
45. “Empathy is a necessary step for truth and reconciliation.” – Simon Baron Cohen
46. “Empathy is connection; it's a ladder out of the shame hole.” – Brene Brown
47. “Empathy feels these thoughts; your hurt is in my heart, your loss is in my prayers, your sorrow is in my soul, and your tears are in my eyes.” – William Arthur Ward
48. “If you aren't humble, whatever empathy you claim is false and probably results from some arrogance or the desire to control. But true empathy is rooted in humility and the understanding that there are many people with as much to contribute in life as you.” – Anand Mahindra
49. “Empathy is the ability to step outside of your own bubble and into the bubbles of other people.” – C. JoyBell C.
50. “Empathy is really the opposite of spiritual meanness. It's the capacity to understand that every war is both won and lost. And that someone else's pain is as meaningful as your own.” – Barbara Kingsolver
51. “There’s nothing that inspires that deep sense of belonging like shared empathy.” – Brene Brown
52. “It's dangerous to think of yourself as a hero and someone else as a villain. It gets in the way of empathy.” – Megan Ganz
53. “An empathic person is a good listener, patient, understanding, and kind.” – Laura Raskin
54. “I do not shy away from accepting that I had a troubled past, but in the journey of coming out of that dark phase, I understand humans better. I am less judgmental and more compassionate. I learned empathy and forgiveness, and that gives me confidence as a person.” – Amit Sadh
55. “If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.” – Dolly Parton
56. “Empathy is choosing to see ourselves in another despite our differences. It's recognizing that the same humanity, the same desire for meaning, fulfillment and security, exists in each of us, even if it's expressed uniquely.” – Vivek Murthy
57. “The more empathy you have and the more connected you are to society, the better off you’ll be.” – Jasmila Zbanic
58. “True contentment comes with empathy.” – Tim Finn
59. “If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.” – Daniel Goleman
60. “We shall listen, not lecture; learn, not threaten. We will enhance our safety by earning the respect of others and showing respect for them.” – Theodore C. Sorensen
Share these Quotes on Empathy with your friends, family, and loved ones to inspire them as well.