Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, a quality that sets the foundation for meaningful relationships and compassionate leadership. Unlike sympathy, which acknowledges someone’s struggles from a distance, empathy involves stepping into their shoes to truly grasp their perspective. Empathy quotes can illuminate this concept a little more in our lives.
Experts like Dr. Brené Brown and Maya Angelou have spoken extensively about empathy’s power to bridge divides and foster connection. Empathy helps us gain understanding, relate to others and show compassion. It’s important in all aspects of our lives—personally and professionally. It can help us have deeper relationships, become better leaders and even improve our own mental well-being.
Though people may face empathy fatigue at times (described by Cleveland Clinic as a reduction in the ability to care due to exposure to traumatic events—either in person or on the news), finding ways to recapture it can be beneficial. Sometimes we may need reminders of why empathy is important or some positive inspiration for connecting with others in daily life. We may even need a nudge to use self-empathy and be kinder and gentler to ourselves. No matter where you’re at, these inspiring empathy quotes can help us harness its power.
Powerful Quotes About Empathy And Compassion
Empathy and compassion go hand in hand, creating a powerful duo that fosters understanding and healing. In fact, some refer to empathy as the gateway for compassion. When we’re able to understand and connect with others, it makes it possible to have compassion for the other person and what they are experiencing. If you’re looking for inspiration or want to share the power of the concept with someone else, these quotes about compassion and empathy can help.
- “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.” ―Alfred Adler
- “Compassion is the wish to see others free from suffering.” ―Dalai Lama
- “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” ―F. Scott Fitzgerald
- “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” ―Maya Angelou
- “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” ―Mother Teresa
- “The highest form of knowledge… is empathy.” ―Bill Bullard
- “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” ―Mohsin Hamid
- “Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek.” ―Dalai Lama
- I saw people die, I saw loved ones separated, I saw cruelty and hunger on a daily basis. All that proved to me that nothing is more important than empathy for another human being’s suffering. Nothing. Not a career, not wealth, not intelligence, certainly not status. We have to feel for one another if we’re going to survive with dignity. —Audrey Hepburn
- Blessed are you who/ chooses to show up without judgment/with little gifts or small acts of practical help./You know the gift of compassion.” —Kate Bowler
Related Link: How to Have More Empathetic Conversations
Inspiring Quotes On Empathy And Kindness
Kindness and empathy quotes also go hand in hand. These two elements are transformative forces that can brighten even the darkest moments. We can use these empathy phrases to inspire us to practice these virtues daily, creating a ripple effect of understanding.
- “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” ―Aesop
- “Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle.” ―Charles Glassman
- “You can accomplish by kindness what you cannot by force.” ―Publilius Syrus
- “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” ―Dalai Lama
- “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ―Mahatma Gandhi
- “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” ―Mother Teresa
- “Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.” ―Jackie Chan
- “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” ―Mark Twain
- “What this world needs is a new kind of army—the army of the kind.” ―Cleveland Amory
- “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” ―Amelia Earhart
- What wisdom can you find greater than kindness?” ―Jean Jacques Rousseau
Related Link: 50 Quotes About Strength
Genuine Empathy Quotes For Work
Empathy is a vital skill in the workplace, helping build strong teams, improve communication and enhance leadership. These empathy quotes for work highlight the importance of empathy in a professional environment, encouraging emotional intelligence and understanding. When you need a reminder of why empathy matters on the job, turn to these helpful phrases.
- 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.’” —Brené Brown
- “Leadership is not domination. It’s the art of persuading people to work toward a common goal.” —Daniel Goleman
- “Empathy is crucial because it helps us connect with others on a deeper level and fosters compassion and understanding.” —Ranjot Singh Chahal
- “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” —Theodore Roosevelt
- “We rise by lifting others.” —Robert Ingersoll
- “Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors.” —Fred Rogers
- “Good management is showing average people how to do the work of superior people.” —John D. Rockefeller
- “Empathy is like a universal solvent. Any problem immersed in empathy becomes soluble.” —Simon Baron-Cohen
- “Great leaders don’t set out to be a leader…. They set out to make a difference. It’s never about the role—always about the goal.” —Lisa Haisha
- “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one who gets people to do the greatest things.” —Ronald Reagan
Related Link: Uplifting Quotes for Positive Vibes
Empathy Vs. Sympathy: Quotes to Make You Think
Understanding the difference between empathy and sympathy is key to fostering deeper connections. While sympathy often involves feeling pity for someone, empathy invites us to feel with them and share in their experience. These quotes will help clarify and highlight the importance of practicing empathy vs. sympathy.
- “Empathy fuels connection. Sympathy drives disconnection.” —Brené Brown
- “Sympathy is easy because it comes from a position of power. Empathy is getting down on your knees and looking someone else in the eye and realizing that you could be them, and that all that separates you is luck.” —Dennis Lehane
- Simply put, sympathy is feeling for someone, while empathy is feeling with someone. —Olivia Guy-Evans
- “Empathy is not sympathy. A sympathy is a form of agreement. Empathy is not agreeing with someone; it is fully, deeply understanding that person, emotionally as well as intellectually.” —Stephen R. Covey
- “Sympathy is no substitute for action.” —David Livingstone
- “…sympathy is ‘feeling for,’ and empathy is ‘feeling with.’ Put another way, sympathy is telling someone you care, while empathy is showing it.” —Jared Wolf
- Sympathy involves feeling sorry for someone, usually pity…. Empathy is the ability to understand other people’s feelings because you have a shared experience. You can console because you have walked in similar shoes. —Kerry Siggins
- “Sympathy is easy, but empathy changes hearts.” —John O’Leary
- “Empathy is feeling with people” —Brené Brown
- “I realized that I not only need to show empathy to others, but also be vulnerable and willing to accept empathy from others. That’s how we build strong relationships and communities.” —Chris Meroff
Inspiring Quotes On Empathetic Leadership
Empathy is a cornerstone of great leadership. Leaders who practice empathy create more inclusive and high-performing teams. These empathy leadership quotes emphasize the importance of empathetic leadership and its impact on both individuals and organizations.
- “Empathy is being concerned about the human being, not just their output.” —Simon Sinek
- “Empathy is a choice, and it’s a vulnerable choice.” —Brené Brown
- “Ideas excite me, empathy grounds and centers me.” —Satya Nadella
- “If you’re asking how to create a more empathetic workplace, you’re already way ahead of everybody else.” —Daniel Lubetzky
- “A leader is best when people barely know he exists… when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, ‘We did this ourselves.’” —Lao Tzu
- “Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” —Peter Drucker
- “To lead people, walk behind them.”—Lao Tzu
- “We simply must be consistently, authentically, unwaveringly tender-hearted with people if we hope to lead effectively. —Douglas Conant
Famous Sayings About Empathy to Increase Understanding
Empathy fosters deeper understanding and helps break down barriers between people. These famous sayings and quotes about empathy remind us of the profound impact it can have on how we relate to one another and navigate the world.
- “Just walk a mile in his moccasins/Before you abuse, criticize and accuse.” —Mary T. Lathrap
- “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” —Epictetus
- “Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It’s the impetus for creating change.” —Max Carver
- “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” —Confucius
- “To perceive is to suffer.” —Aristotle
- “Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.” ―Simon Sinek
- “Empathy is the ability to step outside of your own bubble and into the bubbles of other people.” —C. JoyBell C.
- “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ―Dr. Seuss
- “Be kind. For everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” —Ian Maclaren
- “I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.” —Maya Angelou
- “For what you can fix, there are a hundred remedies. For what cannot be cured, not even words will do.” —Alice Hoffman
- “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
Embracing Empathy And Compassion For Stronger Connections
A lack of empathy can cause conflict, misunderstanding and lack of connection. But the quotes, phrases and messages we’ve explored throughout this article remind us of the transformative power of empathy and compassion. From the powerful leadership insights of Simon Sinek and Brené Brown to the inspiring words of Maya Angelou and Mother Teresa, we see that empathy isn’t merely a soft skill; it is a cornerstone of humanity.
By embracing empathy, we not only build stronger connections, but we can also work toward creating a more compassionate world. Let these empathetic quotes serve as inspiration for us all to practice empathy and compassion in our daily lives, creating loving environments of understanding and respect. Through empathy, we can bridge divides while uplifting others, transforming both ourselves and the world around us.
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