--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that you have to experience…" description: "\"I think that you have to experience darkness to feel empathy. For all of my failings - and I have many - I do have a complete ability to emphasize with..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/alison-moyet-10855_ability_i-think-that-you-have-to-experience-dark_2441485.png" --- # I think that you have to experience darkness to feel… ![“I think that you have to experience darkness to feel empathy. For all of my failings - and I have many - I do have a complete ability to emphasize with people. And that all goes down to being "other." When you're young you think otherness is a state only you possess. When you get older you…” quote by Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/alison-moyet-10855_ability_i-think-that-you-have-to-experience-dark_2441485.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/alison-moyet-10855_ability_i-think-that-you-have-to-experience-dark_2441485.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/alison-moyet-10855_ability_i-think-that-you-have-to-experience-dark_2441485.png) > “I think that you have to experience darkness to feel empathy. For all of my failings - and I have many - I do have a complete ability to emphasize with people. And that all goes down to being "other." When you're young you think otherness is a state only you possess. When you get older you realize, "Actually, there's so many of us." In that we find community.” [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Experiencing hardship deepens understanding of others, revealing shared humanity and fostering community. **In simple terms:** Hardship builds empathy and community. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges to connect with others. Themes empathy community identity growth Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - volunteering - team projects - counseling - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology social connection shared experience Questions to Reflect On - How does personal pain shape your view of others? - Can empathy exist without personal hardship? A Different Perspective Empathy can be limited by personal bias despite shared struggles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The more you learn about someone, how could you not want to protect them and their rights? The more you learn about a culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yara-shahidi/the-more-you-learn-about-someone-how-could-you-not-want-to-protect/) [Yara Shahidi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yara-shahidi/) > [I hope people who read my books feel empathy for us and really see us as complicated people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-hope-people-who-read-my-books-feel-empathy-for-us-and-really-see-us/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [ “Humans who attend directly to vivid cases \[of inequality\] are capable of great empathy with inequality losers. They are also capable of great compassion… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hanson/humans-who-attend-directly-to-vivid-cases-of-inequality-are-capable/) Robin Hanson > [“People's sense of self worth is pivotal to their ability to look clearly at the hurt they've caused. The more solid one's sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/people-s-sense-of-self-worth-is-pivotal-to-their-ability-to-look/) [Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/) > [“Yet such men do not need to imagine a male victim of crime as a brother or son in order to feel empathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/yet-such-men-do-not-need-to-imagine-a-male-victim-of-crime-as-a/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [Oh darkness, I feel like letting go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/oh-darkness-i-feel-like-letting-go/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [For now everything just seems so right, how do you make the darkness feel so bright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cole/for-now-everything-just-seems-so-right-how-do-you-make-the-darkness/) [J Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cole/) > [The new light above my table is a great improvement. With all this darkness around me I feel less alone. (Pause.) In a way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/the-new-light-above-my-table-is-a-great-improvement-with-all-this/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [We must first peer into the darkness, feel strangled and entombed in the hopelessness of living without God, before we are ready to feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/we-must-first-peer-into-the-darkness-feel-strangled-and-entombed-in/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [The light. The light is so bright that all that remains is you and the darkness. You can feel the audience breathing. It's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/the-light-the-light-is-so-bright-that-all-that-remains-is-you-and-the/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [“If anything is horrible, if there is a reality that surpasses our worst dreams, it is this: to live, to see the sun, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/if-anything-is-horrible-if-there-is-a-reality-that-surpasses-our/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“Just as I felt the warmth of darkness, I could feel the cool breeze of divnity ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-day/just-as-i-felt-the-warmth-of-darkness-i-could-feel-the-cool-breeze-of/) [Kristen Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-day/) > [“She lay in darkness so thick she could feel its pressure all around her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mather-parker/she-lay-in-darkness-so-thick-she-could-feel-its-pressure-all-around/) [Patricia Mather Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mather-parker/) > [“I look into the mirror and i see nothing, only in darkness i feel myself, only in silence i hear myself. I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neymat-khan/i-look-into-the-mirror-and-i-see-nothing-only-in-darkness-i-feel/) [Neymat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neymat-khan/) > [“Fortunately there is gin, the sole glimmer in this darkness. Do you feel the golden, copper-coloured light it kindles in you? I like walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/fortunately-there-is-gin-the-sole-glimmer-in-this-darkness-do-you/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## More by Alison Moyet > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [I went through a string of A&R men who all thought I should be doing something different. One thought I should be a dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/i-went-through-a-string-of-a-r-men-who-all-thought-i-should-be-doing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [Yazoo was Vince's sound ultimately. At the time Vince and I got together he had only recorded one album with Depeche and Depeche were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/yazoo-was-vince-s-sound-ultimately-at-the-time-vince-and-i-got/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [With the exceptional talent that is Guy Sigsworth as producer and collaborator, we have recorded a collection of original songs that sees me moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/with-the-exceptional-talent-that-is-guy-sigsworth-as-producer-and/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [Of all the soul divas, Gladys Knight was the one for me. Knight's always been about tone and heart, none of the big showboating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/of-all-the-soul-divas-gladys-knight-was-the-one-for-me-knight-s/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [It's really irrelevant, but I wouldn't want to be stick thin. It's better to have bit of fat on your face when you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/it-s-really-irrelevant-but-i-wouldn-t-want-to-be-stick-thin-it-s/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [My strength as a singer is my versatility. I find it really frustrating when I'm only expected to show off. The music industry is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/my-strength-as-a-singer-is-my-versatility-i-find-it-really/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [I was a single parent, and I was prohibited from working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/i-was-a-single-parent-and-i-was-prohibited-from-working/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [When you make a lot of money for a record company, they don't want you to evolve. Growing older, you naturally do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/when-you-make-a-lot-of-money-for-a-record-company-they-don-t-want-you/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [Within three months I had gone from being this black sheep of the town to suddenly becoming a pop star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/within-three-months-i-had-gone-from-being-this-black-sheep-of-the/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [Personally I think women look better with a bit of chub on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/personally-i-think-women-look-better-with-a-bit-of-chub-on-them/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [I love being middle-aged in general. I'm more at peace with myself now. I still have tormented times, but they are few and far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/i-love-being-middle-aged-in-general-i-m-more-at-peace-with-myself-now/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [Yazoo is the name of an old blues label and also a town in America. I like it because it doesn't mean a thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/yazoo-is-the-name-of-an-old-blues-label-and-also-a-town-in-america-i/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [The press Yazoo were receiving were focused on the voice, This obviously was about trends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/the-press-yazoo-were-receiving-were-focused-on-the-voice-this/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) [Explore all 63 Alison Moyet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that you have to experience darkness to feel empathy. For all of my failings - and I have many - I do have a complete ability to emphasize with people. And that all goes down to being \"other.\" When you're young you think otherness is a state only you possess. When you get older you realize, \"Actually, there's so many of us.\" In that we find community.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alison Moyet" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/i-think-that-you-have-to-experience-darkness-to-feel-empathy-for-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/i-think-that-you-have-to-experience-darkness-to-feel-empathy-for-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/alison-moyet-10855_ability_i-think-that-you-have-to-experience-dark_2441485.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/alison-moyet-10855_ability_i-think-that-you-have-to-experience-dark_2441485.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/alison-moyet-10855_ability_i-think-that-you-have-to-experience-dark_2441485.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that you have to experience darkness to feel empathy. For all of my failings - and I have many - I…” — Alison Moyet", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alison Moyet", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that you have to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/i-think-that-you-have-to-experience-darkness-to-feel-empathy-for-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/i-think-that-you-have-to-experience-darkness-to-feel-empathy-for-all/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```