--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Milgram’s argument was provocative…" description: "\"“Milgram’s argument was provocative because he maintained that what got lost wasn’t random but precise: When people felt overloaded, he said, they rest..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/anonymous-1_overload_milgram-s-argument-was-provocative-becau_3001562.jpg" --- # Milgram’s argument was provocative because he maintained… ![“Milgram’s argument was provocative because he maintained that what got lost wasn’t random but precise: When people felt overloaded, he said, they restricted their social and moral involvement. “Overload is made more manageable by limiting the ‘span of sympathy.’ ” Milgram wasn’t out to enrage…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/anonymous-1_overload_milgram-s-argument-was-provocative-becau_3001562.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/anonymous-1_overload_milgram-s-argument-was-provocative-becau_3001562.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/anonymous-1_overload_milgram-s-argument-was-provocative-becau_3001562.jpg) > ““Milgram’s argument was provocative because he maintained that what got lost wasn’t random but precise: When people felt overloaded, he said, they restricted their social and moral involvement. “Overload is made more manageable by limiting the ‘span of sympathy.’ ” Milgram wasn’t out to enrage city-lovers the world over. He was concerned that the load-balancing trade-offs weren’t just operational; they were moral. If it is hard to doubt when you’re tired, it may be even harder to care.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When people are overloaded, they narrow their moral concern, limiting empathy to manageable circles. **In simple terms:** Overload narrows empathy. Key Takeaway Recognize and expand your “span of sympathy.” Themes psychology ethics stress empathy Mood reflective concerned Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - workplace burnout - political decision making - personal relationships - community activism Key Concepts Moral narrowing cognitive load social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How does fatigue affect your moral judgments? - What strategies can broaden empathy under stress? A Different Perspective People may still act unethically even when not overloaded. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Felt Overloaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-overloaded-1442459/) [Milgram Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/milgram-argument-1442457/) [Overload](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overload/) [Overloaded Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overloaded-said-1442460/) [Sympathy Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sympathy-milgram-1442458/) ## Related quotes > [“Milgram’s argument was provocative because he maintained that what got lost wasn’t random but precise: When people felt overloaded, he said, they restricted their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/milgram-s-argument-was-provocative-because-he-maintained-that-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You were overloaded. I said nothing. I said nothing. The stone man made soup. The burning woman drank it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/you-were-overloaded-i-said-nothing-i-said-nothing-the-stone-man-made/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [I always try not to overload my music with orchestration and to use only those instruments that are absolutely necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-korzeniowski/i-always-try-not-to-overload-my-music-with-orchestration-and-to-use/) [Abel Korzeniowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-korzeniowski/) > [I want to prove that Holst's 'The Planets' can be as much of a sensory overload as a concert by the Grateful Dead, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hazlewood/i-want-to-prove-that-holst-s-the-planets-can-be-as-much-of-a-sensory/) [Charles Hazlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hazlewood/) > [In an age of information overload ... the last thing any of us needs is more information about God. We need the practice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/in-an-age-of-information-overload-the-last-thing-any-of-us-needs-is/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Normal people have an incredible lack of empathy. They have good emotional empathy, but they don't have much empathy for the autistic kid who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/normal-people-have-an-incredible-lack-of-empathy-they-have-good/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [I see within us all (myself included) the replacement of complex inner density with a new kind of self—evolving under the pressure of information…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-foreman/i-see-within-us-all-myself-included-the-replacement-of-complex-inner/) [Richard Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-foreman/) > [An entrepreneur... is a person of action, one who possesses an unnatural overload of two attributes: optimism and determination. Because entrepreneurs are optimistic, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-clifton/an-entrepreneur-is-a-person-of-action-one-who-possesses-an-unnatural/) [Jim Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-clifton/) > [When the next big problem comes online, be it the Euro crisis, nuclear proliferation, an overstretched Internet, a killer flu, or any of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-casti/when-the-next-big-problem-comes-online-be-it-the-euro-crisis-nuclear/) [John L. Casti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-casti/) > [Here's the general theory: To clarify, add detail. Imagine that. To clarify, add detail. And clutter and overload are not an attribute of information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/here-s-the-general-theory-to-clarify-add-detail-imagine-that-to/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [My emotions overload because there is no hand to hold, there’s no shoulder here to lean on; I’m walking all on my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/my-emotions-overload-because-there-is-no-hand-to-hold-there-s-no/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [Everyone spoke of an information overload, but what there was in fact was a non-information overload.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/everyone-spoke-of-an-information-overload-but-what-there-was-in-fact/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [everything is toxic. That's the point. You can't avoid toxins. Thinking you can is just another symptom of the toxic overload stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/everything-is-toxic-that-s-the-point-you-can-t-avoid-toxins-thinking/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [We have used the Bible as if it was a mere special constable's handbook — an opium-dose for keeping beasts of burden patient while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/we-have-used-the-bible-as-if-it-was-a-mere-special-constable-s/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) > [Overloading attention shrinks mental control. Life immersed in digital distractions creates a near constant cognitive overload. And that overload wears out self-control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/overloading-attention-shrinks-mental-control-life-immersed-in-digital/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Overload quotes > [Overloading attention shrinks mental control. Life immersed in digital distractions creates a near constant cognitive overload. And that overload wears out self-control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/overloading-attention-shrinks-mental-control-life-immersed-in-digital/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [We have used the Bible as if it was a mere special constable's handbook — an opium-dose for keeping beasts of burden patient while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/we-have-used-the-bible-as-if-it-was-a-mere-special-constable-s/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) > [everything is toxic. That's the point. You can't avoid toxins. Thinking you can is just another symptom of the toxic overload stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/everything-is-toxic-that-s-the-point-you-can-t-avoid-toxins-thinking/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [Everyone spoke of an information overload, but what there was in fact was a non-information overload.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/everyone-spoke-of-an-information-overload-but-what-there-was-in-fact/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [My emotions overload because there is no hand to hold, there’s no shoulder here to lean on; I’m walking all on my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/my-emotions-overload-because-there-is-no-hand-to-hold-there-s-no/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [Here's the general theory: To clarify, add detail. Imagine that. To clarify, add detail. And clutter and overload are not an attribute of information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/here-s-the-general-theory-to-clarify-add-detail-imagine-that-to/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [When the next big problem comes online, be it the Euro crisis, nuclear proliferation, an overstretched Internet, a killer flu, or any of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-casti/when-the-next-big-problem-comes-online-be-it-the-euro-crisis-nuclear/) [John L. Casti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-casti/) > [An entrepreneur... is a person of action, one who possesses an unnatural overload of two attributes: optimism and determination. Because entrepreneurs are optimistic, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-clifton/an-entrepreneur-is-a-person-of-action-one-who-possesses-an-unnatural/) [Jim Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-clifton/) > [I see within us all (myself included) the replacement of complex inner density with a new kind of self—evolving under the pressure of information…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-foreman/i-see-within-us-all-myself-included-the-replacement-of-complex-inner/) [Richard Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-foreman/) > [Normal people have an incredible lack of empathy. They have good emotional empathy, but they don't have much empathy for the autistic kid who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/normal-people-have-an-incredible-lack-of-empathy-they-have-good/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [In an age of information overload ... the last thing any of us needs is more information about God. We need the practice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/in-an-age-of-information-overload-the-last-thing-any-of-us-needs-is/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [I want to prove that Holst's 'The Planets' can be as much of a sensory overload as a concert by the Grateful Dead, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hazlewood/i-want-to-prove-that-holst-s-the-planets-can-be-as-much-of-a-sensory/) [Charles Hazlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hazlewood/) > [I always try not to overload my music with orchestration and to use only those instruments that are absolutely necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-korzeniowski/i-always-try-not-to-overload-my-music-with-orchestration-and-to-use/) [Abel Korzeniowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-korzeniowski/) > [Unlimited choice is paralyzing. The Internet has made this form of paralysis due to option overload a standard feature of comfortable modern life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/unlimited-choice-is-paralyzing-the-internet-has-made-this-form-of/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“Death by hormonal overload.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/death-by-hormonal-overload/) [Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/) [Browse all 106 Overload quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overload/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Milgram’s argument was provocative because he maintained that what got lost wasn’t random but precise: When people felt overloaded, he said, they restricted their social and moral involvement. “Overload is made more manageable by limiting the ‘span of sympathy.’ ” Milgram wasn’t out to enrage city-lovers the world over. 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