--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [T]he obverse of facile emotion in the…" description: "\"“[T]he obverse of facile emotion in the 14th century was a general insensitivity to the spectacle of pain and death.”\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/anonymous-1_century_t-he-obverse-of-facile-emotion-in-the-14_1769193.jpg" --- # \[T\]he obverse of facile emotion in the 14th century was a… ![“[T]he obverse of facile emotion in the 14th century was a general insensitivity to the spectacle of pain and death.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/anonymous-1_century_t-he-obverse-of-facile-emotion-in-the-14_1769193.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/anonymous-1_century_t-he-obverse-of-facile-emotion-in-the-14_1769193.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/anonymous-1_century_t-he-obverse-of-facile-emotion-in-the-14_1769193.jpg) > ““\[T\]he obverse of facile emotion in the 14th century was a general insensitivity to the spectacle of pain and death.”” [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. Facile emotions in the 14th century contrasted with indifference to suffering. **In simple terms:** People once felt shallow emotions but ignored pain. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden insensitivity in modern empathy. Themes empathy history emotion Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - media consumption - social activism Key Concepts cultural desensitization moral blindness Questions to Reflect On - Are we truly feeling or just observing? - How can we cultivate deeper compassion? A Different Perspective Modern media can also numb us to suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [14Th Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/14th-century-302154/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Emotion 14Th](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion-14th-1761867/) [General Insensitivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/general-insensitivity-1761866/) [Insensitivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insensitivity/) [Insensitivity Spectacle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insensitivity-spectacle-1761865/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) ## Related quotes > [For belligerent purposes, the 14th century, like the 20th, commanded a technology more sophisticated than the mental and moral capacity that guided its use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-belligerent-purposes-the-14th-century-like-the-20th-commanded-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Money was the crux. Raising money to pay the cost of war was to cause more damage to 14th century society than the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/money-was-the-crux-raising-money-to-pay-the-cost-of-war-was-to-cause/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [ The clergy \[in the 14th century\] on the whole were probably no more lecherous or greedy or untrustworthy than other men, but because they… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/the-clergy-in-the-14th-century-on-the-whole-were-probably-no-more/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [I'm never surprised by the insensitivity of 'The New York Times' editorial board.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-never-surprised-by-the-insensitivity-of-the-new-york-times/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Once again, Pat Robertson leaves us speechless with his insensitivity and arrogance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-again-pat-robertson-leaves-us-speechless-with-his-insensitivity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ No economic activity was more irrepressible \[in the 14th century\] than the investment and lending at interest of money; it was the basis for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/no-economic-activity-was-more-irrepressible-in-the-14th-century-than/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [ The Church \[in the 14th century\] gave ceremony and dignity to lives that had little of either. It was the source of beauty and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/the-church-in-the-14th-century-gave-ceremony-and-dignity-to-lives/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [I think every period - except for the 14th century, or something - has some merits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/i-think-every-period-except-for-the-14th-century-or-something-has/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [ The nastiness of women \[in the 14th century\] was generally perceived at the close of life when a man began to worry about hell,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/the-nastiness-of-women-in-the-14th-century-was-generally-perceived-at/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [Now, father, you're living in the past. 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Although the 14th-century Italian was referring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-500-years-following-the-fall-of-the-western-roman-empire-were/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [ Woman \[in the 14th century\] was the Church's rival, the temptress, the distraction, the obstacle to holiness, the Devil's decoy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/woman-in-the-14th-century-was-the-church-s-rival-the-temptress-the/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [Modern historians have suggested that in his last years he (Richard II) was overtaken by mental disease, but that is only a modern view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/modern-historians-have-suggested-that-in-his-last-years-he-richard-ii/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) ## 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. 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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 Century quotes > [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. 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