--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You are softening toward the young rascal…" description: "\"You are softening toward the young rascal because he is ill, and because he says he likes cats.\" \"It is an engaging quality, Emerson.\" \"That depends,\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/anonymous-1_cat_you-are-softening-toward-the-young-rasca_2478385.jpg" --- # You are softening toward the young rascal because he is… ![“You are softening toward the young rascal because he is ill, and because he says he likes cats." "It is an engaging quality, Emerson." "That depends," said Emerson darkly, "on how he likes them.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/anonymous-1_cat_you-are-softening-toward-the-young-rasca_2478385.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/anonymous-1_cat_you-are-softening-toward-the-young-rasca_2478385.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/anonymous-1_cat_you-are-softening-toward-the-young-rasca_2478385.jpg) > “You are softening toward the young rascal because he is ill, and because he says he likes cats." "It is an engaging quality, Emerson." "That depends," said Emerson darkly, "on how he likes them.” [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. Compassion can be conditional, based on personal traits and circumstances. **In simple terms:** Kindness may depend on who and why. Key Takeaway Consider the basis of your empathy. Themes compassion conditionality humanity Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - caring for the sick - judging others - personal bias - moral reasoning Key Concepts ethics social perception Questions to Reflect On - What influences your willingness to help? - Can you separate the person from their traits? A Different Perspective Empathy should be unconditional. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) [Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Rascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rascal/) ## Related quotes > [A girl that likes cats, like really likes cats. She also really likes Music, internet and warm hugs. No matter what she'll always love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-girl-that-likes-cats-like-really-likes-cats-she-also-really-likes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Anyone who likes cats or dogs is a fool.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze-f-lix-guattari/anyone-who-likes-cats-or-dogs-is-a-fool/) Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari > [“I know you said you wanted a man that likes cats.” She nodded quickly. “He has to. Or at least not be allergic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milly-taiden/i-know-you-said-you-wanted-a-man-that-likes-cats-she-nodded-quickly/) [Milly Taiden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milly-taiden/) > [I don't have a Twitter account. I don't go to fan club gatherings. I'm not one of those actors who spends a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-have-a-twitter-account-i-don-t-go-to-fan-club-gatherings-i-m/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every year the State will be the dog that chases its own tail... engaging in a futile attempt to close a perpetual budget gap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-year-the-state-will-be-the-dog-that-chases-its-own-tail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Veganism is about nonviolence. It is about not engaging in harm to other sentient beings; to oneself; and to the environment upon which all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/veganism-is-about-nonviolence-it-is-about-not-engaging-in-harm-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Criticism - however valid or intellectually engaging - tends to get in the way of a writer who has anything personal to say. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/criticism-however-valid-or-intellectually-engaging-tends-to-get-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ On a good day, I view the job \[of president\] as directing an orchestra. On the dark days, it is more like that of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/on-a-good-day-i-view-the-job-of-president-as-directing-an-orchestra/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no calamity greater than lightly engaging in war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-calamity-greater-than-lightly-engaging-in-war/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [After all, if you make your enemy look like a fool, you lose the justification for engaging him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/after-all-if-you-make-your-enemy-look-like-a-fool-you-lose-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Yeah, Dizzee Rascal is a huge influence on what I'm doing. I learnt a lot from him even though he's younger than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/yeah-dizzee-rascal-is-a-huge-influence-on-what-i-m-doing-i-learnt-a/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [The first clergyman was the first rascal who met the first fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-first-clergyman-was-the-first-rascal-who-met-the-first-fool/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Every rascal is not a thief, but every thief is a rascal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/every-rascal-is-not-a-thief-but-every-thief-is-a-rascal/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [In order to become a great man, one must first be a great rascal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/in-order-to-become-a-great-man-one-must-first-be-a-great-rascal/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) ## 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 Cat quotes > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [One reason why my memory decays is that I have three cats, all so loving and insistent that they play cat's-cradle with every train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/one-reason-why-my-memory-decays-is-that-i-have-three-cats-all-so/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. The cat often leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/the-dog-is-guided-by-kindly-instinct-to-the-man-or-woman-whose-heart/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [If you ask me to tell you anything about the nature of what lies beyond the phaneron… my answer is “How should I know?”……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/if-you-ask-me-to-tell-you-anything-about-the-nature-of-what-lies/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [In the olden days in England, you could be hung for stealing a sheep or a loaf of bread. However, if a sheep stole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-harding/in-the-olden-days-in-england-you-could-be-hung-for-stealing-a-sheep/) [Mike Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-harding/) > [Kittens can happen to anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gallico/kittens-can-happen-to-anyone/) [Paul Gallico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gallico/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“All right, you deadly little ghostlings,” I muttered. “Mama says go back to bed! - Cat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/all-right-you-deadly-little-ghostlings-i-muttered-mama-says-go-back/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [Man wishes woman to be peaceable, but in fact she is essentially warlike, like the cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/man-wishes-woman-to-be-peaceable-but-in-fact-she-is-essentially/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [There are videos I used to take at home, pretending to be a newscaster, interviewing the teapot or my house cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-wagner/there-are-videos-i-used-to-take-at-home-pretending-to-be-a-newscaster/) [Alex Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-wagner/) [Browse all 2,996 Cat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You are softening toward the young rascal because he is ill, and because he says he likes cats.\" \"It is an engaging quality, Emerson.\" \"That depends,\" said Emerson darkly, \"on how he likes them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-softening-toward-the-young-rascal-because-he-is-ill-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cat" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-softening-toward-the-young-rascal-because-he-is-ill-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/anonymous-1_cat_you-are-softening-toward-the-young-rasca_2478385.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/anonymous-1_cat_you-are-softening-toward-the-young-rasca_2478385.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/anonymous-1_cat_you-are-softening-toward-the-young-rasca_2478385.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You are softening toward the young rascal because he is ill, and because he says he likes cats.\" \"It is an…” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You are softening toward the young...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-softening-toward-the-young-rascal-because-he-is-ill-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-softening-toward-the-young-rascal-because-he-is-ill-and/#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 } } ] } ```