--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is an act of empathy. You are…" description: "\"Writing is an act of empathy. You are occupying and understanding a point of view that might be alien to your own--and work is often the keyhole throug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/benjamin-percy-17850_aliens_writing-is-an-act-of-empathy-you-are-occ_2748670.jpg" --- # Writing is an act of empathy. You are occupying and… ![“Writing is an act of empathy. You are occupying and understanding a point of view that might be alien to your own--and work is often the keyhole through which you peer.” quote by Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/benjamin-percy-17850_aliens_writing-is-an-act-of-empathy-you-are-occ_2748670.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/benjamin-percy-17850_aliens_writing-is-an-act-of-empathy-you-are-occ_2748670.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/benjamin-percy-17850_aliens_writing-is-an-act-of-empathy-you-are-occ_2748670.jpg) > “Writing is an act of empathy. You are occupying and understanding a point of view that might be alien to your own--and work is often the keyhole through which you peer.” [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing requires stepping into another's perspective, fostering empathy and insight through narrative. **In simple terms:** Writing is about understanding others' viewpoints. Key Takeaway Practice seeing the world through others' eyes. Themes empathy creativity communication Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - fiction writing - journalism - therapy - education Key Concepts narrative perspective empathy Questions to Reflect On - What barriers prevent you from fully empathizing? - How does writing change your view of others? A Different Perspective Empathy may be limited by personal bias or lack of experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Act Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act-empathy-233279/) [Aliens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Empathy Occupying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy-occupying-3082408/) [Keyholes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keyholes/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Occupying Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupying-understanding-3082409/) [Peers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peers/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I always like it when writers posit writing as an act of empathy. It's such a grand turn of phrase, such a noble ideal;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumaan-alam/i-always-like-it-when-writers-posit-writing-as-an-act-of-empathy-it-s/) [Rumaan Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumaan-alam/) > [I like reading novels because it provides insight into human behavior. I am really interested in feelings and think they are what define us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-danes/i-like-reading-novels-because-it-provides-insight-into-human-behavior-2/) [Claire Danes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-danes/) > [“This paying attention is the foundational act of empathy, of listening, of seeing, of imagining experiences other than one's own, of getting out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/this-paying-attention-is-the-foundational-act-of-empathy-of-listening/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [When you really get it right in acting, it's an act of empathy. You feel less distant from others, and that is really exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-danes/when-you-really-get-it-right-in-acting-it-s-an-act-of-empathy-you/) [Claire Danes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-danes/) > [“writing is a sustained act of empathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubois/writing-is-a-sustained-act-of-empathy/) [Andre Dubois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubois/) > [“Any act of writing is an act of empathy: you try to imagine yourself into another person’s mind and skin. I tried to ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/any-act-of-writing-is-an-act-of-empathy-you-try-to-imagine-yourself/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Hitherto the nude has always been represented in poses which presuppose an audience. But my women are simple, honest creatures who are concerned with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/hitherto-the-nude-has-always-been-represented-in-poses-which/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [The best of lessons, for a good many people, would be to listen at a keyhole. It is a pity for such that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/the-best-of-lessons-for-a-good-many-people-would-be-to-listen-at-a/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [The keyhole is my lens as a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-rodrigues/the-keyhole-is-my-lens-as-a-writer/) [Nelson Rodrigues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-rodrigues/) > [Read. It makes you more intelligent. It’s that simple. We all see the universe through the tiny keyhole of our own eyes, and every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/read-it-makes-you-more-intelligent-it-s-that-simple-we-all-see-the/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [“They both had weak eyes, which I had long attributed to their chronically looking in at keyholes, and they were always at hand when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/they-both-had-weak-eyes-which-i-had-long-attributed-to-their/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [No one demands more caution than a spy, and when someone has the skeleton key to minds, counter him by leaving the key of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/no-one-demands-more-caution-than-a-spy-and-when-someone-has-the/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [The best of our theater is standing on tiptoe, striving to see over the shoulders of father and mother. The worst is exploiting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/the-best-of-our-theater-is-standing-on-tiptoe-striving-to-see-over/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [Perhaps there's another, much larger story behind the printed one, a story that changes just as our own world does. And the letters on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/perhaps-there-s-another-much-larger-story-behind-the-printed-one-a/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [There were doors that looked like large keyholes, others that resembled the entrances to caves, there were golden doors, some were padded and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/there-were-doors-that-looked-like-large-keyholes-others-that/) [Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/) ## More by Benjamin Percy > [“The best way to mess with the head of your reader is to strategize the delivery of bad news.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/the-best-way-to-mess-with-the-head-of-your-reader-is-to-strategize/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“Matters of the heart make your world worth occupying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/matters-of-the-heart-make-your-world-worth-occupying/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [I grew up with guns. For my 16th birthday, in fact, I received a .357 instead of a car. But there was nothing playful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/i-grew-up-with-guns-for-my-16th-birthday-in-fact-i-received-a-357/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [I want to build as many worlds as possible - each a version of ours with a crack running through it - and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/i-want-to-build-as-many-worlds-as-possible-each-a-version-of-ours/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“So you could write what you know. The problem, of course, is that some people don’t know shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/so-you-could-write-what-you-know-the-problem-of-course-is-that-some/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“When she thinks of the toxins built up inside of her from so many years of eating carelessly, of the resentment that has grown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/when-she-thinks-of-the-toxins-built-up-inside-of-her-from-so-many/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“The seagull doesn’t mean anything,” I said. “It’s just a seagull. It’s there for beach ambience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/the-seagull-doesn-t-mean-anything-i-said-it-s-just-a-seagull-it-s/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“It’s like this. Terror might make someone kill, but love will make someone die. People die for love. They would give up anything for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/it-s-like-this-terror-might-make-someone-kill-but-love-will-make/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“... he feels the darkness of the grave pressing around the fire and infecting his vision so that there seems to be no separation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/he-feels-the-darkness-of-the-grave-pressing-around-the-fire-and/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [As in the case of many of the stories that I've written I'm not trying to editorialize. I don't want there to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/as-in-the-case-of-many-of-the-stories-that-i-ve-written-i-m-not/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [I have a scenario but almost always it's entwined with at least one person to begin with. Then I sort of expand from there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/i-have-a-scenario-but-almost-always-it-s-entwined-with-at-least-one/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“Books are like batteries, he says. And you grow a little stronger by reading them, surrounding yourself with them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/books-are-like-batteries-he-says-and-you-grow-a-little-stronger-by/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“Her husband once said that he believed some sort of mathematical equation could be applied to life - since the longer you lived, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/her-husband-once-said-that-he-believed-some-sort-of-mathematical/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [I think my leap into TV and movies and comics is in a way natural because I'm a visual storyteller. If you look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/i-think-my-leap-into-tv-and-movies-and-comics-is-in-a-way-natural/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“I would encourage subtlety. Nabokov’s bubble gum or Munro’s water over Dumbo’s magic feather.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/i-would-encourage-subtlety-nabokov-s-bubble-gum-or-munro-s-water-over/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) [Explore all 36 Benjamin Percy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) ## More Aliens quotes > [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/) [Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/) > [Ay-firmative,' Eve said, and tried for a smile. 'Sorry. An Aliens reference always makes me feel better at times like this. Exept I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/ay-firmative-eve-said-and-tried-for-a-smile-sorry-an-aliens-reference/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) [Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/) > [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [If you're going to immerse yourself in a project for three years, why not stake out a chunk of the world that is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/if-you-re-going-to-immerse-yourself-in-a-project-for-three-years-why/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [I'm not a fan of any genre but am a fan of movies that are intelligent and/or funny. That goes across all genres: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-a-fan-of-any-genre-but-am-a-fan-of-movies-that-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must be grafted onto science. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-if-we-are-to-use-technology/) [John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/) > [“Intellectualism is a poor master over passion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twe-stephens/intellectualism-is-a-poor-master-over-passion/) [Twe Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twe-stephens/) > [Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/robin-williams-was-an-airman-a-doctor-a-genie-a-nanny-a-president-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Evangelicals are distraught over the state of America because they have not been taught that we're aliens here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/evangelicals-are-distraught-over-the-state-of-america-because-they/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Even the Supreme Court, back when it used to makes sense, the Supreme Court has never ruled that a baby born to illegal aliens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-the-supreme-court-back-when-it-used-to-makes-sense-the-supreme/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Browse all 1,329 Aliens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing is an act of empathy. You are occupying and understanding a point of view that might be alien to your own--and work is often the keyhole through which you peer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Benjamin Percy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/writing-is-an-act-of-empathy-you-are-occupying-and-understanding-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aliens" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/writing-is-an-act-of-empathy-you-are-occupying-and-understanding-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/benjamin-percy-17850_aliens_writing-is-an-act-of-empathy-you-are-occ_2748670.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/benjamin-percy-17850_aliens_writing-is-an-act-of-empathy-you-are-occ_2748670.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/benjamin-percy-17850_aliens_writing-is-an-act-of-empathy-you-are-occ_2748670.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing is an act of empathy. You are occupying and understanding a point of view that might be alien to…” — Benjamin Percy", "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": "Benjamin Percy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Writing is an act of empathy....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/writing-is-an-act-of-empathy-you-are-occupying-and-understanding-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/writing-is-an-act-of-empathy-you-are-occupying-and-understanding-a/#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 } } ] } ```