--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It also comes as a surprise that the term…" description: "\"“It also comes as a surprise that the term was invented not to talk about altruism or acts of kindness, but to explain how we can enjoy a sonata or a s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/damion-searls-48209_acts-of-kindness_it-also-comes-as-a-surprise-that-the-ter_1814360.jpg" --- # It also comes as a surprise that the term was invented not… ![“It also comes as a surprise that the term was invented not to talk about altruism or acts of kindness, but to explain how we can enjoy a sonata or a sunset. Empathy, for Vischer, was creative seeing, reshaping the world so as to find ourselves reflected in it. In” quote by Damion Searls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/damion-searls-48209_acts-of-kindness_it-also-comes-as-a-surprise-that-the-ter_1814360.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/damion-searls-48209_acts-of-kindness_it-also-comes-as-a-surprise-that-the-ter_1814360.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/damion-searls-48209_acts-of-kindness_it-also-comes-as-a-surprise-that-the-ter_1814360.jpg) > ““It also comes as a surprise that the term was invented not to talk about altruism or acts of kindness, but to explain how we can enjoy a sonata or a sunset. Empathy, for Vischer, was creative seeing, reshaping the world so as to find ourselves reflected in it. In”” [Damion Searls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damion-searls/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Empathy is a creative act that reshapes perception, allowing us to see ourselves reflected in art. **In simple terms:** Empathy lets art mirror our inner world. Key Takeaway Use art to explore personal insight. Themes art creativity self‑reflection Mood inspirational introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - gallery visits - listening to music Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does art foster empathy? - Can empathy be taught through art? A Different Perspective It can be misinterpreted as projection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acts of kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acts-of-kindness/) [Altruism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altruism/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Empathy Vischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy-vischer-2141024/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Kindness Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness-explain-2141027/) [Sunset Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunset-empathy-2141025/) [Vischer Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vischer-creative-2141026/) ## Related quotes > [“Rorschach’s dissertation, which he finished in 1912, set out to define the physiological pathways that make empathy in Vischer’s sense possible. “On ‘Reflex Hallucinations’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damion-searls/rorschach-s-dissertation-which-he-finished-in-1912-set-out-to-define/) [Damion Searls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damion-searls/) > [What are you doing for others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/what-are-you-doing-for-others/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I realized that social media can be powerful force for good in the world and that acts of kindness can be scaled globally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-jo-martin/i-realized-that-social-media-can-be-powerful-force-for-good-in-the/) [Amy Jo Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-jo-martin/) > [“The smallest act of kindness makes you more beautiful than any expensive dress or make up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/the-smallest-act-of-kindness-makes-you-more-beautiful-than-any/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [You know, you can steel your heart against any kind of trouble, any kind of horror. But the simple act of kindness from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/you-know-you-can-steel-your-heart-against-any-kind-of-trouble-any/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [“Random acts of kindness show that even amidst the hustle and bustle, Paris inhabitants are more welcoming that their reputation gives them credit for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-lesage/random-acts-of-kindness-show-that-even-amidst-the-hustle-and-bustle/) [Vicki Lesage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-lesage/) > [The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-best-portion-of-a-good-man-s-life-is-his-little-nameless/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [Freeedom ain't free...Continue to pay dues with Random acts of kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/freeedom-ain-t-free-continue-to-pay-dues-with-random-acts-of-kindness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we serve Jesus then every act & thought has meaning. Acts of kindness aren’t just niceties, they become acts of worship..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/if-we-serve-jesus-then-every-act-thought-has-meaning-acts-of-kindness/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [There is no small act of kindness. Every compassionate act makes large the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-radmacher/there-is-no-small-act-of-kindness-every-compassionate-act-makes-large/) [Mary Anne Radmacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-radmacher/) > [Every act of kindness and compassion toward others gets multiplied when they, in turn, pass it on. One by one the world becomes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/every-act-of-kindness-and-compassion-toward-others-gets-multiplied/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [On the whole, mental archaeology was a sordid digging proposition. The evil men did endured, the good was infinitely more ephemeral. You could generally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-kieran-reilly/on-the-whole-mental-archaeology-was-a-sordid-digging-proposition-the/) [Helen Kieran Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-kieran-reilly/) > [“My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/my-wish-for-you-is-that-you-continue-continue-to-be-who-and-how-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Great people create great acts of kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/great-people-create-great-acts-of-kindness/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Our acts of kindness we reserve for our friends, our bounties for our dependants, our riches for our children and relations, our praises for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-massillon/our-acts-of-kindness-we-reserve-for-our-friends-our-bounties-for-our/) [Jean Baptiste Massillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-massillon/) ## More by Damion Searls > [“Rorschach’s body could activate his vision: “When, for example, I am unable to call up Schwind’s painting Falkenstein’s Ride as a memory image but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damion-searls/rorschach-s-body-could-activate-his-vision-when-for-example-i-am/) [Damion Searls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damion-searls/) > [“The psychology of the unconscious and abstract art, two groundbreaking ideas of the early twentieth century, were actually close cousins, with a common ancestor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damion-searls/the-psychology-of-the-unconscious-and-abstract-art-two-groundbreaking/) [Damion Searls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damion-searls/) > [“From Binet, the idea of measuring imagination with inkblots spread to a string of American intelligence-testing pioneers and educators—Dearborn, Sharp, Whipple, Kirkpatrick. It reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damion-searls/from-binet-the-idea-of-measuring-imagination-with-inkblots-spread-to/) [Damion Searls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damion-searls/) > [“Vischer had the same kind of experiences, likewise anticipating Rorschach’s. “When I observe a stationary object,” Vischer wrote, “I can without difficulty place myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damion-searls/vischer-had-the-same-kind-of-experiences-likewise-anticipating/) [Damion Searls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damion-searls/) > [“Rorschach knew Binet’s work and was familiar with Binet’s own inspiration—Leonardo da Vinci, who in his “Treatise on Painting” described throwing paint at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damion-searls/rorschach-knew-binet-s-work-and-was-familiar-with-binet-s-own/) [Damion Searls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damion-searls/) > [“Vischer’s idea of a back and forth between projecting the self and internalizing the world—what he called a “direct continuation of the external sensation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damion-searls/vischer-s-idea-of-a-back-and-forth-between-projecting-the-self-and/) [Damion Searls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damion-searls/) > [“Rorschach’s dissertation, which he finished in 1912, set out to define the physiological pathways that make empathy in Vischer’s sense possible. “On ‘Reflex Hallucinations’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damion-searls/rorschach-s-dissertation-which-he-finished-in-1912-set-out-to-define/) [Damion Searls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damion-searls/) [Explore all 8 Damion Searls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damion-searls/) ## More Acts of kindness quotes > [Our acts of kindness we reserve for our friends, our bounties for our dependants, our riches for our children and relations, our praises for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-massillon/our-acts-of-kindness-we-reserve-for-our-friends-our-bounties-for-our/) [Jean Baptiste Massillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-massillon/) > [Great people create great acts of kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/great-people-create-great-acts-of-kindness/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/my-wish-for-you-is-that-you-continue-continue-to-be-who-and-how-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [On the whole, mental archaeology was a sordid digging proposition. The evil men did endured, the good was infinitely more ephemeral. You could generally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-kieran-reilly/on-the-whole-mental-archaeology-was-a-sordid-digging-proposition-the/) [Helen Kieran Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-kieran-reilly/) > [Every act of kindness and compassion toward others gets multiplied when they, in turn, pass it on. One by one the world becomes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/every-act-of-kindness-and-compassion-toward-others-gets-multiplied/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [There is no small act of kindness. Every compassionate act makes large the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-radmacher/there-is-no-small-act-of-kindness-every-compassionate-act-makes-large/) [Mary Anne Radmacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-radmacher/) > [If we serve Jesus then every act & thought has meaning. Acts of kindness aren’t just niceties, they become acts of worship..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/if-we-serve-jesus-then-every-act-thought-has-meaning-acts-of-kindness/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [Freeedom ain't free...Continue to pay dues with Random acts of kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/freeedom-ain-t-free-continue-to-pay-dues-with-random-acts-of-kindness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-best-portion-of-a-good-man-s-life-is-his-little-nameless/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [“Random acts of kindness show that even amidst the hustle and bustle, Paris inhabitants are more welcoming that their reputation gives them credit for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-lesage/random-acts-of-kindness-show-that-even-amidst-the-hustle-and-bustle/) [Vicki Lesage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-lesage/) > [What are you doing for others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/what-are-you-doing-for-others/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [You know, you can steel your heart against any kind of trouble, any kind of horror. But the simple act of kindness from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/you-know-you-can-steel-your-heart-against-any-kind-of-trouble-any/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [“The smallest act of kindness makes you more beautiful than any expensive dress or make up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/the-smallest-act-of-kindness-makes-you-more-beautiful-than-any/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I realized that social media can be powerful force for good in the world and that acts of kindness can be scaled globally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-jo-martin/i-realized-that-social-media-can-be-powerful-force-for-good-in-the/) [Amy Jo Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-jo-martin/) > [“It was once said that violence is the language of the incompetent. This is something to ponder while remembering that little acts of kindness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-azimov/it-was-once-said-that-violence-is-the-language-of-the-incompetent/) [Sean Azimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-azimov/) [Browse all 264 Acts of kindness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acts-of-kindness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It also comes as a surprise that the term was invented not to talk about altruism or acts of kindness, but to explain how we can enjoy a sonata or a sunset. Empathy, for Vischer, was creative seeing, reshaping the world so as to find ourselves reflected in it. 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