--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A prerequisite to empathy is simply…" description: "\"A prerequisite to empathy is simply paying attention to the person in pain.\" — Daniel Goleman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/daniel-goleman-1599_attention_a-prerequisite-to-empathy-is-simply-payi_593046.jpg" --- # A prerequisite to empathy is simply paying attention to… ![“A prerequisite to empathy is simply paying attention to the person in pain.” quote by Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/daniel-goleman-1599_attention_a-prerequisite-to-empathy-is-simply-payi_593046.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/daniel-goleman-1599_attention_a-prerequisite-to-empathy-is-simply-payi_593046.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/daniel-goleman-1599_attention_a-prerequisite-to-empathy-is-simply-payi_593046.jpg) > “A prerequisite to empathy is simply paying attention to the person in pain.” [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Empathy starts with focused attention on another’s suffering, allowing genuine understanding. **In simple terms:** Pay attention to feel empathy. Key Takeaway Listen fully to those hurting. Themes empathy attention compassion Mood empathetic insightful Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - counseling sessions - conflict resolution - healthcare - friendship Key Concepts active listening emotional intelligence psychology Questions to Reflect On - Who do you need to listen to more? - How can you stay present in painful moments? A Different Perspective Attention alone may not overcome personal biases. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Paying Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying-attention/) ## Related quotes > [A judge is supposed to have empathy for no one but simply to follow the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-long/a-judge-is-supposed-to-have-empathy-for-no-one-but-simply-to-follow/) [Wendy Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-long/) > [During empathy one is simply 'there for' the other individual, when experiencing their own feelings while listening to the other, i.e. during sympathy, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-caruso/during-empathy-one-is-simply-there-for-the-other-individual-when/) [Enrico Caruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-caruso/) > [Empathy is not simply a matter of trying to imagine what others are going through, but having the will to muster enough courage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/empathy-is-not-simply-a-matter-of-trying-to-imagine-what-others-are/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [It has a lot to do with developing patience, not with the check-out person so much, but with your own pain that arises, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-has-a-lot-to-do-with-developing-patience-not-with-the-check-out/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Never connect yourself with the other person's pain. Just hear their need. Leave yourself out of the other person's feelings and needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/never-connect-yourself-with-the-other-person-s-pain-just-hear-their/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [That's one of the things Yardem used to tell me that actually made sense. He said that you don't go through grief like it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-abraham/that-s-one-of-the-things-yardem-used-to-tell-me-that-actually-made/) [Daniel Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-abraham/) > [When we get emotionally and spiritually involved in helping a person who is in pain, a compassion enters our heart. It hurts, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-l-pace/when-we-get-emotionally-and-spiritually-involved-in-helping-a-person/) [Glenn L. Pace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-l-pace/) > [“The joy of seeing another person in pain, frustrated or angry is a delicacy only for the most wicked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/the-joy-of-seeing-another-person-in-pain-frustrated-or-angry-is-a/) [Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/) > [Empathy gives you the ability to enjoy another person's pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/empathy-gives-you-the-ability-to-enjoy-another-person-s-pain/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [Every successfully person have a pain story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-successfully-person-have-a-pain-story/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Healthy people wish a 1000 things, a person in pain has only 1 wish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naz/healthy-people-wish-a-1000-things-a-person-in-pain-has-only-1-wish/) [Naz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naz/) > [How quickly a person in pain whom you can't help becomes a reproach. And then, no doubt, a thorn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-quickly-a-person-in-pain-whom-you-can-t-help-becomes-a-reproach/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The look he gave her made her turn away for a moment. Sometimes you couldn’t look too closely at another person’s pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-look-he-gave-her-made-her-turn-away-for-a-moment-sometimes-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I look at you I see the old me. A person in so much pain that they think they can never move on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/when-i-look-at-you-i-see-the-old-me-a-person-in-so-much-pain-that/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [One of the hardest things we must do sometimes is to be present to another person's pain without trying to "fix" it, to simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/one-of-the-hardest-things-we-must-do-sometimes-is-to-be-present-to/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) ## More by Daniel Goleman > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [When the darkness is seen as a necessary prelude to the creative light, one is less likely to ascribe frustration to personal inadequacy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/when-the-darkness-is-seen-as-a-necessary-prelude-to-the-creative/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [All the classical meditation traditions, in one way or another, stress nonattachment to the self as a goal of practice. Oddly, this dimension is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/all-the-classical-meditation-traditions-in-one-way-or-another-stress/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Feelings are self-justifying, with a set of perceptions and "proofs" all their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/feelings-are-self-justifying-with-a-set-of-perceptions-and-proofs-all/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [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/) > [What seems to set apart those at the very top of competitive pursuits from others of roughly equal ability is the degree to which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/what-seems-to-set-apart-those-at-the-very-top-of-competitive-pursuits/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“What distinguishes leaders in medicine goes far beyond that knowledge, into interpersonal skills like empathy, conflict resolution, and people development.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/what-distinguishes-leaders-in-medicine-goes-far-beyond-that-knowledge/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“Richard Davidson, a University of Wisconsin psychologist. He discovered that people who have greater activity in the left frontal lobe, compared to the right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/richard-davidson-a-university-of-wisconsin-psychologist-he-discovered/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Emotional 'literacy' implies an expanded responsibility for schools in helping to socialize children. This daunting task requires two major changes: that teachers go beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/emotional-literacy-implies-an-expanded-responsibility-for-schools-in/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The social brain is in its natural habitat when we're talking with someone face-to-face in real time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-social-brain-is-in-its-natural-habitat-when-we-re-talking-with/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The ability to handle stress increases with the practice of meditation. In a culture like ours in which inner, spiritual growth is totally neglected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-ability-to-handle-stress-increases-with-the-practice-of/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Research shows that for jobs of all kinds, emotional intelligence is twice as important an ingredient of outstanding performance as cognitive ability and technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/research-shows-that-for-jobs-of-all-kinds-emotional-intelligence-is/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The emotional brain responds to an event more quickly than the thinking brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-emotional-brain-responds-to-an-event-more-quickly-than-the/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Positive work environments outperform negative work environments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/positive-work-environments-outperform-negative-work-environments/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Who does not recall school at least in part as endless dreary hours of boredom punctuated by moments of high anxiety?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/who-does-not-recall-school-at-least-in-part-as-endless-dreary-hours/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) [Explore all 200 Daniel Goleman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A prerequisite to empathy is simply paying attention to the person in pain.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Goleman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/a-prerequisite-to-empathy-is-simply-paying-attention-to-the-person-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/a-prerequisite-to-empathy-is-simply-paying-attention-to-the-person-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/daniel-goleman-1599_attention_a-prerequisite-to-empathy-is-simply-payi_593046.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/daniel-goleman-1599_attention_a-prerequisite-to-empathy-is-simply-payi_593046.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/daniel-goleman-1599_attention_a-prerequisite-to-empathy-is-simply-payi_593046.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A prerequisite to empathy is simply paying attention to the person in pain.” — Daniel Goleman", "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": "Daniel Goleman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A prerequisite to empathy is simply...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/a-prerequisite-to-empathy-is-simply-paying-attention-to-the-person-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/a-prerequisite-to-empathy-is-simply-paying-attention-to-the-person-in/#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 } } ] } ```