--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it's important to experience…" description: "\"I think it's important to experience kindness so that you can experience it more in the future. I believe that patterns of emotional behavior are set d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a72/e-l-konigsburg-17069_adolescence_i-think-it-s-important-to-experience-kin_1971988.jpg" --- # I think it's important to experience kindness so that you… ![“I think it's important to experience kindness so that you can experience it more in the future. I believe that patterns of emotional behavior are set down before adolescence. And I think that if you have not observed kindness, you will not recognize it. You have to experience kindness in order to…” quote by E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a72/e-l-konigsburg-17069_adolescence_i-think-it-s-important-to-experience-kin_1971988.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a72/e-l-konigsburg-17069_adolescence_i-think-it-s-important-to-experience-kin_1971988.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a72/e-l-konigsburg-17069_adolescence_i-think-it-s-important-to-experience-kin_1971988.jpg) > “I think it's important to experience kindness so that you can experience it more in the future. I believe that patterns of emotional behavior are set down before adolescence. And I think that if you have not observed kindness, you will not recognize it. You have to experience kindness in order to be kind.” [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kindness must be experienced to be recognized; early emotional patterns shape later behavior. **In simple terms:** Experience kindness to understand it. Key Takeaway Practice kindness early in life. Themes development empathy behavioral psychology Mood thoughtful hopeful Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - parenting - education - community service Key Concepts growth mindset emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How can we teach kindness to those who never saw it? - What role does environment play in kindness? A Different Perspective Kindness alone may not change deep‑seated habits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adolescence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescence/) [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Love isn't material. It's energy... We experience it as kindness, giving, mercy, compassion, peace, joy, acceptance, non-judgment, joining and intimacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/love-isn-t-material-it-s-energy-we-experience-it-as-kindness-giving/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“Loving-kindness is the experience of having a friendly and loving relationship toward ourselves as well as all others. The experience of sending loving-kindness toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-levine/loving-kindness-is-the-experience-of-having-a-friendly-and-loving/) [Noah Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-levine/) > [During the session of the Supreme Court, in the village of -, about three weeks ago, when a number of people were collected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-baldwin-longstreet/during-the-session-of-the-supreme-court-in-the-village-of-about-three/) [Augustus Baldwin Longstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-baldwin-longstreet/) > [Propriety is the least of all laws, and the most observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/propriety-is-the-least-of-all-laws-and-the-most-observed/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Personally, I don't want to own a dog that inspires fear. I choose my dogs carefully, have their temperaments observed and evaluated, train and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/personally-i-don-t-want-to-own-a-dog-that-inspires-fear-i-choose-my/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) > [I have observed that money left without special guidance is sometimes used well and sometimes not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-packard/i-have-observed-that-money-left-without-special-guidance-is-sometimes/) [David Packard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-packard/) > [I just think the more were observed by other people, the less we can observe them in order to play them and find their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-marshall-green/i-just-think-the-more-were-observed-by-other-people-the-less-we-can/) [Logan Marshall-Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-marshall-green/) > [When we consider the fact that nearly three-quarters of the surface of the globe is covered by oceanic water, we begin to realise that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-v-raman/when-we-consider-the-fact-that-nearly-three-quarters-of-the-surface/) [C. V. Raman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-v-raman/) > [You have to see if the batsman is coming out, if he is staying back, what his grip is like, to gauge his intentions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/you-have-to-see-if-the-batsman-is-coming-out-if-he-is-staying-back/) [Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/) > [Insofar as international law is observed, it provides us with stability and order and with a means of predicting the behavior of those with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/insofar-as-international-law-is-observed-it-provides-us-with/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [The observer is the observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/the-observer-is-the-observed/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [If I'd observed all the rules, I'd never have got anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/if-i-d-observed-all-the-rules-i-d-never-have-got-anywhere/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [You can't observe as much if you're observed by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chevy-chase/you-can-t-observe-as-much-if-you-re-observed-by-others/) [Chevy Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chevy-chase/) > [“Sufficiently close examination changes the thing being observed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/sufficiently-close-examination-changes-the-thing-being-observed/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I'm not interested in observed reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/i-m-not-interested-in-observed-reality/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) ## More by E. L. Konigsburg > [I was born in New York City. But my family moved when I was still an infant. Except for a year and half when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/i-was-born-in-new-york-city-but-my-family-moved-when-i-was-still-an/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [The essential problems remain the same... The kids I write about are asking for the same things I wanted. They want two contradictory things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/the-essential-problems-remain-the-same-the-kids-i-write-about-are/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [Every job in the world has some built-in boredom. No man can stay excited about something every minute he is doing it. Routine is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/every-job-in-the-world-has-some-built-in-boredom-no-man-can-stay/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [When I began writing in the mid-1960s, I thought it was not important for readers to know whether I was male or female. Also,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/when-i-began-writing-in-the-mid-1960s-i-thought-it-was-not-important/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [“Because after a time having a secret and nobody knowing you have a secret is no fun. And although you don't want others to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/because-after-a-time-having-a-secret-and-nobody-knowing-you-have-a/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [True simplicity is elegant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/true-simplicity-is-elegant/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [But happiness is not always loud and bright and crowded. Happiness ripens like a watermelon, sweet and rosy on the inside with only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/but-happiness-is-not-always-loud-and-bright-and-crowded-happiness/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [“Having words and explanations for things is too modern”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/having-words-and-explanations-for-things-is-too-modern/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [“Had she been born 500 years sooner, Raphael would have chosen her as a model for his cherubs. Tendrils of bright red hair framed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/had-she-been-born-500-years-sooner-raphael-would-have-chosen-her-as-a/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [When I visit schools and talk to students about writing, I give them one word of advice and I give it to them quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/when-i-visit-schools-and-talk-to-students-about-writing-i-give-them/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [Kids want acceptance from their peers, but in two different, opposing ways: They want to be like everyone else and they want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/kids-want-acceptance-from-their-peers-but-in-two-different-opposing/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [The adventure is over. Everything gets over, and nothing is ever enough. Except the part you carry with you. It's the same as going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/the-adventure-is-over-everything-gets-over-and-nothing-is-ever-enough-2/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [Biding one's time is a very different thing from patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/biding-one-s-time-is-a-very-different-thing-from-patience/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [I think most of us are outsiders. And I think that's good because it makes you question things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/i-think-most-of-us-are-outsiders-and-i-think-that-s-good-because-it/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [Sometimes silence is a habit that hurts?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/sometimes-silence-is-a-habit-that-hurts/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) [Explore all 38 E. L. Konigsburg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) ## More Adolescence quotes > [They must move from a psychological state of victimization to a psychological state of accepting responsibility. The Palestinians must leave behind their revolutionary adolescence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shavit/they-must-move-from-a-psychological-state-of-victimization-to-a/) [Ari Shavit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shavit/) > [Having children truly ends adolescence. We are all either parents or children: responsibility-takers or those who demand from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/having-children-truly-ends-adolescence-we-are-all-either-parents-or/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [Teenage girls are extremists who see the world in black-and- white terms, missing shades of gray. Life is either marvelous or notworth living. School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/teenage-girls-are-extremists-who-see-the-world-in-black-and-white/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [Teenagers complain there's nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-phillips/teenagers-complain-there-s-nothing-to-do-then-stay-out-all-night/) [Bob Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-phillips/) > [The idols of one's adolescence tend to endure - you never forget how you worshipped them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-idols-of-one-s-adolescence-tend-to-endure-you-never-forget-how/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [The donning of the ear buds marks the beginning of teen life, when children set off on their own for the passage through adolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/the-donning-of-the-ear-buds-marks-the-beginning-of-teen-life-when/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [Adolescence is when the very worst and best impulses in the human soul struggle against each other for possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/adolescence-is-when-the-very-worst-and-best-impulses-in-the-human/) [G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/) > [Most adults would not dream of belittling, humiliating, or bullying (verbally or physically) another adult. But many of the same adults think nothing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-steinberg/most-adults-would-not-dream-of-belittling-humiliating-or-bullying/) [Laurence Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-steinberg/) > [If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/if-you-can-t-count-they-can-cheat-you-if-you-can-t-read-they-can-beat/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“He'd possessed all the key elements of a school shooter: hormones, misery, ammunition. People wondered how something like Columbine could happen. Jude wondered why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-d-possessed-all-the-key-elements-of-a-school-shooter-hormones/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [ I remember realizing, when I did Little Women \[1994\], that that was the only time girls that age were being written about. It was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-remember-realizing-when-i-did-little-women-1994-that-that-was-the/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [Content without style is propaganda or adolescence. Style without content is decadence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/content-without-style-is-propaganda-or-adolescence-style-without/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [Adolescence is interesting. I mean, all of life is interesting and all of life is transitionary. But I think there is an exponential growth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-henson/adolescence-is-interesting-i-mean-all-of-life-is-interesting-and-all/) [Bill Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-henson/) > [“Yet GenX'er teens didn't slow down--they were just as likely to drive, drink alcohol, and date as their Boomer peers and more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-twenge/yet-genx-er-teens-didn-t-slow-down-they-were-just-as-likely-to-drive/) [Jean M. Twenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-twenge/) [Browse all 787 Adolescence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it's important to experience kindness so that you can experience it more in the future. I believe that patterns of emotional behavior are set down before adolescence. And I think that if you have not observed kindness, you will not recognize it. 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