--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good fiction can help us to expand our…" description: "\"“Good fiction can help us to expand our circle of empathy to include people unlike ourselves.- R' Eitan Levy”\" — Eitan Levy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eitan-levy-234997_empathy_good-fiction-can-help-us-to-expand-our-c_2435350.jpg" --- # Good fiction can help us to expand our circle of empathy… ![“Good fiction can help us to expand our circle of empathy to include people unlike ourselves.- R' Eitan Levy” quote by Eitan Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eitan-levy-234997_empathy_good-fiction-can-help-us-to-expand-our-c_2435350.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eitan-levy-234997_empathy_good-fiction-can-help-us-to-expand-our-c_2435350.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eitan-levy-234997_empathy_good-fiction-can-help-us-to-expand-our-c_2435350.jpg) > ““Good fiction can help us to expand our circle of empathy to include people unlike ourselves.- R' Eitan Levy”” Eitan Levy ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good fiction expands empathy by letting readers experience lives unlike their own, fostering broader understanding. **In simple terms:** Fiction builds empathy for different people. Key Takeaway Read diverse stories to grow empathy. Themes empathy fiction growth Mood thoughtful inspirational Type literary psychological When to use this quote - education - diversity training - personal development Key Concepts narrative empathy character immersion Questions to Reflect On - How does a story change your view of others? - What kind of characters broaden empathy most? A Different Perspective May not work for readers who dislike fiction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writing/) [Fictional-characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fictional-characters-2/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [It's hard to read good fiction when I am writing, because if it is really good I catch myself sort of inadvertently imitating a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/it-s-hard-to-read-good-fiction-when-i-am-writing-because-if-it-is/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“Good fiction is trawling back into the past and digging up the real characters who've influenced your entire being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-scott/good-fiction-is-trawling-back-into-the-past-and-digging-up-the-real/) [Ken Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-scott/) > [“Fiction writing is art. It therefore, has few mathematical or scientific limits to its evolution. The writer must always push forward, experiment, and strive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-gavalik/fiction-writing-is-art-it-therefore-has-few-mathematical-or/) Ron Gavalik > [Like works of literature, mathematical ideas help expand our circle of empathy, liberating us from the tyranny of a single, parochial point of view.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/like-works-of-literature-mathematical-ideas-help-expand-our-circle-of-2/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [“An imaginary circle of empathy is drawn by each person. It circumscribes the person at some distance, and corresponds to those things in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/an-imaginary-circle-of-empathy-is-drawn-by-each-person-it/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [“Like works of literature, mathematical ideas help expand our circle of empathy, liberating us from the tyranny of a single, parochial point of view.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet-thinking-in-numbers-how-maths-illuminates-our-lives/like-works-of-literature-mathematical-ideas-help-expand-our-circle-of/) Daniel Tammet Thinking in Numbers How Maths Illuminates Our Lives > [“The other problem with empathy is that it is too parochial to serve as a force for a universal consideration of people’s interests. Mirror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-other-problem-with-empathy-is-that-it-is-too-parochial-to-serve/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“Fictions are realities we don't think of, that are happening to people we know nothing about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanhita-baruah/fictions-are-realities-we-don-t-think-of-that-are-happening-to-people/) [Sanhita Baruah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanhita-baruah/) > [“I write fiction not for my readers and not for myself. I write fiction for the sake of those odd heroic characters that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-trandahl/i-write-fiction-not-for-my-readers-and-not-for-myself-i-write-fiction/) [Nicholas Trandahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-trandahl/) > [“She knew this day was different and worse, much worse than before. This was the day that Bethany began to believe their lies. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hubbard/she-knew-this-day-was-different-and-worse-much-worse-than-before-this/) Katie Hubbard > [“Some very eminent critics writing in the decades immediately after the novel's publication felt that Eliot failed to maintain sufficient critical distance in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/some-very-eminent-critics-writing-in-the-decades-immediately-after/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [“Sometimes people who look different from you are scary. Maybe they are ugly. Maybe they are loud. Maybe they are big. Maybe they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hutchins/sometimes-people-who-look-different-from-you-are-scary-maybe-they-are/) Jeff Hutchins > [“Eliot was scornful of idle women readers who imagined themselves the heroines of French novels, and of self-regarding folk who saw themselves in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/eliot-was-scornful-of-idle-women-readers-who-imagined-themselves-the/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [“I feel like these characters, these places, these beings and plots, and even these inanimate objects are counting on me for survival. It’s my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-trandahl/i-feel-like-these-characters-these-places-these-beings-and-plots-and/) [Nicholas Trandahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-trandahl/) > [“Amanda herself couldn't understand why her writing was so different from her own personality. Her pen seemed to take on a life of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/amanda-herself-couldn-t-understand-why-her-writing-was-so-different/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) ## More Empathy quotes > [I have a lot of empathy, and I think that's where mothering starts. You are there to empathise and facilitate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-have-a-lot-of-empathy-and-i-think-that-s-where-mothering-starts-you/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [Cinematography speaks to everything that women do inherently well: It's multitasking, it's empathy, and it's channeling visuals into human emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-morrison/cinematography-speaks-to-everything-that-women-do-inherently-well-it/) [Rachel Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-morrison/) > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“Understanding breeds empathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/understanding-breeds-empathy/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Making a movie is about following characters and embarking on an adventure with them, seeing their reactions, and seeing what they do, having empathy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franck-khalfoun/making-a-movie-is-about-following-characters-and-embarking-on-an/) Franck Khalfoun > [“A novel is not an allegory...it is a sensual experience of another world. If you don't enter that world, hold your breath with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/a-novel-is-not-an-allegory-it-is-a-sensual-experience-of-another/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [Empathic listening takes time, but it doesn't take anywhere near as much time as it takes to back up and correct misunderstandings when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/empathic-listening-takes-time-but-it-doesn-t-take-anywhere-near-as/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [I try to treat every job with the exact same level of respect. When I go into it, it doesn't matter what the budget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaya-scodelario/i-try-to-treat-every-job-with-the-exact-same-level-of-respect-when-i/) [Kaya Scodelario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaya-scodelario/) > [“CWC (Church Women Concerned) enabled us as women in that part of South Africa, to see ourselves as ordinary citizens who found themselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sindiwe-magona/cwc-church-women-concerned-enabled-us-as-women-in-that-part-of-south/) Sindiwe Magona > [Ultimately, my character is defined by the quality of my sensitivity to other people. I exist in equilibrium. I am here to the degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-prather/ultimately-my-character-is-defined-by-the-quality-of-my-sensitivity/) [Hugh Prather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-prather/) > [I began to use my sensitivity. And I realized I wasn't weird because I cried a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherilyn-fenn/i-began-to-use-my-sensitivity-and-i-realized-i-wasn-t-weird-because-i/) [Sherilyn Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherilyn-fenn/) > [“The emotional intelligence model consists of four clusters: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.  ● Self-Awareness is a propensity for self-reflection and thoughtfulness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-bolton/the-emotional-intelligence-model-consists-of-four-clusters-self/) [Chuck Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-bolton/) > [I need voices of reason and of hysteria and of empathy. I need to have an Alanis moment. I need advice from Elizabeth Bennett.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/i-need-voices-of-reason-and-of-hysteria-and-of-empathy-i-need-to-have/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) [Browse all 2,480 Empathy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Good fiction can help us to expand our circle of empathy to include people unlike ourselves.- R' Eitan Levy”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eitan Levy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eitan-levy/good-fiction-can-help-us-to-expand-our-circle-of-empathy-to-include/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Empathy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eitan-levy/good-fiction-can-help-us-to-expand-our-circle-of-empathy-to-include/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eitan-levy-234997_empathy_good-fiction-can-help-us-to-expand-our-c_2435350.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eitan-levy-234997_empathy_good-fiction-can-help-us-to-expand-our-c_2435350.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eitan-levy-234997_empathy_good-fiction-can-help-us-to-expand-our-c_2435350.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Good fiction can help us to expand our circle of empathy to include people unlike ourselves.- R' Eitan Levy” — Eitan Levy", "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": "Eitan Levy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eitan-levy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Good fiction can help us to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eitan-levy/good-fiction-can-help-us-to-expand-our-circle-of-empathy-to-include/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eitan-levy/good-fiction-can-help-us-to-expand-our-circle-of-empathy-to-include/#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 } } ] } ```