--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But like most extremely sensitive people…" description: "\"“But like most extremely sensitive people, Gascoigne could not bear sensitivity in others: he required honesty and directness when he was asked a quest..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/eleanor-catton-2384_empathy_but-like-most-extremely-sensitive-people_937594.png" --- # But like most extremely sensitive people, Gascoigne could… ![“But like most extremely sensitive people, Gascoigne could not bear sensitivity in others: he required honesty and directness when he was asked a question—and he required it all the more desperately when he was vexed.” quote by Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/eleanor-catton-2384_empathy_but-like-most-extremely-sensitive-people_937594.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/eleanor-catton-2384_empathy_but-like-most-extremely-sensitive-people_937594.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/eleanor-catton-2384_empathy_but-like-most-extremely-sensitive-people_937594.png) > ““But like most extremely sensitive people, Gascoigne could not bear sensitivity in others: he required honesty and directness when he was asked a question—and he required it all the more desperately when he was vexed.”” [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highly sensitive individuals often demand honesty and directness, especially when upset, because they cannot tolerate others' sensitivity. **In simple terms:** Sensitivity needs frankness, especially when upset. Key Takeaway Practice honest communication with empathy. Themes sensitivity communication emotional honesty Mood empathetic cautious Type interpersonal reflective When to use this quote - conflict resolution - personal relationships - teamwork - mental health support Key Concepts psychology interpersonal dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you be direct without causing harm? - When is it appropriate to soften honesty? A Different Perspective Honesty can hurt fragile feelings if not tempered with care. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Extremely Sensitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremely-sensitive-313827/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [People Gascoigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-gascoigne-1577252/) [Required Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/required-honesty-1577251/) [Sensitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensitive/) [Sensitive People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensitive-people/) ## Related quotes > [I have a heart and am extremely sensitive to what people say about me, both in the press and otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-jeremiah/i-have-a-heart-and-am-extremely-sensitive-to-what-people-say-about-me/) [Andrea Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-jeremiah/) > [“My God, these Feeling types! ... Sensitive people are just tyrannical people - everybody else has to adapt to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-louise-von-franz/my-god-these-feeling-types-sensitive-people-are-just-tyrannical/) [Marie-Louise von Franz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-louise-von-franz/) > [People thought I had no feelings, that I was hard. But really, I was extremely sensitive to everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/people-thought-i-had-no-feelings-that-i-was-hard-but-really-i-was/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [I was a really nervous kid. I was extremely sensitive. Incredibly perceptive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-reynolds/i-was-a-really-nervous-kid-i-was-extremely-sensitive-incredibly/) [Ryan Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-reynolds/) > [My silver cord - the link between my body and my spirit - was extremely sensitive. It was what allowed me to sense dreamscapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-shannon/my-silver-cord-the-link-between-my-body-and-my-spirit-was-extremely/) [Samantha Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-shannon/) > [Younger scientists are extremely sensitive to the moral implications of all they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/younger-scientists-are-extremely-sensitive-to-the-moral-implications/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“It’s easy to screw around with people you don’t care about. There’s nothing at stake. But playing that game with someone who fills a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skye-jordan/it-s-easy-to-screw-around-with-people-you-don-t-care-about-there-s/) [Skye Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skye-jordan/) > [Did you know that the people that seem strongest are usually the most sensitive ? 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If there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-brando/i-put-on-an-act-sometimes-and-people-think-i-m-insensitive-really-it/) [Marlon Brando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-brando/) > [I don't get along with many people, especially in studios. I'm quite blunt and I know what I want - and songwriters are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-blue/i-don-t-get-along-with-many-people-especially-in-studios-i-m-quite/) [Jonas Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-blue/) > [The degree to which one is sensitive to other people's suffering, to other (people's) humanity, is the index of one's own humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/the-degree-to-which-one-is-sensitive-to-other-people-s-suffering-to/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [Sometimes my faith becomes more sensitive to how people feel, as opposed to what needs to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-luke/sometimes-my-faith-becomes-more-sensitive-to-how-people-feel-as/) [Derek Luke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-luke/) > [I'm a human being, I cry, I'm actually extremely sensitive, my feelings get hurt, I get scared, I get nervous just like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce/i-m-a-human-being-i-cry-i-m-actually-extremely-sensitive-my-feelings/) [Beyonce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce/) ## More by Eleanor Catton > [“We spend our entire lives thinking about death. Without that project to divert us, I expect we would all be dreadfully bored. We would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/we-spend-our-entire-lives-thinking-about-death-without-that-project/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [I often feel intellectually frustrated when I'm in a position where I'm not moving forward; when I'm not enquiring about something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/i-often-feel-intellectually-frustrated-when-i-m-in-a-position-where-i/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [An interesting thing about New Zealand, you know, literature is that it really didn't begin in any real sense until the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/an-interesting-thing-about-new-zealand-you-know-literature-is-that-it/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [“own reputation, by associating himself with a story of cuckoldry, blackmail, murder, and revenge, and nor did he spare a thought for how Balfour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/own-reputation-by-associating-himself-with-a-story-of-cuckoldry/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [“In my experience people are rarely contented to end up where they started.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/in-my-experience-people-are-rarely-contented-to-end-up-where-they/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [“His temperament was deeply nostalgic, not for for his own past, but for past ages; he was cynical of the present, fearful of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/his-temperament-was-deeply-nostalgic-not-for-for-his-own-past-but-for/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [“What was glimpsed in Aquarius—what was envisioned, believed in, prophesied, predicted, doubted, and forewarned—is made, in Pisces, manifest. 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So money is kind of worrying. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/as-an-artist-you-need-to-be-not-at-all-entitled-in-your-relation-with/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [The nice thing about the zodiac as a system is it is quite comprehensive as a range of impulses and psychological states it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/the-nice-thing-about-the-zodiac-as-a-system-is-it-is-quite/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [“True feeling is always circular - either circular, or paradoxical - simply because its cause and its expression are tow halves of the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/true-feeling-is-always-circular-either-circular-or-paradoxical-simply/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [“he built his persona as a shield around his person, because he knew very well how little his person could withstand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/he-built-his-persona-as-a-shield-around-his-person-because-he-knew/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [“It must have been unpleasant to be discussed as a curiosity, spoken about over breakfast, and between rounds at billiards, as if one's soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/it-must-have-been-unpleasant-to-be-discussed-as-a-curiosity-spoken/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [Theatre is a concentrate of life as normal. Theatre is a purified version of real life, an extraction, an essence of human behaviour that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/theatre-is-a-concentrate-of-life-as-normal-theatre-is-a-purified/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) [Explore all 168 Eleanor Catton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) ## 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. 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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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. 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