““It’s not your fault, you know,” Tobias’s voice broke softly into her thoughts. She looked up at the gentle face that he had turned towards her. “Then why does it hurt like this?” “Because that’s who you are, Alyx. You take on responsibility willingly, without question. Even when it’s not yours to take.” “It sucks.” “It’s what makes you, you. Your compassion, your empathy – it’s what gives you strength.” “I don’t feel very strong.” “Maybe not on the surface. But true strength is never on the surface.””
![“That is another theme in the book [Dreams from My Father]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we get the black to see through the eyes of the white? Or the citizen to see through the eyes of the immigrant? Or the straight to see through the eyes of the gay? That has…” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/00d/barack-obama-17_black_that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams_10185.jpg)
