--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it's so important that, if I'm…" description: "\"I think it's so important that, if I'm writing about the real world, I stay true to it. I think that kids do compartmentalize, and they're hopefully ab..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1d/jacqueline-woodson-1482_empathy_i-think-it-s-so-important-that-if-i-m-wr_909991.png" --- # I think it's so important that, if I'm writing about the… ![“I think it's so important that, if I'm writing about the real world, I stay true to it. I think that kids do compartmentalize, and they're hopefully able to see it from a safe place of their own lives and, through that, learn something about empathy.” quote by Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1d/jacqueline-woodson-1482_empathy_i-think-it-s-so-important-that-if-i-m-wr_909991.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1d/jacqueline-woodson-1482_empathy_i-think-it-s-so-important-that-if-i-m-wr_909991.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1d/jacqueline-woodson-1482_empathy_i-think-it-s-so-important-that-if-i-m-wr_909991.png) > “I think it's so important that, if I'm writing about the real world, I stay true to it. I think that kids do compartmentalize, and they're hopefully able to see it from a safe place of their own lives and, through that, learn something about empathy.” [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker stresses the importance of authenticity in writing about reality and using that honesty to teach empathy, especially to children who can separate personal experience from broader truths. **In simple terms:** Write truthfully to foster empathy in kids. Key Takeaway Use honest storytelling to build empathy. Themes authenticity empathy education writing Mood thoughtful inspirational Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - classroom teaching - children’s literature - creative writing workshops Key Concepts literature developmental psychology social learning Questions to Reflect On - How does truthful narrative affect a child's empathy? - What challenges arise when teaching empathy through personal stories? A Different Perspective Children may resist confronting uncomfortable truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Safe place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-place/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [It is through weakness and vulnerability that most of us learn empathy and compassion and discover our soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/it-is-through-weakness-and-vulnerability-that-most-of-us-learn/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“How did I learn empathy? I learned it while suffering. How did I learn about karma? Because it came back to me and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/how-did-i-learn-empathy-i-learned-it-while-suffering-how-did-i-learn/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [When you are the head of any philanthropy organization, what you learn is empathy, how to listen and be responsive to people's needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacky-rosen/when-you-are-the-head-of-any-philanthropy-organization-what-you-learn/) [Jacky Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacky-rosen/) > [Reading faces is a crucial part of children's socialization and helps them learn empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-devine/reading-faces-is-a-crucial-part-of-children-s-socialization-and-helps/) [Miranda Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-devine/) > [“People do not learn empathy by being shamed and dehumanized. On the contrary, developing empathy has a lot to do with a healthy sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-flood/people-do-not-learn-empathy-by-being-shamed-and-dehumanized-on-the/) Derek Flood > [Learn empathy/tolerate others extreme emotions and harness the power of your own reactivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/learn-empathy-tolerate-others-extreme-emotions-and-harness-the-power/) Senoraroy > [No writing has any real value which is not the expression of genuine thought and feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/no-writing-has-any-real-value-which-is-not-the-expression-of-genuine/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Writing was my real life and I was more at home with the people of my imagination than with the best I met in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/writing-was-my-real-life-and-i-was-more-at-home-with-the-people-of-my/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) > [I don't like writing with real people in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/i-don-t-like-writing-with-real-people-in-mind/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [Writing, real writing, should leave a small sweet bruise somewhere on the writer . . . and on the reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/writing-real-writing-should-leave-a-small-sweet-bruise-somewhere-on/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [To have someone who never makes a mistake, never finds her personal life in disarray, never worries about work-life balance? I think that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/to-have-someone-who-never-makes-a-mistake-never-finds-her-personal/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [“Don't for once ever think that what you're doing is easy. If it feels that way, you're probably doing something wrong. Throwing words onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-m-dickson/don-t-for-once-ever-think-that-what-you-re-doing-is-easy-if-it-feels/) [Allison M. Dickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-m-dickson/) > [“...the demands of writing and of real life are not always similar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-demands-of-writing-and-of-real-life-are-not-always-similar/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do with affirming belief--if anything it causes rifts and gaps in belief which make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/i-don-t-think-that-writing-real-writing-has-much-to-do-with-affirming/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [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/) ## More by Jacqueline Woodson > [A lot of times, when people send me books to read - new writers mostly - I find that the book is still in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/a-lot-of-times-when-people-send-me-books-to-read-new-writers-mostly-i/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I think, even though homophobia still exists, there is much more of a dialogue and a taboo around being homophobic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-think-even-though-homophobia-still-exists-there-is-much-more-of-a/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I still love Carson McCullers and Raymond Carver and Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-still-love-carson-mccullers-and-raymond-carver-and-toni-morrison/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I'm usually working on several things at once. If I get bored with one, I can go on to another. That way, I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-m-usually-working-on-several-things-at-once-if-i-get-bored-with-one/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [You have those walls up all around you...Come a day you gonna want to tear them down brick by brick and gonna find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/you-have-those-walls-up-all-around-you-come-a-day-you-gonna-want-to/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“That's all anybody is-themselves. People all the time wanting to change that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/that-s-all-anybody-is-themselves-people-all-the-time-wanting-to/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I don't know how women stop being friends with other women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-don-t-know-how-women-stop-being-friends-with-other-women/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [Who are you without your girls? I truly believe that. Who are you without the people who help you make sense of the misogyny,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/who-are-you-without-your-girls-i-truly-believe-that-who-are-you/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“And freedom? Oh, freedom. Well that's just some people talking. Your prison is walking through this world all alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/and-freedom-oh-freedom-well-that-s-just-some-people-talking-your/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I've learned about marrying poetry and prose and making both accessible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-ve-learned-about-marrying-poetry-and-prose-and-making-both/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [You're a part of me...You're in my heart. Forever and always, all right? —D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/you-re-a-part-of-me-you-re-in-my-heart-forever-and-always-all-right-d/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I wouldn't mind the early autumn if you came home today I'd tell you how much I miss you and know I'd be okay.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-wouldn-t-mind-the-early-autumn-if-you-came-home-today-i-d-tell-you/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > ['Another Brooklyn' came to me in this kind of dreamlike series of vignettes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/another-brooklyn-came-to-me-in-this-kind-of-dreamlike-series-of/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“They're all inside of us,...past people and present people. And probably even the people we'll become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/they-re-all-inside-of-us-past-people-and-present-people-and-probably/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [When I was a kid, I got in trouble for lying a lot, and I had a teacher say, 'Instead of lying, write it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/when-i-was-a-kid-i-got-in-trouble-for-lying-a-lot-and-i-had-a-teacher/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) [Explore all 237 Jacqueline Woodson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) ## 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": "I think it's so important that, if I'm writing about the real world, I stay true to it. 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