--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of what use to humanity, I ask myself, is…" description: "\"“Of what use to humanity, I ask myself, is a man who cannot see beyond his own hurt?”\" — Janisse Ray" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/janisse-ray-39351_humanity_of-what-use-to-humanity-i-ask-myself-is_3234510.jpg" --- # Of what use to humanity, I ask myself, is a man who cannot… ![“Of what use to humanity, I ask myself, is a man who cannot see beyond his own hurt?” quote by Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/janisse-ray-39351_humanity_of-what-use-to-humanity-i-ask-myself-is_3234510.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/janisse-ray-39351_humanity_of-what-use-to-humanity-i-ask-myself-is_3234510.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/janisse-ray-39351_humanity_of-what-use-to-humanity-i-ask-myself-is_3234510.jpg) > ““Of what use to humanity, I ask myself, is a man who cannot see beyond his own hurt?”” [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author questions the value of a person who cannot empathize beyond personal suffering, urging broader compassion. **In simple terms:** Empathy beyond self‑pain defines humanity. Key Takeaway Cultivate empathy beyond personal struggles. Themes empathy humanity self‑awareness compassion purpose Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - counseling - community work - education - personal growth - conflict resolution Key Concepts ethical philosophy psychology social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can we expand empathy beyond our own hurt? - What responsibilities do we have to those who suffer? A Different Perspective Self‑focus can limit understanding of others. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humanity Ask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-ask-6131279/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Man Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-hurt-1020843/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Use Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-humanity-1793759/) ## Related quotes > [ The greatest good \[a man\] can do is to cultivate himself in order that he may be of greater use to humanity. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-field/the-greatest-good-a-man-can-do-is-to-cultivate-himself-in-order-that/) [Marshall Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-field/) > [Act so as to use humanity, yourself and others, always as an end and never as a means to an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/act-so-as-to-use-humanity-yourself-and-others-always-as-an-end-and/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [“We Live like enemies why we are friends, We live like lions, why we are humans, why letting evil take away our mind, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christen-kuikoua/we-live-like-enemies-why-we-are-friends-we-live-like-lions-why-we-are/) [Christen Kuikoua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christen-kuikoua/) > [“Choke me to death with the hands of the man who hurt you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-diedrich/choke-me-to-death-with-the-hands-of-the-man-who-hurt-you/) [Kirk Diedrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-diedrich/) > [No man is hurt but by himself. ...Literally by how he interprets what happens to him. If he focusses on how it could have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/no-man-is-hurt-but-by-himself-literally-by-how-he-interprets-what/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [The real man never hurt woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/the-real-man-never-hurt-woman/) [Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/) > [An honest man is hurt by praise unjustly bestowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/an-honest-man-is-hurt-by-praise-unjustly-bestowed/) [French Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/french-proverb/) > [Just because one man hurt you and broke your heart doesn't mean that another man cant love you with all the little bitty pieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole/just-because-one-man-hurt-you-and-broke-your-heart-doesn-t-mean-that/) [Nichole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole/) > [“If I do this, something will go wrong and this man will hurt me. I know it as sure as I’m sitting here next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-cates/if-i-do-this-something-will-go-wrong-and-this-man-will-hurt-me-i-know/) [Georgia Cates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-cates/) > [A man who hurt a woman, is a coward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-marcelo/a-man-who-hurt-a-woman-is-a-coward/) [Grace Marcelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-marcelo/) > [A man is not hurt so much by what happens, as by his opinion of what happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-is-not-hurt-so-much-by-what-happens-as-by-his-opinion-of-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When a man was hurt you took him to the maester, but what could you do when your maester was hurt?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-man-was-hurt-you-took-him-to-the-maester-but-what-could-you-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The man that put that hurt look in your eyes, could be worth everything, or nothing at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/the-man-that-put-that-hurt-look-in-your-eyes-could-be-worth/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“When a rich man is hurt, his wail goeth heavens high. (Sancho Panza)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes-saavedra/when-a-rich-man-is-hurt-his-wail-goeth-heavens-high-sancho-panza/) [Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes-saavedra/) > [No man is hurt but by himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/no-man-is-hurt-but-by-himself/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) ## More by Janisse Ray > [All I can say about Juliette of the Herbs is that it has made me look at how my life is now, still close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/all-i-can-say-about-juliette-of-the-herbs-is-that-it-has-made-me-look/) [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) > [The landscape of my childhood was one of fierce occupation by trees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/the-landscape-of-my-childhood-was-one-of-fierce-occupation-by-trees/) [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) > [“Most of us, most of our lives, are asked to live small. Most of us quit trying very young to live the bigness we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/most-of-us-most-of-our-lives-are-asked-to-live-small-most-of-us-quit/) [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) > [“Rural places have hemorrhaged their best and brightest children, their intellectuals, thinkers, organizers, leaders, and artists-those who would create change and who would parent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/rural-places-have-hemorrhaged-their-best-and-brightest-children-their/) [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) > [“The assumption is that hope is a prerequisite for action. Without hope one becomes depressed and then unable to act. I want to stress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/the-assumption-is-that-hope-is-a-prerequisite-for-action-without-hope/) [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) > [“Perhaps no word exists in our terribly inadequate English language to name this abstract, emotional thing that is not forgiveness, is not forgetting, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/perhaps-no-word-exists-in-our-terribly-inadequate-english-language-to/) [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) > [“Sometimes all we have is a little light that we can shine outward into a big darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/sometimes-all-we-have-is-a-little-light-that-we-can-shine-outward/) [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) > [“I think of my own life, how it embraces a great quest to know every cog of nature--the names of oaks and ferns, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/i-think-of-my-own-life-how-it-embraces-a-great-quest-to-know-every/) [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) > [“Turning back to embrace the past has been a long, slow lesson not only in self-esteem, but in patriotism—pride in homeland, heritage. It has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/turning-back-to-embrace-the-past-has-been-a-long-slow-lesson-not-only/) [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) > [I carry the landscape inside me like an ache. The story of who I am cannot be severed from the story of the flatwoods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/i-carry-the-landscape-inside-me-like-an-ache-the-story-of-who-i-am/) [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) [Explore all 11 Janisse Ray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) ## More Humanity quotes > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [“Is it necessary to recall that the earth is not infinite, and that our civilization is close to having invaded all of it? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-tarde/is-it-necessary-to-recall-that-the-earth-is-not-infinite-and-that-our/) [Gabriel Tarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-tarde/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Once the switch of parenthood is thrown, it changes you for ever & you can never escape the extra pull of humanity it gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hammond/once-the-switch-of-parenthood-is-thrown-it-changes-you-for-ever-you/) [Richard hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hammond/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Is there any holy beings like human beings?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/is-there-any-holy-beings-like-human-beings/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [“He grew away from old associations, and saw something new in life and humanity. Secondarily, he made close acquaintance with phenomena which he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/he-grew-away-from-old-associations-and-saw-something-new-in-life-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [He is not humanity deified. He is not Godhead humanized. He is God. He is man. He is all that God is, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/he-is-not-humanity-deified-he-is-not-godhead-humanized-he-is-god-he/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-must-not-lose-faith-in-humanity-humanity-is-like-an-ocean-if-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 9,796 Humanity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Of what use to humanity, I ask myself, is a man who cannot see beyond his own hurt?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Janisse Ray" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/of-what-use-to-humanity-i-ask-myself-is-a-man-who-cannot-see-beyond/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Humanity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/of-what-use-to-humanity-i-ask-myself-is-a-man-who-cannot-see-beyond/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/janisse-ray-39351_humanity_of-what-use-to-humanity-i-ask-myself-is_3234510.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/janisse-ray-39351_humanity_of-what-use-to-humanity-i-ask-myself-is_3234510.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/janisse-ray-39351_humanity_of-what-use-to-humanity-i-ask-myself-is_3234510.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Of what use to humanity, I ask myself, is a man who cannot see beyond his own hurt?” — Janisse Ray", "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": "Janisse Ray", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Of what use to humanity, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/of-what-use-to-humanity-i-ask-myself-is-a-man-who-cannot-see-beyond/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/of-what-use-to-humanity-i-ask-myself-is-a-man-who-cannot-see-beyond/#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 } } ] } ```