--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For example, many of us have been raised…" description: "\"“For example, many of us have been raised to believe that empathy and sympathy are desirable traits to develop. Because we all have a natural spiritual..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/jim-self-191512_empathy_for-example-many-of-us-have-been-raised_649994.jpg" --- # For example, many of us have been raised to believe that… ![“For example, many of us have been raised to believe that empathy and sympathy are desirable traits to develop. Because we all have a natural spiritual ability known as clairsentience (the ability to ‘read’ energy by feeling the emotions of others), it is very easy to fall into empathy and sympathy…” quote by Jim Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/jim-self-191512_empathy_for-example-many-of-us-have-been-raised_649994.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/jim-self-191512_empathy_for-example-many-of-us-have-been-raised_649994.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/jim-self-191512_empathy_for-example-many-of-us-have-been-raised_649994.jpg) > ““For example, many of us have been raised to believe that empathy and sympathy are desirable traits to develop. Because we all have a natural spiritual ability known as clairsentience (the ability to ‘read’ energy by feeling the emotions of others), it is very easy to fall into empathy and sympathy and feel the pain of others in our body. For many of us (especially the healers and nurturers among us), the moment we hear that someone is upset or unwell, we immediately want to ‘fix’ their problem. So we move in a bit closer to them, ask what’s wrong, encourage the person to share more details, so we can really understand the problem, and in the process we align ourselves and our energy with theirs. We feel them and their problem. Before we know it, we don’t feel so good ourselves anymore. We match that person’s problem and their issue is now in our space, and we’re feeling the effects of it too. When you don’t have a point of reference for where you begin and end, you simply don’t know where you are, and consequently you don’t know whether you are reacting to your own emotions or someone else’s emotions.”” [Jim Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-self/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Empathy can blur personal boundaries, causing us to absorb others' emotions and lose self‑clarity unless we set clear limits. **In simple terms:** Feeling others’ pain can overwhelm you if you don’t separate your emotions. Key Takeaway Set boundaries to protect your own emotional health. Themes empathy energy boundaries self‑awareness healing Mood reflective concerned insightful Type Empathy:1 Empathy And Sympathy:1 Begin And End:0 Sympathy Feel:0 Believe Empathy:0 Empathy Sympathy:0 Fall Empathy:0 When to use this quote - counseling sessions - support group meetings - personal therapy - healing workshops - mindfulness practice Key Concepts clairsentience emotional contagion energy work boundary setting self‑care Questions to Reflect On - How do you distinguish your emotions from others’? - What practices help you maintain energetic boundaries? A Different Perspective Without clear limits, you risk burnout and confusion about whose feelings are yours. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Begin And End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin-and-end/) [Believe Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-empathy-483798/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Empathy And Sympathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy-and-sympathy-219798/) [Empathy Sympathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy-sympathy-728781/) [Fall Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall-empathy-5200221/) [Sympathy Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sympathy-feel-281934/) ## Related quotes > [Like many people, most Libertarians feel empathy and sympathy for less fortunate people. But they know you can't have perfection in a world of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/like-many-people-most-libertarians-feel-empathy-and-sympathy-for-less/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Good characters don't believe they're bad. As long as you as an actor believe in them and try to understand them, it's not hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hogh-andersen/good-characters-don-t-believe-they-re-bad-as-long-as-you-as-an-actor/) [Alex Hogh Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hogh-andersen/) > [On the one hand, our social nature is our greatest beauty - it means that we have natural empathy and sympathy. But our social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/on-the-one-hand-our-social-nature-is-our-greatest-beauty-it-means/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [“Someone sent me a letter that had one of the best quotes I've ever read. 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But just like loyalty, some things that can be taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/i-would-hesitate-to-tell-people-to-stop-being-kind-or-sympathetic-to/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [“To the rich, the really poor don't know that the level of comfort you experience exist at all, so you see, they don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ojo/to-the-rich-the-really-poor-don-t-know-that-the-level-of-comfort-you/) [Peter Ojo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ojo/) > [Whatever sympathy I feel towards religions, whatever admiration for some of their adherents, whatever historical or biological necessity I see in them, whatever metaphorical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/whatever-sympathy-i-feel-towards-religions-whatever-admiration-for/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [Obviously, after the accident, I felt let down. Questions arose: Why me? Why was I the one to suffer? People around me started giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunima-sinha/obviously-after-the-accident-i-felt-let-down-questions-arose-why-me/) [Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunima-sinha/) > [“Obviously. It seems to be in the nature of adulthood that we venerate the past, grieve its obsolescence, and even live there in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-rasnic-tem/obviously-it-seems-to-be-in-the-nature-of-adulthood-that-we-venerate/) [Steve Rasnic Tem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-rasnic-tem/) > [The degree of sympathy we feel regarding another's fiasco is directly proportional to how easy or difficult it is for us to imagine ourselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/the-degree-of-sympathy-we-feel-regarding-another-s-fiasco-is-directly/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Whilst writing all this, I have had in my mind a woman, whose strong and serious mind would not have failed to support me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/whilst-writing-all-this-i-have-had-in-my-mind-a-woman-whose-strong/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [I don't try to kind of go for the overly sympathetic. I don't really like sympathy; I don't like it for myself. Sometimes sympathy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-don-t-try-to-kind-of-go-for-the-overly-sympathetic-i-don-t-really/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [My wish list is pretty short. I wish that we had empathy. As a society, we are so wrapped up in our own artificial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-grenier/my-wish-list-is-pretty-short-i-wish-that-we-had-empathy-as-a-society/) [Adrian Grenier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-grenier/) ## 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](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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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": "“For example, many of us have been raised to believe that empathy and sympathy are desirable traits to develop. Because we all have a natural spiritual ability known as clairsentience (the ability to ‘read’ energy by feeling the emotions of others), it is very easy to fall into empathy and sympathy and feel the pain of others in our body. For many of us (especially the healers and nurturers among us), the moment we hear that someone is upset or unwell, we immediately want to ‘fix’ their problem. 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