--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And to make matters worse, those with the…" description: "\"“And to make matters worse, those with the least empathy are often teammates—peers.”\" — Kate Fagan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/kate-fagan-33091_empathy_and-to-make-matters-worse-those-with-the_361839.jpg" --- # And to make matters worse, those with the least empathy… ![“And to make matters worse, those with the least empathy are often teammates—peers.” quote by Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/kate-fagan-33091_empathy_and-to-make-matters-worse-those-with-the_361839.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/kate-fagan-33091_empathy_and-to-make-matters-worse-those-with-the_361839.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/kate-fagan-33091_empathy_and-to-make-matters-worse-those-with-the_361839.jpg) > ““And to make matters worse, those with the least empathy are often teammates—peers.”” [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Those lacking empathy often become teammates, creating challenging work dynamics. **In simple terms:** Unempathetic people can be coworkers. Key Takeaway F empathy in teams. Themes teamwork empathy conflict Mood concerned analytical Type advisory reflective When to use this quote - project teams - leadership training - HR policies Key Concepts organizational behavior psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you support empathetic collaboration? - What steps reduce empathy gaps? A Different Perspective May overgeneralize empathy levels. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes you learn more from your teammates and your peers than you do from coaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sale/sometimes-you-learn-more-from-your-teammates-and-your-peers-than-you/) [Chris Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sale/) > [Prohibition is an attempted cure that makes matters worse - for both the addict and the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/prohibition-is-an-attempted-cure-that-makes-matters-worse-for-both/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [“To make matters worse, the general secretary—by his own account—gauged the significance of Stasi reports by the extent to which they matched his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-gieseke/to-make-matters-worse-the-general-secretary-by-his-own-account-gauged/) Jens Gieseke > [The invasion only made matters worse. The occupation will not work, Iraq is unoccupiable, that will not work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/the-invasion-only-made-matters-worse-the-occupation-will-not-work/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Getting your point across doesn't always mean you're right it just means you have time to make matters worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-stafon/getting-your-point-across-doesn-t-always-mean-you-re-right-it-just/) [Damian Stafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-stafon/) > [“To make matters worse, he added in a deep voice that made her shiver, "I love turnips." It was indecent that the man could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/to-make-matters-worse-he-added-in-a-deep-voice-that-made-her-shiver-i/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [Avoidance has never been a great tactic in solving any problem. For most situations in life, not addressing what's going on only makes matters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luvvie-ajayi/avoidance-has-never-been-a-great-tactic-in-solving-any-problem-for/) [Luvvie Ajayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luvvie-ajayi/) > [If you think that you can stop crime by catching us, locking us up, punishing us by brutal treatment, hanging or electrocuting us, sterilizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-panzram/if-you-think-that-you-can-stop-crime-by-catching-us-locking-us-up/) [Carl Panzram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-panzram/) > [How I choose to look at any situation will greatly affect whether I have the power to change it or make matters worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/how-i-choose-to-look-at-any-situation-will-greatly-affect-whether-i/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [“The predominant view was that budgets should be balanced and money supplies tightened. This, as we know today, only made matters worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-predominant-view-was-that-budgets-should-be-balanced-and-money/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Maggie wondered if in some ways all the complaining only made matters worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-courtney-sullivan-2/maggie-wondered-if-in-some-ways-all-the-complaining-only-made-matters/) [J Courtney Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-courtney-sullivan-2/) > [“When you have a problem you come home. You don't go off and make matters worse on your own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/when-you-have-a-problem-you-come-home-you-don-t-go-off-and-make/) [Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/) > [Making matters worse is people's natural inclination to be easy on themselves, judging themselves according to their good intentions-while holding others to a higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/making-matters-worse-is-people-s-natural-inclination-to-be-easy-on/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“But aggression, righteous condemnation, and insult only make matters worse. Somehow we have to break the escalating cycle of attack and counterattack.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/but-aggression-righteous-condemnation-and-insult-only-make-matters/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Obama is not only obstructing budget reform; it's almost as if he is trying to make matters worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-limbaugh/obama-is-not-only-obstructing-budget-reform-it-s-almost-as-if-he-is/) [David Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-limbaugh/) ## More by Kate Fagan > [“Introspection means talking to yourself, and one of the best ways of talking to yourself is by talking to another person. One other person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/introspection-means-talking-to-yourself-and-one-of-the-best-ways-of/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“Digital life, and social media at its most complex, is an interweaving of public and private personas, a blending and splintering of identities unlike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/digital-life-and-social-media-at-its-most-complex-is-an-interweaving/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“When Jim was growing up, good colleges were challenging to get into, but it wasn't like it is today, when being a solid, diligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/when-jim-was-growing-up-good-colleges-were-challenging-to-get-into/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“Some stories simply touch us more deeply as they reach right into our hearts, settle there, and never leave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/some-stories-simply-touch-us-more-deeply-as-they-reach-right-into-our/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“Much of young adulthood is presented as a ladder, each rung closer to success, or whatever our society has defined as success. Perhaps climbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/much-of-young-adulthood-is-presented-as-a-ladder-each-rung-closer-to/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“And we're not just talking high school students; this practice of hovering often begins before they've learned how to write. Kids used to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/and-we-re-not-just-talking-high-school-students-this-practice-of/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“Madison and her friends were the first generation of “digital natives”—kids who’d never known anything but connectivity. That connection, at its most basic level,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/madison-and-her-friends-were-the-first-generation-of-digital-natives/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“The ease of having ‘friends’ online might make people more likely to just tune out when they don’t feel like responding to others’ problems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/the-ease-of-having-friends-online-might-make-people-more-likely-to/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“Recognize that empathy might be in short supply. Educate yourself about mental health. And consider the idea that not every struggling teammate is weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/recognize-that-empathy-might-be-in-short-supply-educate-yourself/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“of being okay, and having everything together, and almost, like, say, even though I’m stressed, I still have time to have a perfect social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/of-being-okay-and-having-everything-together-and-almost-like-say-even/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“tiring, but it is not confusing. You are never left wondering if you’ve made the wrong choice, or expended energy in the wrong direction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/tiring-but-it-is-not-confusing-you-are-never-left-wondering-if-you-ve/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“how it was fostering an increased dependence on outside validation, and consequently a decreased ability to soothe themselves. In 2013, these were just beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/how-it-was-fostering-an-increased-dependence-on-outside-validation/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“One study found that an average high school student today likely deals with as much anxiety as did a psychiatric patient in the 1950s.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/one-study-found-that-an-average-high-school-student-today-likely/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [“The parameters of the actual world are expansive, and people can view you from any angle (literally and metaphorically), while online you need only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/the-parameters-of-the-actual-world-are-expansive-and-people-can-view/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) [Explore all 15 Kate Fagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) ## 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": "“And to make matters worse, those with the least empathy are often teammates—peers.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kate Fagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/and-to-make-matters-worse-those-with-the-least-empathy-are-often/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Empathy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/and-to-make-matters-worse-those-with-the-least-empathy-are-often/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/kate-fagan-33091_empathy_and-to-make-matters-worse-those-with-the_361839.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/kate-fagan-33091_empathy_and-to-make-matters-worse-those-with-the_361839.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/kate-fagan-33091_empathy_and-to-make-matters-worse-those-with-the_361839.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And to make matters worse, those with the least empathy are often teammates—peers.” — Kate Fagan", "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": "Kate Fagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“And to make matters worse, those...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/and-to-make-matters-worse-those-with-the-least-empathy-are-often/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/and-to-make-matters-worse-those-with-the-least-empathy-are-often/#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 } } ] } ```