--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: confession of effort chafes against the…" description: "\"“confession of effort chafes against the notion that empathy should always rise unbidden, that genuine means the same thing as unwilled, that intention..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/leslie-jamison-8628_empathy_confession-of-effort-chafes-against-the_1804469.jpg" --- # confession of effort chafes against the notion that… ![“confession of effort chafes against the notion that empathy should always rise unbidden, that genuine means the same thing as unwilled, that intentionality is the enemy of love. But I believe in intention and I believe in work. I believe in waking up in the middle of the night and packing our bags…” quote by Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/leslie-jamison-8628_empathy_confession-of-effort-chafes-against-the_1804469.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/leslie-jamison-8628_empathy_confession-of-effort-chafes-against-the_1804469.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/leslie-jamison-8628_empathy_confession-of-effort-chafes-against-the_1804469.jpg) > ““confession of effort chafes against the notion that empathy should always rise unbidden, that genuine means the same thing as unwilled, that intentionality is the enemy of love. But I believe in intention and I believe in work. I believe in waking up in the middle of the night and packing our bags and leaving our worst selves for our better ones.”” [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intention and effort are necessary for empathy and love; passive feeling is insufficient, and intentional work transforms self toward better versions. **In simple terms:** Love requires active work, not just feeling. Key Takeaway Practice intentional growth and compassionate action. Themes growth empathy intention self‑improvement Mood hopeful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily reflection - volunteering - therapy - mindful practices Key Concepts conscious effort morality personal development Questions to Reflect On - What intentional actions can you take today? - How do you balance intention with spontaneity? A Different Perspective Effort alone may not guarantee authentic empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Intentionality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intentionality/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Middle of the night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-of-the-night/) ## Related quotes > [Once you put your attention, your thoughts, your energy, your consciousness on a new intention, that's what you begin manifesting into your life. 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Our minds construct rational stories to justify emotional truths that our bodies have already accepted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-amerland/we-are-built-to-act-first-and-reason-later-our-minds-construct/) [David Amerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-amerland/) > [the full analysis of the notions of saying something and understanding what one said inevitably involves a concept which, as I will show in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeno-vendler/the-full-analysis-of-the-notions-of-saying-something-and/) Zeno Vendler > [“Goals without a sense of hope often fail to be reached. Hope without a set of goals materializes nothing of value. We need both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-amerland/goals-without-a-sense-of-hope-often-fail-to-be-reached-hope-without-a/) [David Amerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-amerland/) > [Wanting to win isn't enough. You have to go through a process to improve. That takes patience, perseverance, and intentionality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/wanting-to-win-isn-t-enough-you-have-to-go-through-a-process-to/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“Effective ministry requires both intentionality and flexibility - being intentional about your goals while remaining flexible in your approach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-ho-guo-shun/effective-ministry-requires-both-intentionality-and-flexibility-being/) Justin Ho Guo Shun > [“Fill everything, but own nothing. We are vessels, not containers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fill-everything-but-own-nothing-we-are-vessels-not-containers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm all for lifestyle evangelism, but I'm also in favor of intentionality, where we seek out opportunities for spiritual conversations and are equipped to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/i-m-all-for-lifestyle-evangelism-but-i-m-also-in-favor-of/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [“The only coherent explanation of contingent intentionality is the existence of some necessary being, an agent from whom all other intentionality derives but who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-menuge/the-only-coherent-explanation-of-contingent-intentionality-is-the/) [Angus Menuge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-menuge/) > [“Never believe that villains are hurting people by accident. They want to get better at their craft of breaking jaws just as you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-nayeri/never-believe-that-villains-are-hurting-people-by-accident-they-want/) [Daniel Nayeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-nayeri/) > [Experience and imagination must enter into the very constitution of our thoughts involving concrete individuals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeno-vendler/experience-and-imagination-must-enter-into-the-very-constitution-of/) Zeno Vendler > [It is through the intentionality of poetic imagination that the poet's soul discovers the opening of consciousness common to all true poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/it-is-through-the-intentionality-of-poetic-imagination-that-the-poet/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [“Unplugging from digital distractions is an act of radical self-care and rebellion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-breniman/unplugging-from-digital-distractions-is-an-act-of-radical-self-care/) [Ken Breniman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-breniman/) ## More by Leslie Jamison > [When people ask what kind of nonfiction I write, I say 'all kinds,' but really I mean I don’t write any kind at all:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/when-people-ask-what-kind-of-nonfiction-i-write-i-say-all-kinds-but/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [It's one of the most liberating things I experience in writing - letting yourself get rid of a gesture or character or plot point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/it-s-one-of-the-most-liberating-things-i-experience-in-writing/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [The pain is what you make of it. You have to find something in it that yields. I understood my guiding imperative as: keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/the-pain-is-what-you-make-of-it-you-have-to-find-something-in-it-that/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [I needed people to deliver my feelings back to me in a form that was legible. Which is a superlative kind of empathy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/i-needed-people-to-deliver-my-feelings-back-to-me-in-a-form-that-was/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [In my own life as a reader I experience real moments of alienation when a writer feels too perfect, or like even the flaws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/in-my-own-life-as-a-reader-i-experience-real-moments-of-alienation/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [I'm happy not knowing. Most of the time (except when I'm a neurotic mess about uncertainty) I feel glad that the horizon is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/i-m-happy-not-knowing-most-of-the-time-except-when-i-m-a-neurotic/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [I do like arranging things. I like order. I basically like all these things that are the opposite of what people associate with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/i-do-like-arranging-things-i-like-order-i-basically-like-all-these/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [I used to believe that hurting would make you more alive to the hurting of others. I used to believe in feeling bad because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/i-used-to-believe-that-hurting-would-make-you-more-alive-to-the/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [Whatever we can’t hold, we hang on a hook that will hold it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/whatever-we-can-t-hold-we-hang-on-a-hook-that-will-hold-it/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [“I obsessed, and told myself this obsession was empathy. But it wasn't, quite. It was more like inpathy. I wasn't expatriating myself into another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/i-obsessed-and-told-myself-this-obsession-was-empathy-but-it-wasn-t/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [Post-wounded women know that postures of pain play into limited and outmoded conceptions of womanhood. Their hurt has a new native language spoken in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/post-wounded-women-know-that-postures-of-pain-play-into-limited-and/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [12-step recovery is very focused on abstinence, and that's bled into the broader understanding of treatment. It would be most useful to have multiple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/12-step-recovery-is-very-focused-on-abstinence-and-that-s-bled-into/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [We don't want to be wounds ("No, you're the wound!") but we should be allowed to have them, to speak about having them, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/we-don-t-want-to-be-wounds-no-you-re-the-wound-but-we-should-be/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [“Empathy means realizing no trauma has discrete edges. Trauma bleeds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/empathy-means-realizing-no-trauma-has-discrete-edges-trauma-bleeds/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [“Empathy isn't just listening, it's asking the questions whose answers need to be listened to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/empathy-isn-t-just-listening-it-s-asking-the-questions-whose-answers/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) [Explore all 79 Leslie Jamison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) ## 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": "“confession of effort chafes against the notion that empathy should always rise unbidden, that genuine means the same thing as unwilled, that intentionality is the enemy of love. But I believe in intention and I believe in work. 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