--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pity. What a useless emotion when you…" description: "\"“Pity. What a useless emotion when you don't act on it. Pity is supposed to trigger compassion.”\" — Lish McBride" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/lish-mcbride-10317_compassion_pity-what-a-useless-emotion-when-you-don_2377422.jpg" --- # Pity. What a useless emotion when you don't act on it… ![“Pity. What a useless emotion when you don't act on it. Pity is supposed to trigger compassion.” quote by Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/lish-mcbride-10317_compassion_pity-what-a-useless-emotion-when-you-don_2377422.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/lish-mcbride-10317_compassion_pity-what-a-useless-emotion-when-you-don_2377422.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/lish-mcbride-10317_compassion_pity-what-a-useless-emotion-when-you-don_2377422.jpg) > ““Pity. What a useless emotion when you don't act on it. Pity is supposed to trigger compassion.”” [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pity without action is empty; it should motivate compassionate deeds, not remain a feeling. **In simple terms:** Feeling pity alone does nothing; it should lead to help. Key Takeaway Turn pity into compassionate action. Themes compassion emotion responsibility Mood reflective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - volunteering - helping a - advocacy - personal relationships Key Concepts ethical duty empathy Questions to Reflect On - How can you convert pity into concrete help? - What prevents you from acting on compassion? A Different Perspective Pity can become self‑indulgent if not acted upon. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Act Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act-pity-5876741/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Pity Supposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity-supposed-5876742/) [Pity Useless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity-useless-3731209/) [Trigger Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trigger-compassion-5876743/) [Useless Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/useless-emotion-704857/) ## Related quotes > [“Pity is a useless emotion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pearce/pity-is-a-useless-emotion/) [Jackson Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pearce/) > [One grows out of pity when it's useless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/one-grows-out-of-pity-when-it-s-useless/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I'm not ashamed of anything I've done. 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It never makes anyone feel better nor does it change a situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/guilt-is-a-totally-useless-emotion-it-never-makes-anyone-feel-better/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [Anger is the most useless emotion," Henchick intoned, "destructive to the mind and hurtful to the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/anger-is-the-most-useless-emotion-henchick-intoned-destructive-to-the/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Hate is a useless emotion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-jones/hate-is-a-useless-emotion/) [Carrie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-jones/) > [“Jealousy is such a useless emotion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-stanton/jealousy-is-such-a-useless-emotion/) [Angie Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-stanton/) > [Jealousy is a useless emotion. Turn into something more productive. Let it push you to get ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/jealousy-is-a-useless-emotion-turn-into-something-more-productive-let/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [“Regret is a useless emotion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/regret-is-a-useless-emotion/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [“Pity is such an awful, useless emotion- you have to bottle it up and keep it to yourself.The moment you try to express it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/pity-is-such-an-awful-useless-emotion-you-have-to-bottle-it-up-and/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“Worry is perhaps the most useless emotion; it is the product of guilt after the time for action has passed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charbel-tadros/worry-is-perhaps-the-most-useless-emotion-it-is-the-product-of-guilt/) [Charbel Tadros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charbel-tadros/) > [It's a completely useless emotion - jealousy. I don't go there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-behar/it-s-a-completely-useless-emotion-jealousy-i-don-t-go-there/) [Joy Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-behar/) > [“Without immediate action, an inspiration is useless emotion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/without-immediate-action-an-inspiration-is-useless-emotion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [She say guilt is a useless emotion." "Oh, please," says Nancy. "Guilt is what separates humans from animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/she-say-guilt-is-a-useless-emotion-oh-please-says-nancy-guilt-is-what/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Fear is a useless emotion. It prevents everything from happening. 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I mean, if Sammy Davis Jr. could convert to Judaism, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/ramon-looked-closely-at-the-little-guy-as-he-ate-maybe-he-s-jewish-i/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“You couldn’t really tell people you weren’t out performing your civic duties because you were too busy raising the dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/you-couldn-t-really-tell-people-you-weren-t-out-performing-your-civic/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“Even if Douglas was trying to sacrifice me and harvest my creepy powers at the time, I feel like killing people for doing awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/even-if-douglas-was-trying-to-sacrifice-me-and-harvest-my-creepy/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“And someone, somewhere, was having an even worse time of it than me. I tried to keep that in mind. No matter how crappy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/and-someone-somewhere-was-having-an-even-worse-time-of-it-than-me-i/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“Begin at the beginning," I said, "and go on till you come to the end. Then stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/begin-at-the-beginning-i-said-and-go-on-till-you-come-to-the-end-then/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“The cats, being cats, ignored her in that complete way only cats seem to be able to manage, and continued to drag her soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/the-cats-being-cats-ignored-her-in-that-complete-way-only-cats-seem/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“I know you're frustrated, Sam, but the reality is you're in a world now where the majority of the people you run into will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/i-know-you-re-frustrated-sam-but-the-reality-is-you-re-in-a-world-now/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“I had an affinity for pandas. Something about clumsy vegetarians struck a chord with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/i-had-an-affinity-for-pandas-something-about-clumsy-vegetarians/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“Sylvie-trin 5000: He was the Zelda to my Link, but that doesn't mean biker boy couldn't be the Princess Peach to my Mario. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/sylvie-trin-5000-he-was-the-zelda-to-my-link-but-that-doesn-t-mean/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“Most people felt lost after high school. Sometimes I felt like I'd never really been found in the first place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/most-people-felt-lost-after-high-school-sometimes-i-felt-like-i-d/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“You want waffles?” I tried to keep the skepticism from my voice. “No firstborn or a pot of gold?” “I’m not a leprechaun, Sam.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/you-want-waffles-i-tried-to-keep-the-skepticism-from-my-voice-no/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“There’d been some nights when my fat ass had saved my ass (ba-dum-tsh).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/there-d-been-some-nights-when-my-fat-ass-had-saved-my-ass-ba-dum-tsh/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“Homework, classes, running around, and then—bam—nothing but a life of work stretching out before you. No one prepares you for that feeling or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/homework-classes-running-around-and-then-bam-nothing-but-a-life-of/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“I stared at the pictogram of a burger nestled between similar representations of shakes, sodas, and fries, on the front of my register. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/i-stared-at-the-pictogram-of-a-burger-nestled-between-similar/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“Arriving on Bainbridge Island is the opposite of arriving in Seattle. When you got in your car and waited to unload off the ferry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/arriving-on-bainbridge-island-is-the-opposite-of-arriving-in-seattle/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) [Explore all 66 Lish McBride quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) ## More Compassion quotes > [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/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. 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That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. 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