---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Self-pity dries up our sympathy for others."
description: "\"Self-pity dries up our sympathy for others.\" — Mason Cooley"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/mason-cooley-92_pity_self-pity-dries-up-our-sympathy-for-othe_2507174.png"
---

#  Self-pity dries up our sympathy for others.

![“Self-pity dries up our sympathy for others.” quote by Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/mason-cooley-92_pity_self-pity-dries-up-our-sympathy-for-othe_2507174.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/mason-cooley-92_pity_self-pity-dries-up-our-sympathy-for-othe_2507174.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/mason-cooley-92_pity_self-pity-dries-up-our-sympathy-for-othe_2507174.png)

> “Self-pity dries up our sympathy for others.”

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Self-pity reduces our capacity to empathize with others.

**In simple terms:** Self-pity blocks empathy.

Key Takeaway

Avoid self-pity to help others.

Themes

empathy self-awareness compassion

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

philosophical psychological

When to use this quote

- counseling
- volunteering
- leadership
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

psychology social behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- How does self-pity affect your relationships?
- What steps can reduce self-pity?

A Different Perspective

Self-pity can be a coping mechanism.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-pity/) [Sympathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sympathy/)

## Related quotes

> [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on the good things still in my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-give-myself-a-good-cry-if-i-need-it-but-then-i-concentrate-on-the/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/i-must-learn-that-the-purpose-of-my-life-belongs-to-god-not-me-god-is/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [The teeth of self-pity had gnawed away her essential self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-gibbs/the-teeth-of-self-pity-had-gnawed-away-her-essential-self/)

[Willa Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-gibbs/)

> [Self-pity makes people callous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/self-pity-makes-people-callous/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Self-satisfaction and self-pity are both condemned. What are people permitted to feel about themselves?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/self-satisfaction-and-self-pity-are-both-condemned-what-are-people/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [If I could do my life over, I would try to cleanse at least my pleasures of self-pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/if-i-could-do-my-life-over-i-would-try-to-cleanse-at-least-my/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [“Self-pity was like wearing a wool jacket in the sweltering heat, and I wanted it gone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-higgins/self-pity-was-like-wearing-a-wool-jacket-in-the-sweltering-heat-and-i/)

[Wendy Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-higgins/)

> [Everybody who undergoes a death and finds themselves grieving is obsessed with — or maybe overly focused on — the idea that they can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/everybody-who-undergoes-a-death-and-finds-themselves-grieving-is/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [All self-importance is a form of self-pity in disguise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/all-self-importance-is-a-form-of-self-pity-in-disguise/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [“Self pity, Orito reminds herself yet again, is a noose dangling from a rafter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/self-pity-orito-reminds-herself-yet-again-is-a-noose-dangling-from-a/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [Self-pity is, perhaps, the least becoming of all emotions, and we often indulge in it only beause we are too exhausted to resist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-baker-priest/self-pity-is-perhaps-the-least-becoming-of-all-emotions-and-we-often/)

[Ivy Baker Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-baker-priest/)

> [“Wallowing in self-pity hurts no one except you. Boss up and find a way to get going again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/wallowing-in-self-pity-hurts-no-one-except-you-boss-up-and-find-a-way/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [“Self-pity is the worst disability a person can have, Callie. It's crippling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-terrell/self-pity-is-the-worst-disability-a-person-can-have-callie-it-s/)

Shelley Terrell

> [My name is Nwori Joshua and I am the world's most sorrowful young man on earth and the world's biggest Jerk. I sought for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nwori-joshua/my-name-is-nwori-joshua-and-i-am-the-world-s-most-sorrowful-young-man/)

[Nwori Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nwori-joshua/)

## More by Mason Cooley

> [Nostalgia keeps dissolving the ironic narratives in which I have contained my past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/nostalgia-keeps-dissolving-the-ironic-narratives-in-which-i-have/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [The modernist writers found despair inspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-modernist-writers-found-despair-inspirational/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Even the most abject have a sense of superiority based on powerful though undefined merits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-abject-have-a-sense-of-superiority-based-on-powerful/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Money comes to life as it is spent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/money-comes-to-life-as-it-is-spent/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-fickle-are-faithful-to-a-few-bad-habits/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Rage is exciting, but leaves me confused and exhausted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/rage-is-exciting-but-leaves-me-confused-and-exhausted/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Literary tradition is full of lies about poverty-the jolly beggar, the poor but happy milkmaid, the wholesome diet of porridge, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/literary-tradition-is-full-of-lies-about-poverty-the-jolly-beggar-the/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Experience teaches us, but we scarcely know what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/experience-teaches-us-but-we-scarcely-know-what/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [The body has a mind of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-body-has-a-mind-of-its-own/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [In retirement, I look for days off from my days off. Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/in-retirement-i-look-for-days-off-from-my-days-off-mason-cooley/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [My intentions go one way, my desires another. Thus I feel both self-indulgent and deprived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/my-intentions-go-one-way-my-desires-another-thus-i-feel-both-self/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [The Puritan sours his pleasures by disguising them as duties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-puritan-sours-his-pleasures-by-disguising-them-as-duties/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Unlike the actual, the fictional explains itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/unlike-the-actual-the-fictional-explains-itself/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Vacations prove that a life of pleasure is overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/vacations-prove-that-a-life-of-pleasure-is-overrated/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Outside literature, high-flown sentiments are merely exasperating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/outside-literature-high-flown-sentiments-are-merely-exasperating/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

[Explore all 1,401 Mason Cooley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

## More Pity quotes

> [It's a pity that there's such a negative connotation about paying for sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-sprinkle/it-s-a-pity-that-there-s-such-a-negative-connotation-about-paying-for/)

[Annie Sprinkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-sprinkle/)

> [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [It is a pity that, commonly, more care is had--yea, and that among very wise men--to find out rather a cunning man for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ascham/it-is-a-pity-that-commonly-more-care-is-had-yea-and-that-among-very/)

[Roger Ascham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ascham/)

> [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“How dare I, Mrs Reed? How dare I? Because it is the truth. You think I have no feelings, and that I can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/how-dare-i-mrs-reed-how-dare-i-because-it-is-the-truth-you-think-i/)

[Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [Pity is cruel. Pity destroys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/pity-is-cruel-pity-destroys/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

> [Whoever will not love his enemies cannot know the Lord and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silouan-the-athonite/whoever-will-not-love-his-enemies-cannot-know-the-lord-and-the/)

[Silouan the Athonite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silouan-the-athonite/)

> [Pity the planet, all joy gone from this sweet volcanic cone; peace to our children when they fall in small war on the heel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/pity-the-planet-all-joy-gone-from-this-sweet-volcanic-cone-peace-to/)

[Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/)

> [Please dont say you dont miss him. Just to pity me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-yap/please-dont-say-you-dont-miss-him-just-to-pity-me/)

[William Yap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-yap/)

> [It's really a pity that there are observers who view political events like comic strips. There has to be a Zorro, there has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sankara/it-s-really-a-pity-that-there-are-observers-who-view-political-events/)

[Thomas Sankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sankara/)

> [Do not be proud of your inconsistency. It is a pity, it is a pity that we should be equipped like this. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/do-not-be-proud-of-your-inconsistency-it-is-a-pity-it-is-a-pity-that/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [The only justice is to follow the sincere intuition of the soul, angry or gentle. Anger is just, and pity is just, but judgement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-justice-is-to-follow-the-sincere-intuition-of-the-soul-angry/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-not-like-studying-german-where-you-mull-along-in-a-groping/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/)

[Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/)

> [“Self-pity is the worst disability a person can have, Callie. It's crippling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-terrell/self-pity-is-the-worst-disability-a-person-can-have-callie-it-s/)

Shelley Terrell

[Browse all 2,046 Pity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Self-pity dries up our sympathy for others.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mason Cooley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/self-pity-dries-up-our-sympathy-for-others/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Pity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/self-pity-dries-up-our-sympathy-for-others/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/mason-cooley-92_pity_self-pity-dries-up-our-sympathy-for-othe_2507174.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/mason-cooley-92_pity_self-pity-dries-up-our-sympathy-for-othe_2507174.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/mason-cooley-92_pity_self-pity-dries-up-our-sympathy-for-othe_2507174.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Self-pity dries up our sympathy for others.” — Mason Cooley",
                "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": "Mason Cooley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Self-pity dries up our sympathy for...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/self-pity-dries-up-our-sympathy-for-others/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/self-pity-dries-up-our-sympathy-for-others/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
