--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What we're doing for another person is…" description: "\"What we're doing for another person is more important than what we're feeling for them.\" — Michael Haneke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76f/michael-haneke-3712_feeling_what-we-re-doing-for-another-person-is-m_72266.jpg" --- # What we're doing for another person is more important than… ![“What we're doing for another person is more important than what we're feeling for them.” quote by Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76f/michael-haneke-3712_feeling_what-we-re-doing-for-another-person-is-m_72266.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76f/michael-haneke-3712_feeling_what-we-re-doing-for-another-person-is-m_72266.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76f/michael-haneke-3712_feeling_what-we-re-doing-for-another-person-is-m_72266.jpg) > “What we're doing for another person is more important than what we're feeling for them.” [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritizing actions that benefit others over personal emotional impulses underscores ethical responsibility and self‑discipline. **In simple terms:** Actions > feelings Key Takeaway Do what matters, not what feels easy Themes ethics self‑discipline altruism responsibility moral philosophy Mood determined thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - volunteering - caregiving - leadership decisions - conflict resolution Key Concepts agency empathy intentionality Practical Applications - social work - team management Questions to Reflect On - How can you separate personal bias from duty? - When does feeling become a hindrance? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-person-736994/) [Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-feeling-946391/) [Person Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-important/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) ## Related quotes > [“The question to ask about an education is not 'What can I do with it?' but rather 'What is it doing to me –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-f-holmes/the-question-to-ask-about-an-education-is-not-what-can-i-do-with-it/) [Arthur F. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-f-holmes/) > [Marriage is about compromise; it's about doing something for the other person, even when you don't want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/marriage-is-about-compromise-it-s-about-doing-something-for-the-other/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [If I try to act cool and do things that get a positive reaction, then I'm not doing anything for the person I'm in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmella/if-i-try-to-act-cool-and-do-things-that-get-a-positive-reaction-then/) [Carmella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmella/) > [If people are talking about me, I want it to be because of the work I'm doing and not the person I'm seeing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/if-people-are-talking-about-me-i-want-it-to-be-because-of-the-work-i/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [There's an incredible amount of people that you can compare yourself with and be like, why am I not doing as well as that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-giertz/there-s-an-incredible-amount-of-people-that-you-can-compare-yourself/) [Simone Giertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-giertz/) > [You can't reduce an actual human being; you're just writing! You're not doing anything to another person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/you-can-t-reduce-an-actual-human-being-you-re-just-writing-you-re-not/) [Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/) > [Acting is not about showing what you're feeling. It's about doing something. It's about what you're doing for the other person. Anything other than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-hedges/acting-is-not-about-showing-what-you-re-feeling-it-s-about-doing/) [Lucas Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-hedges/) > [When a person who is very ill decides to treat it like a slight virus, you play that game. If you make a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/when-a-person-who-is-very-ill-decides-to-treat-it-like-a-slight-virus/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [“What is your current work doing to you as a person – to your mind, character and relationships?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-krznaric/what-is-your-current-work-doing-to-you-as-a-person-to-your-mind/) [Roman Krznaric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-krznaric/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to, the feeling for the things themselves, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/it-is-not-the-language-of-painters-but-the-language-of-nature-which/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [I think the most important feeling in the world is friendship. The friendship between Michiru and Haruka is so strong, that it becomes love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoko-takeuchi/i-think-the-most-important-feeling-in-the-world-is-friendship-the/) [Naoko Takeuchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoko-takeuchi/) > [What you're saying is often less important than what you're feeling when you're saying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-trussell/what-you-re-saying-is-often-less-important-than-what-you-re-feeling/) [Duncan Trussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-trussell/) > [Never forget that the subject is as important as your feeling; the mud puddle itself is as important as your pleasure in looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-worth/never-forget-that-the-subject-is-as-important-as-your-feeling-the-mud/) [Valerie Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-worth/) > [But looking beautiful isn't, I think, as important as feeling beautiful,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/but-looking-beautiful-isn-t-i-think-as-important-as-feeling-beautiful/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) ## More by Michael Haneke > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [In terms of cinema and filmmaking, there are certainly the unexpected gifts that the actors bestow on you. Film is always a question of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/in-terms-of-cinema-and-filmmaking-there-are-certainly-the-unexpected/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [A strict form such as mine cannot be achieved through improvisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/a-strict-form-such-as-mine-cannot-be-achieved-through-improvisation/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [To decide to film a movie again shot by shot, you must be masochistic to a certain degree because it is a much greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/to-decide-to-film-a-movie-again-shot-by-shot-you-must-be-masochistic/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [“There are those who see film and take it seriously as an artistic medium, and others who go to have a good time, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/there-are-those-who-see-film-and-take-it-seriously-as-an-artistic/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [When making a film, I'm never concerned about whether the theme is new or whether it's been done before in cinema or not. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/when-making-a-film-i-m-never-concerned-about-whether-the-theme-is-new/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [It's difficult because you can't generalise about these things. But in essence, you deal with children as simply as you deal with actors -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/it-s-difficult-because-you-can-t-generalise-about-these-things-but-in/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Well, the first thing I had to do was to read a lot. First of all, about education... and looking at education from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/well-the-first-thing-i-had-to-do-was-to-read-a-lot-first-of-all-about/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Of course I am a child of European culture. There are a number of great directors from which I learned, but there is nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/of-course-i-am-a-child-of-european-culture-there-are-a-number-of/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [My father and I had a good relationship, it was very relaxed. He had a lot of humour. He looked a little bit like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/my-father-and-i-had-a-good-relationship-it-was-very-relaxed-he-had-a/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [If I tell the audience what they should think, then I am robbing them of their own imagination and their own capacity of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/if-i-tell-the-audience-what-they-should-think-then-i-am-robbing-them/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [You become a film critic because you're interested in film. I don't know whether knowing so much about cinema leads you to make better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/you-become-a-film-critic-because-you-re-interested-in-film-i-don-t/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [I think it's a little simplistic to explain a work through the psychology of its author. In other words, that Haneke has emotional problems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/i-think-it-s-a-little-simplistic-to-explain-a-work-through-the/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [When I first envisioned 'Funny Games' in the mid-1990s, it was my intention to have an American audience watch the movie. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/when-i-first-envisioned-funny-games-in-the-mid-1990s-it-was-my/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Films that are entertainments give simple answers but I think that's ultimately more cynical, as it denies the viewer room to think. If there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/films-that-are-entertainments-give-simple-answers-but-i-think-that-s/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) [Explore all 123 Michael Haneke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) ## More Feeling quotes > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My feeling has always been that 'Good Eats' would have never happened had it been left to a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/my-feeling-has-always-been-that-good-eats-would-have-never-happened/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [Tryna hide this pain with these pain killers, she said the storms only will last a little while but shit it got me feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myself/tryna-hide-this-pain-with-these-pain-killers-she-said-the-storms-only/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myself/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [Hate not knowing when things are going to happen feeling different every single day. It is called LIFE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-valdovinos/hate-not-knowing-when-things-are-going-to-happen-feeling-different/) [Stephanie Valdovinos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-valdovinos/) > [The best feeling comes when you realise, that you are perfectly happy without the things, once you thought you needed the most…!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-feeling-comes-when-you-realise-that-you-are-perfectly-happy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love transforming myself constantly because it gives me that 'new' feeling that I'm very much addicted to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-mondo/i-love-transforming-myself-constantly-because-it-gives-me-that-new/) [Brad Mondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-mondo/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) [Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/) > [What I do miss that I don't get anymore? You're going to think I'm crazy, but you want the truth, so here it is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mandrell/what-i-do-miss-that-i-don-t-get-anymore-you-re-going-to-think-i-m/) [Barbara Mandrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mandrell/) > [I think kids growing up, if they were picked on and feeling inferior at 12, they're going to feel that way at 72. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/i-think-kids-growing-up-if-they-were-picked-on-and-feeling-inferior/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [I don't think Alfonso was a big expert on Potter either. He was feeling his way through it more than I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thewlis/i-don-t-think-alfonso-was-a-big-expert-on-potter-either-he-was/) [David Thewlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thewlis/) > [The most difficult part for me is feeling connected to the people that I love but always being on the go to different places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/the-most-difficult-part-for-me-is-feeling-connected-to-the-people/) [Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/) [Browse all 8,809 Feeling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What we're doing for another person is more important than what we're feeling for them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Haneke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/what-we-re-doing-for-another-person-is-more-important-than-what-we-re/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feeling" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/what-we-re-doing-for-another-person-is-more-important-than-what-we-re/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76f/michael-haneke-3712_feeling_what-we-re-doing-for-another-person-is-m_72266.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76f/michael-haneke-3712_feeling_what-we-re-doing-for-another-person-is-m_72266.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76f/michael-haneke-3712_feeling_what-we-re-doing-for-another-person-is-m_72266.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What we're doing for another person is more important than what we're feeling for them.” — Michael Haneke", "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": "Michael Haneke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What we're doing for another person...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/what-we-re-doing-for-another-person-is-more-important-than-what-we-re/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/what-we-re-doing-for-another-person-is-more-important-than-what-we-re/#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 } } ] } ```