---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The average reader can contemplate with…"
description: "\"The average reader can contemplate with considerable fortitude the sorrows and disappointments of someone else.\" — Nellie L. McClung"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/nellie-l-mcclung-16299_average_the-average-reader-can-contemplate-with_1955944.jpg"
---

#  The average reader can contemplate with considerable…

![“The average reader can contemplate with considerable fortitude the sorrows and disappointments of someone else.” quote by Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/nellie-l-mcclung-16299_average_the-average-reader-can-contemplate-with_1955944.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/nellie-l-mcclung-16299_average_the-average-reader-can-contemplate-with_1955944.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/nellie-l-mcclung-16299_average_the-average-reader-can-contemplate-with_1955944.jpg)

> “The average reader can contemplate with considerable fortitude the sorrows and disappointments of someone else.”

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

## About This Quote

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

Readers can endure others' suffering with strength and compassion.

**In simple terms:** Empathy allows deep understanding of others' pain.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate empathy to connect with others.

Themes

empathy resilience humanity

Mood

reflective empathetic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- counseling
- education
- community support
- literature discussion

Key Concepts

psychology compassion social connection

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance empathy with self‑care?
- What practices strengthen compassionate listening?

A Different Perspective

Empathy may be emotionally taxing for some.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Average](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Considerable Fortitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/considerable-fortitude-3202453/) [Contemplate Considerable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplate-considerable-3202451/) [Contemplating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplating/) [Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) [Fortitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortitude/) [Fortitude Sorrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortitude-sorrows-3202452/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reader Contemplate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-contemplate-1304290/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Sorrows Disappointments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrows-disappointments-1664795/)

## Related quotes

> [“The road has not been paves all the way for any of us. We all have a small place in our hearts where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-pay-hinckley/the-road-has-not-been-paves-all-the-way-for-any-of-us-we-all-have-a/)

[Marjorie Pay Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-pay-hinckley/)

> [“No season lives here. This space has quite successfully shut out any such interference. The cunning designer saw to it that there is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-o-brien/no-season-lives-here-this-space-has-quite-successfully-shut-out-any/)

[Geoffrey O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-o-brien/)

> [“Indeed, and crucially so, the serial form took the control of the novel away from the reader and left him in an imagined space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-gregor/indeed-and-crucially-so-the-serial-form-took-the-control-of-the-novel/)

[Ian Gregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-gregor/)

> [“The simple trill of her laugh has not declined over the years; if anything it's been buffeted by her endless sorrows and disappointments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/the-simple-trill-of-her-laugh-has-not-declined-over-the-years-if/)

[Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/)

> [In our blessed and mostly peaceful society we're not as familiar with courage as we once were. We ascribe the virtue to all manner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/in-our-blessed-and-mostly-peaceful-society-we-re-not-as-familiar-with/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [“The mark of a short-sighted goal is that it is solely designed to achieve whatever needs to be achieved as a means of achieving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-mark-of-a-short-sighted-goal-is-that-it-is-solely-designed-to/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [Fortitude is the grounding for all virtue. Courage is the strength to lift in times of adversity. And the will is the heart to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/fortitude-is-the-grounding-for-all-virtue-courage-is-the-strength-to/)

[Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/)

> [“Rare are the principles that drive us to stand even when we realize that we will likely perish in the standing. And rarer still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/rare-are-the-principles-that-drive-us-to-stand-even-when-we-realize/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [Character contributes to beauty. It fortifies a woman as her youth fades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-bisset/character-contributes-to-beauty-it-fortifies-a-woman-as-her-youth/)

[Jacqueline Bisset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-bisset/)

> [Suffering for truth's sake Is fortitude to highest victory, And to the faithful death the gate of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/suffering-for-truth-s-sake-is-fortitude-to-highest-victory-and-to-the/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [Chastity is oftener owing to diffidence and shame, than to fortitude of reason or virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/chastity-is-oftener-owing-to-diffidence-and-shame-than-to-fortitude/)

[Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/)

> [One's own troubles can be borne with fortitude; only a monster of indifference can bear the sufferings of others with fortitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ertz/one-s-own-troubles-can-be-borne-with-fortitude-only-a-monster-of/)

[Susan Ertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ertz/)

> [“To stand at the very moment when all seems lost is the point of insanity for the coward, but it is the home of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-stand-at-the-very-moment-when-all-seems-lost-is-the-point-of/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [Acting is a hard profession. More than anything, it takes fortitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dean-morgan/acting-is-a-hard-profession-more-than-anything-it-takes-fortitude/)

[Jeffrey Dean Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dean-morgan/)

> [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

## More by Nellie L. McClung

> [No nation ever rises higher than its women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/no-nation-ever-rises-higher-than-its-women/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [Chivalry is a poor substitute for justice, if one cannot have both. Chivalry is something like the icing on the cake, sweet but not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/chivalry-is-a-poor-substitute-for-justice-if-one-cannot-have-both/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [War is a crime committed by men and, therefore, when enough people say it shall not be, it cannot be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/war-is-a-crime-committed-by-men-and-therefore-when-enough-people-say/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [Humanity has to travel a hard road to wisdom, and it has to travel it with bleeding feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/humanity-has-to-travel-a-hard-road-to-wisdom-and-it-has-to-travel-it/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [Disturbers are never popular - nobody ever really loved an alarm clock in action, no matter how grateful he may have been afterwards for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/disturbers-are-never-popular-nobody-ever-really-loved-an-alarm-clock/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [Children are great idealists, until the stupidity of their elders puts out the fires of the aspirations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/children-are-great-idealists-until-the-stupidity-of-their-elders-puts/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [Women had first to convince the world that they had souls and then that they had minds and then it came on to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/women-had-first-to-convince-the-world-that-they-had-souls-and-then/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [In regard to tenacity of life, no old yellow cat has anything on a prejudice. You may kill it with your own hands, bury…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/in-regard-to-tenacity-of-life-no-old-yellow-cat-has-anything-on-a/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [Men alone are not capable of making laws for men and women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/men-alone-are-not-capable-of-making-laws-for-men-and-women/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [Chivalry is like a line of credit. You can get plenty of it when you do not need it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/chivalry-is-like-a-line-of-credit-you-can-get-plenty-of-it-when-you/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [Literature may be light as a cobweb, but it must be fastened down to life at the four corners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/literature-may-be-light-as-a-cobweb-but-it-must-be-fastened-down-to/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [The good is the greatest rival of the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/the-good-is-the-greatest-rival-of-the-best/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [Why are pencils equipped with erasers if not to correct mistakes?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/why-are-pencils-equipped-with-erasers-if-not-to-correct-mistakes/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [The middle years of life come on like thunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/the-middle-years-of-life-come-on-like-thunder/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

> [I think this is the greatest and best country in all the world, with its great sunlit spaces and its long long roads, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/i-think-this-is-the-greatest-and-best-country-in-all-the-world-with/)

[Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

[Explore all 40 Nellie L. McClung quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/)

## More Average quotes

> [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/)

[Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/)

> [There were times last year when people looked at the scoreboard and thought my batting average was the temperature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-martinez/there-were-times-last-year-when-people-looked-at-the-scoreboard-and/)

[Buck Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-martinez/)

> [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [The average well-being of our societies is not dependent any longer on national income and economic growth. ... But the differences between us and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-wilkinson/the-average-well-being-of-our-societies-is-not-dependent-any-longer/)

[Richard G. Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-wilkinson/)

> [I really focus more to hit for average, just try to put the ball in play as much as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-soto/i-really-focus-more-to-hit-for-average-just-try-to-put-the-ball-in/)

[Juan Soto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-soto/)

> [You give me enough shots, I'll average 20. You give me a particular system where I stick close to the basket, I'll average 10 rebounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bosh/you-give-me-enough-shots-i-ll-average-20-you-give-me-a-particular/)

[Chris Bosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bosh/)

> [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

> [The average American expends more time becoming informed about choosing a car than choosing a candidate. But, then, the consequences of the former choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-average-american-expends-more-time-becoming-informed-about/)

[George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/)

> [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' I say, 'Well, how high was it?' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/my-phone-rings-they-call-me-up-and-say-chael-your-testosterone-level/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/)

[Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/)

> [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [I feel like what motivates me is what would motivate the regular average person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-nasty/i-feel-like-what-motivates-me-is-what-would-motivate-the-regular/)

[Rico Nasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-nasty/)

> [We're trying to do something so that when the average person uses Pinterest, it has to make the service better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-silbermann/we-re-trying-to-do-something-so-that-when-the-average-person-uses/)

[Ben Silbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-silbermann/)

> [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

[Browse all 2,816 Average quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The average reader can contemplate with considerable fortitude the sorrows and disappointments of someone else.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nellie L. McClung"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/the-average-reader-can-contemplate-with-considerable-fortitude-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Average"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/the-average-reader-can-contemplate-with-considerable-fortitude-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/nellie-l-mcclung-16299_average_the-average-reader-can-contemplate-with_1955944.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/nellie-l-mcclung-16299_average_the-average-reader-can-contemplate-with_1955944.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/nellie-l-mcclung-16299_average_the-average-reader-can-contemplate-with_1955944.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The average reader can contemplate with considerable fortitude the sorrows and disappointments of someone…” — Nellie L. McClung",
                "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": "Nellie L. McClung",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The average reader can contemplate with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/the-average-reader-can-contemplate-with-considerable-fortitude-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/the-average-reader-can-contemplate-with-considerable-fortitude-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
