--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think empathy can serve as a moral…" description: "\"I think empathy can serve as a moral spark, motivating us to do good things. But anything can be a moral spark.\" — Paul Bloom" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/364/paul-bloom-3720_character_i-think-empathy-can-serve-as-a-moral-spa_3143774.jpg" --- # I think empathy can serve as a moral spark, motivating us… ![“I think empathy can serve as a moral spark, motivating us to do good things. But anything can be a moral spark.” quote by Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/364/paul-bloom-3720_character_i-think-empathy-can-serve-as-a-moral-spa_3143774.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/364/paul-bloom-3720_character_i-think-empathy-can-serve-as-a-moral-spa_3143774.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/364/paul-bloom-3720_character_i-think-empathy-can-serve-as-a-moral-spa_3143774.jpg) > “I think empathy can serve as a moral spark, motivating us to do good things. But anything can be a moral spark.” [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Empathy can ignite moral action, but any strong feeling can also inspire good deeds. **In simple terms:** Empathy sparks morality, but other sparks exist. Key Takeaway Use empathy and other motivations to act ethically. Themes ethics motivation psychology Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - charity work - policy making - education - personal decisions Key Concepts moral philosophy neuroscience Questions to Reflect On - What other “sparks” drive your moral choices? - Can empathy be cultivated? A Different Perspective Empathy alone may not sustain long‑term moral behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Empathy Serve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy-serve-5613331/) [Good thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-thing/) [Good things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-things/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-spark-5613330/) [Serve Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serve-moral-3887650/) [Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sparks/) [Things Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-moral-616267/) [Think Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-empathy-335875/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Over the last few years, I've been focusing on questions having to do with the self, and questions having to do with morality. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/over-the-last-few-years-i-ve-been-focusing-on-questions-having-to-do/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [I'm very interested in why we do good things, or bad things, and where moral judgments come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-m-very-interested-in-why-we-do-good-things-or-bad-things-and-where/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [I think empathy is really important for pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-think-empathy-is-really-important-for-pleasure/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Something as important and central and encompassing as empathy can't be all bad. I think empathy plays a role in intimate relationships, where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/something-as-important-and-central-and-encompassing-as-empathy-can-t/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Literature has to serve as a moral control of politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-yevtushenko/literature-has-to-serve-as-a-moral-control-of-politics/) [Yevgeny Yevtushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-yevtushenko/) > [“art is self-sufficient and need serve no moral or political purpose”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-pater/art-is-self-sufficient-and-need-serve-no-moral-or-political-purpose/) [Walter Pater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-pater/) > [I'm truly convinced that by living up to the values we stand for, we can serve as a moral inspiration for others, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-truly-convinced-that-by-living-up-to-the-values-we-stand-for-we/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [Every great power, every aggressive power has always regarded itself as exceptional and as doing things only for the most moral ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/every-great-power-every-aggressive-power-has-always-regarded-itself/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“All things are moral; and in their boundless changes have an unceasing reference to spiritual nature. 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If animals are not mere things; if they have moral value, we cannot justify eating, wearing, or using them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/it-s-really-not-rocket-science-if-animals-are-not-mere-things-if-they/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) > [I always say that playing Christ has just made me a better version of myself because I aspire to greater things, to a moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-roumie/i-always-say-that-playing-christ-has-just-made-me-a-better-version-of/) [Jonathan Roumie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-roumie/) > [All things are moral. That soul, which within us is a sentiment, outside of us is a law. We feel its inspiration; out there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/all-things-are-moral-that-soul-which-within-us-is-a-sentiment-outside/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once you've seen certain things, the moral compunction drives you to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/once-you-ve-seen-certain-things-the-moral-compunction-drives-you-to/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) ## More by Paul Bloom > [I have two teenage sons, and they're both surviving, thriving, and having a great time, and they're always on social media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-have-two-teenage-sons-and-they-re-both-surviving-thriving-and/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Families survive the terrible twos because toddlers aren't strong enough to kill with their hands and aren't capable of using lethal weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/families-survive-the-terrible-twos-because-toddlers-aren-t-strong/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [If Inigo Montoya were around now, he wouldn't need to storm the castle to bring his father's murderer to justice; the police would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/if-inigo-montoya-were-around-now-he-wouldn-t-need-to-storm-the-castle/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Most of us know nothing about constitutional law, so it's hardly surprising that we take sides in the Obamacare debate the way we root…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/most-of-us-know-nothing-about-constitutional-law-so-it-s-hardly/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [“Being a good person likely is more related to distanced feelings of compassion and kindness, along with intelligence, self-control, and a sense of justice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/being-a-good-person-likely-is-more-related-to-distanced-feelings-of/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Imagination is Reality Lite - a useful substitute when the real pleasure is inaccessible, too risky, or too much work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/imagination-is-reality-lite-a-useful-substitute-when-the-real/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [One way to make a baby cry is to expose it to cries of other babies. There's sort of contagiousness to the crying. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/one-way-to-make-a-baby-cry-is-to-expose-it-to-cries-of-other-babies/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [I want to convince you that humans are, to some extent, natural born essentialists. What I mean by this is we don't just respond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-want-to-convince-you-that-humans-are-to-some-extent-natural-born/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [The fact that something can be used for good isn't necessarily a knockdown argument for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/the-fact-that-something-can-be-used-for-good-isn-t-necessarily-a/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [ Our best hope for the future \[...\] lies in an appreciation of the fact that, even if we don’t empathize with distant strangers, their… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/our-best-hope-for-the-future-lies-in-an-appreciation-of-the-fact-that/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [When people want to inspire you to turn against some group of people, they'll often use empathy. When Obama wanted to bomb Syria, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/when-people-want-to-inspire-you-to-turn-against-some-group-of-people/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [I'm very interested in why we do good things, or bad things, and where moral judgments come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-m-very-interested-in-why-we-do-good-things-or-bad-things-and-where/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [I have my own difficulty with movies in which the suffering of the characters is too real, and many find it difficult to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-have-my-own-difficulty-with-movies-in-which-the-suffering-of-the/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [I think what a lot of fiction is, is the imagining of the worst so as to prepare ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-think-what-a-lot-of-fiction-is-is-the-imagining-of-the-worst-so-as/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Morality is often seen as an innovation, like agriculture and writing. 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