--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would hope that people might view their…" description: "\"I would hope that people might view their fellow beings, all beings, with more empathy, more compassion, with a desire to understand. Even if they can'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/peter-hedges-5212_compassion_i-would-hope-that-people-might-view-thei_3188560.jpg" --- # I would hope that people might view their fellow beings… ![“I would hope that people might view their fellow beings, all beings, with more empathy, more compassion, with a desire to understand. Even if they can't know why people are the way they are, to understand that they're probably that way for a good reason.” quote by Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/peter-hedges-5212_compassion_i-would-hope-that-people-might-view-thei_3188560.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/peter-hedges-5212_compassion_i-would-hope-that-people-might-view-thei_3188560.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/peter-hedges-5212_compassion_i-would-hope-that-people-might-view-thei_3188560.jpg) > “I would hope that people might view their fellow beings, all beings, with more empathy, more compassion, with a desire to understand. Even if they can't know why people are the way they are, to understand that they're probably that way for a good reason.” [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages seeing others with empathy and compassion, assuming good intentions behind behavior. **In simple terms:** Treat others kindly, assuming they have reasons. Key Takeaway Practice empathy daily. Themes empathy compassion understanding Mood reflective hopeful Type ethical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - conflict resolution - community building Key Concepts human nature psychology social harmony Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate empathy toward difficult people? - What limits your ability to understand others? A Different Perspective Assuming good intent may overlook harmful actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beings Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beings-empathy-5872364/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Compassion Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion-desire-2850523/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Empathy Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy-compassion/) [Fellow Beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellow-beings-1605567/) [Fellows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellows/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [At the same time, as social beings, we are moved in the relations with our fellow beings by such feelings as sympathy, pride, hate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/at-the-same-time-as-social-beings-we-are-moved-in-the-relations-with/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Sen. Akaka's care, empathy and compassion were evident to everyone who knew him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazie-hirono/sen-akaka-s-care-empathy-and-compassion-were-evident-to-everyone-who/) [Mazie Hirono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazie-hirono/) > [We need to see kindness and we need to see empathy and compassion. That's something we need to see in leadership as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dunster/we-need-to-see-kindness-and-we-need-to-see-empathy-and-compassion/) [Phil Dunster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dunster/) > [In my view, the best of humanity is in our exercise of empathy and compassion. It's when we challenge ourselves to walk in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mcbride/in-my-view-the-best-of-humanity-is-in-our-exercise-of-empathy-and/) [Sarah McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mcbride/) > [It's hard to pull apart empathy from compassion. What is really clear is that we innately care for other people at least to some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/it-s-hard-to-pull-apart-empathy-from-compassion-what-is-really-clear/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Recent studies of mindfulness practices reveal that they can result in profound improvements in a range of physiological, mental, and interpersonal domains in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-siegel/recent-studies-of-mindfulness-practices-reveal-that-they-can-result/) [Daniel J. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-siegel/) > [We will never be enlightened unless we realize and own what our capacity, from the best of the best to the worst of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/we-will-never-be-enlightened-unless-we-realize-and-own-what-our/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“Some researchers have proposed that experiencing empathy and compassion through the mirror neuron system is equivalent to having compassion for yourself. Thus, “giving is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-arden/some-researchers-have-proposed-that-experiencing-empathy-and/) [John B. Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-arden/) > [“It is up to each one of us to immunize ourselves from any disabling bolts of anger and defend ourselves from the thunderstorms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/it-is-up-to-each-one-of-us-to-immunize-ourselves-from-any-disabling/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“People's sense of self worth is pivotal to their ability to look clearly at the hurt they've caused. The more solid one's sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/people-s-sense-of-self-worth-is-pivotal-to-their-ability-to-look/) [Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/) > [“Let your power stem from a place of compassion and a desire to help others better themselves. You cannot do this if you’re always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bryans/let-your-power-stem-from-a-place-of-compassion-and-a-desire-to-help/) [Bruce Bryans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bryans/) > [What interests me is love, sex, death, cruelty, compassion and the desire for meaning in an apparently godless universe. In other words the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/what-interests-me-is-love-sex-death-cruelty-compassion-and-the-desire/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [The essence of compassion is a desire to alleviate the suffering of others and to promote their well-being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-essence-of-compassion-is-a-desire-to-alleviate-the-suffering-of/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“It is clear that something is seriously lacking in the way we humans are going about things. But what is it that we lack?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama-xiv/it-is-clear-that-something-is-seriously-lacking-in-the-way-we-humans/) [Dalai Lama XIV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama-xiv/) > [Compassion is the desire that moves the individual self to widen the scope of its self-concern to embrace the whole of the universal self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-toynbee/compassion-is-the-desire-that-moves-the-individual-self-to-widen-the/) [Arnold Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-toynbee/) ## More by Peter Hedges > [There was a part of me that wanted to take my place next to, you know, Debra Granik. She's such a hero for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/there-was-a-part-of-me-that-wanted-to-take-my-place-next-to-you-know/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [Ultimately what I try to do is work on stories I love with people I admire, and sometimes they get made and sometimes they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/ultimately-what-i-try-to-do-is-work-on-stories-i-love-with-people-i/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [I want to make a series of films of contemporary America that feel urgent and deal with sometimes-topical matters, but hopefully in a universal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/i-want-to-make-a-series-of-films-of-contemporary-america-that-feel/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [Let the story lead you. If the story needs to be dark, let it go dark. If it's a sweet, good-for-the-world story, that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/let-the-story-lead-you-if-the-story-needs-to-be-dark-let-it-go-dark/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [GOOD AS NEW was born out of the idea of writing a play where the stakes were high and the collisions were of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/good-as-new-was-born-out-of-the-idea-of-writing-a-play-where-the/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [There are sections of the film that I don't love. There are moments that really lift and elevate, and then there are parts that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/there-are-sections-of-the-film-that-i-don-t-love-there-are-moments/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [I'm looking, often, towards younger people, listening to how they're working, at least they're trying, and some of the old greats, too. Just to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/i-m-looking-often-towards-younger-people-listening-to-how-they-re/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [I don't want to write my life. I live my life. I want to make up a new world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/i-don-t-want-to-write-my-life-i-live-my-life-i-want-to-make-up-a-new/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [I once heard a story, it's probably apocryphal, but I love the notion. That a car had flipped over and the baby was trapped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/i-once-heard-a-story-it-s-probably-apocryphal-but-i-love-the-notion/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [“A man who works all day, every day and loves each apple he uncrates, who cherishes each can of soup - a man like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/a-man-who-works-all-day-every-day-and-loves-each-apple-he-uncrates/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [Everything good in my life can be traced back to my mother's sobriety. She showed me that broken people can - with the help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/everything-good-in-my-life-can-be-traced-back-to-my-mother-s-sobriety/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [Writing a really good screenplay is not easy. It can be a very punishing form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/writing-a-really-good-screenplay-is-not-easy-it-can-be-a-very/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [It's not easy to be a good or wise parent. You do the best you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/it-s-not-easy-to-be-a-good-or-wise-parent-you-do-the-best-you-can/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [The kinds of movies I make are not easy to get made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/the-kinds-of-movies-i-make-are-not-easy-to-get-made/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [When I was a young lad just out of college at the North Carolina School of the Arts, I directed several plays that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/when-i-was-a-young-lad-just-out-of-college-at-the-north-carolina/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) [Explore all 102 Peter Hedges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) ## 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. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/) [Segun Magbagbeola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/segun-magbagbeola/) > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. 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. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [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/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) [Talib al Habib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-al-habib/) > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Browse all 9,892 Compassion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I would hope that people might view their fellow beings, all beings, with more empathy, more compassion, with a desire to understand. 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