--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think empathy's a terrible danger for a…" description: "\"I think empathy's a terrible danger for a writer.\" — Richard Flanagan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/richard-flanagan-2253_compassion_i-think-empathy-s-a-terrible-danger-for_2334048.jpg" --- # I think empathy's a terrible danger for a writer. ![“I think empathy's a terrible danger for a writer.” quote by Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/richard-flanagan-2253_compassion_i-think-empathy-s-a-terrible-danger-for_2334048.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/richard-flanagan-2253_compassion_i-think-empathy-s-a-terrible-danger-for_2334048.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/richard-flanagan-2253_compassion_i-think-empathy-s-a-terrible-danger-for_2334048.jpg) > “I think empathy's a terrible danger for a writer.” [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Empathy may expose writers to emotional overload, making it a risky tool for creative work. **In simple terms:** Empathy can be dangerous for writers. Key Takeaway Balance empathy with distance. Themes creativity risk emotion Mood cautious introspective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing - journalism - fiction - personal essays Key Concepts psychological exposure artistic vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect yourself while staying empathetic? - When is empathy essential in storytelling? A Different Perspective Too much empathy can hinder objectivity and burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Danger Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger-writer-5625432/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Empathy Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy-terrible-5625431/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Terrible Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-danger-2886177/) [Think Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-empathy-335875/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Empathy. Most people think empathy is like understanding someone else or relating to them. But it's more than that. Real empathy is the actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-hill/empathy-most-people-think-empathy-is-like-understanding-someone-else/) [Nathan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-hill/) > [“You ask me, of all people, how to protect a boy in terrible danger? We cannot protect the young from harm. Pain must and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tiffany/you-ask-me-of-all-people-how-to-protect-a-boy-in-terrible-danger-we/) [John Tiffany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tiffany/) > [“There was a terrible danger in loving small, fragile things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-cooper/there-was-a-terrible-danger-in-loving-small-fragile-things/) [Gwen Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-cooper/) > [No one dared to speak of the terrible danger. 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Pain must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tiffany/dumbledore-you-ask-me-of-all-people-how-to-protect-a-boy-in-terrible/) [John Tiffany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tiffany/) > [There's a terrible danger in voting for the lesser of two evils because the parties can set it up that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-a-terrible-danger-in-voting-for-the-lesser-of-two-evils/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I think empathy is undervalued in a lot of these comedy writers' rooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/i-think-empathy-is-undervalued-in-a-lot-of-these-comedy-writers-rooms/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [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/) > [I think with empathy... It's more looking out at the people. And that includes the Republicans, you know the people that might be opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-o-meara-sanders/i-think-with-empathy-it-s-more-looking-out-at-the-people-and-that/) [Jane O'Meara Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-o-meara-sanders/) > [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/) > [I think empathy is a beautiful thing. I think that's the power of film though. We have one of the most powerful, one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-rodriguez/i-think-empathy-is-a-beautiful-thing-i-think-that-s-the-power-of-film/) [Michelle Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-rodriguez/) > [Looking at various means of developing compassion, I think empathy is an important factor: the ability to appreciate others' suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/looking-at-various-means-of-developing-compassion-i-think-empathy-is/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I think of empathy as a set of cumulative effects, ideally - that it can be a force shaping your habits, shaping where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/i-think-of-empathy-as-a-set-of-cumulative-effects-ideally-that-it-can/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-think-we-all-have-empathy-we-may-not-have-enough-courage-to-display/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More by Richard Flanagan > [I went to study at Oxford University in the 1980s on an imperial scholarship instituted by Cecil Rhodes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-went-to-study-at-oxford-university-in-the-1980s-on-an-imperial/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Writing is not lying, nor is it theft. It is a journey and search for transparency between one’s words and one’s soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/writing-is-not-lying-nor-is-it-theft-it-is-a-journey-and-search-for/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [In reading, you sense the divine: the things that are larger and greater and more mysterious than yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-reading-you-sense-the-divine-the-things-that-are-larger-and/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Within white Australia, there was a growing movement for what was known as reconciliation - a movement that peaked with millions marching in 2000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/within-white-australia-there-was-a-growing-movement-for-what-was/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-government-commissioned-an-inquiry/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Murder and hate are as deeply buried in the human heart as love, perhaps more so, and in truth they're rather entwined, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/murder-and-hate-are-as-deeply-buried-in-the-human-heart-as-love/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [My father was the first to read in his family, and he said to me that words were the first beautiful thing he ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/my-father-was-the-first-to-read-in-his-family-and-he-said-to-me-that/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [I grew up in a world that was clannish - old Tasmanian-Irish families with big extended families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-grew-up-in-a-world-that-was-clannish-old-tasmanian-irish-families/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [If 30 Australians drowned in Sydney Harbour, it would be a national tragedy. But when 30 or more refugees drown off the Australian coast,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/if-30-australians-drowned-in-sydney-harbour-it-would-be-a-national/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [The enslavement, humiliation, torture, and ultimate destruction of thousands upon thousands of human beings for a project for which there was ultimately no purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/the-enslavement-humiliation-torture-and-ultimate-destruction-of/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [In Tasmania, an island the size of Ireland whose primeval forests astonished 19th-century Europeans, an incomprehensible ecological tragedy is being played out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-tasmania-an-island-the-size-of-ireland-whose-primeval-forests/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [You have to attempt to find new forms that will force you to write freshly and better and hopefully more truthfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/you-have-to-attempt-to-find-new-forms-that-will-force-you-to-write/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [My mother hoped I'd be a plumber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/my-mother-hoped-i-d-be-a-plumber/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Family matters, friends matter, love matters. Those you love and who love you matter. That's what writing does - it allows you to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/family-matters-friends-matter-love-matters-those-you-love-and-who/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [A good book ... leaves you wanting to reread the book. A great book compels you to reread your own soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/a-good-book-leaves-you-wanting-to-reread-the-book-a-great-book/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) [Explore all 176 Richard Flanagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) ## 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 think empathy's a terrible danger for a writer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Flanagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-think-empathy-s-a-terrible-danger-for-a-writer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Compassion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-think-empathy-s-a-terrible-danger-for-a-writer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/richard-flanagan-2253_compassion_i-think-empathy-s-a-terrible-danger-for_2334048.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/richard-flanagan-2253_compassion_i-think-empathy-s-a-terrible-danger-for_2334048.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/richard-flanagan-2253_compassion_i-think-empathy-s-a-terrible-danger-for_2334048.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think empathy's a terrible danger for a writer.” — Richard Flanagan", "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": "Richard Flanagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think empathy's a terrible danger...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-think-empathy-s-a-terrible-danger-for-a-writer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-think-empathy-s-a-terrible-danger-for-a-writer/#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 } } ] } ```