--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more observing ones may have seen…" description: "\"The more observing ones may have seen, but discerning people are usually discreet and often kind, for we usually bleed a little before we begin to disc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/willa-cather-634_discerning_the-more-observing-ones-may-have-seen-bu_1632915.png" --- # The more observing ones may have seen, but discerning… ![“The more observing ones may have seen, but discerning people are usually discreet and often kind, for we usually bleed a little before we begin to discern.” quote by Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/willa-cather-634_discerning_the-more-observing-ones-may-have-seen-bu_1632915.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/willa-cather-634_discerning_the-more-observing-ones-may-have-seen-bu_1632915.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/willa-cather-634_discerning_the-more-observing-ones-may-have-seen-bu_1632915.png) > “The more observing ones may have seen, but discerning people are usually discreet and often kind, for we usually bleed a little before we begin to discern.” [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observing is easy; true discernment requires emotional experience and restraint, leading to kindness. **In simple terms:** Seeing is easy, understanding needs feeling. Key Takeaway Cultivate empathy before judging. Themes empathy discernment kindness emotional intelligence Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - leadership - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology ethical behavior Questions to Reflect On - How does personal pain affect your judgments? - When does discretion become avoidance? A Different Perspective Discerning people may still misinterpret signals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. 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Discerning the path of love and obedience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/we-are-all-responsible-to-jesus-first-and-then-under-him-to-various/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [“Not every good idea is God's perfect will for you; it may need discerning, wisdom and experience to tell the difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-lucas-d-shallua/not-every-good-idea-is-god-s-perfect-will-for-you-it-may-need/) [Dr. Lucas D. Shallua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-lucas-d-shallua/) > ['The Observer's Very Short List' is another example of how the Observer Media Group offers its readers the most cutting-edge information, available in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-kushner/the-observer-s-very-short-list-is-another-example-of-how-the-observer/) [Jared Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-kushner/) > [A discerning man, when he eats grapes, takes only the ripe ones and leaves the sour. 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Compassionate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/when-we-have-an-inner-initiation-into-pure-love-we-are-in-contact/) [Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/) > [Political journalists love graduate student intelligence, the ability to make clever allusions in seminars, and in 1999-2000 they hassled George W. Bush for not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/political-journalists-love-graduate-student-intelligence-the-ability/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [There are certain times you rattle the press's cages, and other times you don't, and you have to be discerning about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-fleischer/there-are-certain-times-you-rattle-the-press-s-cages-and-other-times/) [Ari Fleischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-fleischer/) > [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [The world of counterterrorism is like that old jigsaw puzzle in the back of the closet: Its many missing pieces and extra parts jumbled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-l-haney/the-world-of-counterterrorism-is-like-that-old-jigsaw-puzzle-in-the/) [Eric L. Haney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-l-haney/) ## More by Willa Cather > [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Success is less interesting than struggle. There is great pleasure in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/success-is-less-interesting-than-struggle-there-is-great-pleasure-in/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“I only knew the schoolbooks said he "died in the wilderness, of a broken heart." "More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/i-only-knew-the-schoolbooks-said-he-died-in-the-wilderness-of-a/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Have the last word ma'm," he said cheerfully. "It's a lady's privilege.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/have-the-last-word-ma-m-he-said-cheerfully-it-s-a-lady-s-privilege/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > ["More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly, and the girls murmured assent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/more-than-him-has-done-that-said-antonia-sadly-and-the-girls-murmured/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Nothing mattered ... but writing books, and living the kind of life that made it possible to write them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/nothing-mattered-but-writing-books-and-living-the-kind-of-life-that/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Money and office and success are the consolations of impotence. Fortune turns kind to such solid people and lets them suck their bone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/money-and-office-and-success-are-the-consolations-of-impotence/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [But she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/but-she-still-had-that-something-which-fires-the-imagination-could/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“You remember how homesick I used to get, and what long talks we used to have coming from school? We've someway always felt alike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/you-remember-how-homesick-i-used-to-get-and-what-long-talks-we-used/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“He placed this book in my grandmother's hands, looked at her entreatingly, and said, with an earnestness which I shall never forget, "Te-e-ach, te-e-ach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/he-placed-this-book-in-my-grandmother-s-hands-looked-at-her/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [The sincerity of feeling that is possible between a writer and a reader is one of the finest things I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-sincerity-of-feeling-that-is-possible-between-a-writer-and-a/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Our tree became the talking tree of the fairy tale; legends and stories nestled like birds in its branches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/our-tree-became-the-talking-tree-of-the-fairy-tale-legends-and/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-three-human-stories-and-they-go/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) [Explore all 434 Willa Cather quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) ## More Discerning quotes > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. 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Bush for not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/political-journalists-love-graduate-student-intelligence-the-ability/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [When we have an inner initiation into pure love, we are in contact with our true nature. Judgment of ourselves and others disappears. Compassionate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/when-we-have-an-inner-initiation-into-pure-love-we-are-in-contact/) [Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/) > [If you feel a great loneliness and a deep longing for human contact, you have to be extremely discerning...and ask yourself whether this situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/if-you-feel-a-great-loneliness-and-a-deep-longing-for-human-contact/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [“He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent. He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/he-who-knows-other-men-is-discerning-he-who-knows-himself-is/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [My first job with a network was 'General Hospital,' and that was ABC. I feel like I have so much history with them, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-ray-newman/my-first-job-with-a-network-was-general-hospital-and-that-was-abc-i/) [Jaime Ray Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-ray-newman/) > [If I were to offer any advice to young writers, it would be this: be discriminating and be discerning about the work you set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/if-i-were-to-offer-any-advice-to-young-writers-it-would-be-this-be/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [A discerning man, when he eats grapes, takes only the ripe ones and leaves the sour. Thus also the discerning mind carefully marks the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-climacus/a-discerning-man-when-he-eats-grapes-takes-only-the-ripe-ones-and/) [John Climacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-climacus/) > ['The Observer's Very Short List' is another example of how the Observer Media Group offers its readers the most cutting-edge information, available in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-kushner/the-observer-s-very-short-list-is-another-example-of-how-the-observer/) [Jared Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-kushner/) > [“Not every good idea is God's perfect will for you; it may need discerning, wisdom and experience to tell the difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-lucas-d-shallua/not-every-good-idea-is-god-s-perfect-will-for-you-it-may-need/) [Dr. Lucas D. Shallua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-lucas-d-shallua/) > [We are all responsible to Jesus first, and then, under him, to various other persons and offices. Discerning the path of love and obedience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/we-are-all-responsible-to-jesus-first-and-then-under-him-to-various/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [A passion for continual learning, a refined, discerning ear for the moral and ethical consequences of their actions, and an understanding of the purposes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/a-passion-for-continual-learning-a-refined-discerning-ear-for-the/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [The world of counterterrorism is like that old jigsaw puzzle in the back of the closet: Its many missing pieces and extra parts jumbled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-l-haney/the-world-of-counterterrorism-is-like-that-old-jigsaw-puzzle-in-the/) [Eric L. Haney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-l-haney/) Browse all 140 Discerning quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The more observing ones may have seen, but discerning people are usually discreet and often kind, for we usually bleed a little before we begin to discern.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Willa Cather" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-more-observing-ones-may-have-seen-but-discerning-people-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discerning" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-more-observing-ones-may-have-seen-but-discerning-people-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/willa-cather-634_discerning_the-more-observing-ones-may-have-seen-bu_1632915.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/willa-cather-634_discerning_the-more-observing-ones-may-have-seen-bu_1632915.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/willa-cather-634_discerning_the-more-observing-ones-may-have-seen-bu_1632915.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The more observing ones may have seen, but discerning people are usually discreet and often kind, for we…” — Willa Cather", "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": "Willa Cather", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The more observing ones may have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-more-observing-ones-may-have-seen-but-discerning-people-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-more-observing-ones-may-have-seen-but-discerning-people-are/#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 } } ] } ```