The deepest quality of a work of art will always be the quality of the mind of the producer...No good novel will ever proceed from a superficial mind.
Henry JamesRead
We care what happens to people only in proportion as we know what people are.
Interpretation
Our concern for others depends on our understanding of who they are.
This quote by Henry James suggests that the degree of our empathy and care for others is directly linked to our knowledge and understanding of their lives and situations. The more we perceive and relate to the experiences of others, the more we are inclined to care about their well-being. It highlights the importance of connection and understanding in fostering compassion in human relationships.
In practice
This quote can be shared during a discussion about empathy in relationships.
The deepest quality of a work of art will always be the quality of the mind of the producer...No good novel will ever proceed from a superficial mind.
What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?
Never say you know the last word about any human heart.
I adore adverbs; they are the only qualifications I really much respect.
A swift carriage, of a dark night, rattling with four horses over roads that one canβt see--thatβs my idea of happiness.
Of course what he most intensely dreams of is being taken out on walks, and the more you are able to indulge him the more will he adore you and the more all the latent beauty of his nature will come out.
Some people insist they've never met a gay person. But Three Degrees of Jason Collins dictates that no NBA player can claim that anymore. Pro basketball is a family. And pretty much every family I know has a brother, sister or cousin who's gay. In the brotherhood of the NBA, I just happen to be the one who's out.
Solidarity is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all
The table is a meeting place, a gathering ground, the source of sustenance and nourishment, festivity, safety, and satisfaction. A person cooking is a person giving: even the simplest food is a gift.
The act of forgiveness takes place in our own mind. It really has nothing to do with the other person.
In many regards, Me Too is about survivors talking to survivors.
Twas something else. I had come to hate her, you see. I had come to wish her dead, and that was what held me back.
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