What I do is rooted in magic - it's got a big foot planted firmly in conjuring, even if the other foot's planted in psychological techniques.
Derren BrownRead
Each of us is leading a difficult life, and when we meet people we are seeing only a tiny part of the thinnest veneer of their complex, troubled existences. To practise anything other than kindness towards them, to treat them in any way save generously, is to quietly deny their humanity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We often overlook others' struggles and should respond with kindness.
Derren Brown's quote emphasizes the importance of kindness when interacting with others, as we are often unaware of the immense challenges they face in their lives. He highlights that everyone carries their own burdens, and the way we treat them should reflect understanding and compassion rather than indifference or negativity, recognizing their shared humanity.
Themes
KindnessHumanityStrugglesCompassionUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about mental health awareness to encourage understanding and kindness towards others.
More from Derren Brown
All quotes →Feeling we have to be constantly updated about the lives of our friends and that everything we say has to be out there leads to frustration, anger and jealousy much more than it leads to anything else.
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We go through life owned by the stories we tell ourselves which are often historic and charged narratives - things we've learnt since childhood that we don't even consciously realise are going on.
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A diner having a row with a waiter in a swanky restaurant chills the blood in a way that a quarrel over a pizza order elsewhere would never do. Compassion is rarely the custom of the privileged.
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Clearly if a hypnotist could make someone to steal £100k just by telling them to, the world would be a different place, and I suspect that hypnotists wouldn't bother doing shows in pubs or dodgy Spanish holiday resorts.
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It's a controlling thing on stage - you're directing the action, getting people to play their role. In real life, I take being kind and nice seriously, so the last thing I'd ever want to be is that weird, controlling, manipulative character.
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