Hey there, fellow feelings-catchers! Let’s set something straight right from the get-go: I’m no empathy expert (for those of you looking to dive deeper into understanding the subject, I have some great resources lined up for you at the end of this post). What I am, though, is a collector of words, quotes, and those unforgettable book passages that resonate deeply with us empaths. So, consider this blog post a carefully curated quote collection from one sensitive soul to another, offering a little glimpse into our experiences. Enjoy!
1. “Empaths did not come into this world to be victims, we came to be warriors. Be brave. Stay strong. We need all hands on deck.”
― Anthon St. Maarten
2. “The world needs them—the ones who absorb the emotions of others, which diminishes their pain and disquietude, and the world also uses them as a repository for confessions, secrets, grudges, and indignation. They will leave these uncommon and intuitive individuals feeling unburdened themselves while the unusual individual will be weighed down by having taken on those burdens in addition to their own. The world needs them, but what they need is something as aberrant as themselves, and that is silence, stillness, and rest.”
– Donna Lynn Hope
3. “As empaths, our high level of sensitivity means that we are prone to feeling like eternal outsiders who are in the world but not quite of the world.”
― Aletheia Luna
4. “Some people look for the obvious and make decisions based on that. However, sensitive people look for the subtle things in life. They observe what is missed, overlooked and rarely observed by others. They dwell at a deeper level of perception that clings to signs, body language and what is left unspoken. They are observers that will trust their instinct first over any fact or well delivered speech.”
― Shannon L. Alder
5. “Empaths don’t act fake. They get quiet.”
– Jane Lightworker
6. “I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the wounded person.”
― Walt Whitman
7. “I AM AN EMPATH – Watching certain types of movies can become unbearable. The energy of TV and Radio can be maddening. I know your feelings better than you do. I know when you lie. I crave solitude. I need order or I can’t think straight. Complete strangers tell me their life story. – I AM A HEALER”
― Sandra Cooze
8. “Sensitive people care when the world doesn’t because we understand waiting to be rescued and no one shows up. We have rescued ourselves, so many times that we have become self taught in the art of compassion for those forgotten.”
― Shannon L. Alder
9. “She had a very inconvenient heart. It always insisted on feeling things ever so deeply.”
– John Mark Green
10. “The sad thing that many of us empaths don’t realize is that often our desire to heal others is a disguised cry for help for our own healing. Because many of us weren’t taught how to value or nurture ourselves at a young age, we tend to unconsciously seek out our own healing in the healing of others.”
― Mateo Sol
11. “Intuitive empaths have a more profound grasp of other people’s emotions. Due to this rare trait, they feel the thrill of their surroundings more intensely than others do. In turn, it is almost impossible for them to ignore these senses. Luckily, unlike other empaths, intuitive empaths can control what and how this energy affects them. They can direct this distinct talent towards helping others.”
– Katya Ki
12. “Empathy is really the opposite of spiritual meanness. It’s the capacity to understand that every war is both won and lost. And that someone else’s pain is as meaningful as your own.”
– Barbara Kingsolver
13. “Empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place.”
– Daniel H. Pink
14. “No one reaches out to you for compassion or empathy so you can teach them how to behave better. They reach out to us because they believe in our capacity to know our darkness well enough to sit in the dark with them.”
― Brené Brown
15. “Never underestimate the empowered empath. Our kindness and compassion is too often mistaken for weakness or naivety, while we are in fact highly calibrated human lie detectors…and fearless warriors for truth and justice.”
― Anthon St. Maarten
16. “Many people confuse empaths for weak people who are nothing but scared. The opposite is true. When surrounded by positive energy they flourish into lovely creatures that are so much fun to hang around.”
– Katya Ki
17. “Empaths are absorbers, not observers. When you just observe, you are no longer an empath but just a sympath.”
― Monika Chhetri
18. “I had always been a sensitive person with tons of little cracks and as strong and self-reliant as I could act, it took very little for someone to enter those cracks and hurt me.”
― Jacqueline Simon Gunn
19. “Empaths have to be careful not to internalize others’ feelings, as this can cause them to feel anxious, sad, or even depressed. It can leave the empath feeling drained or exhausted. They must learn to set boundaries so as not to let toxic people drain them dry.”
― Donna G. Bourgeois
20. “I am an empath. I can hear what you are not saying.”
– Unknown
Here are some fantastic resources to deepen your understanding of empathy:
- Empathy: Definition, Types, and Tips for Practicing
- Empathy: How to Feel and Respond to the Emotions of Others
Happy learning!