Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Empathy is the life of the soul...


...everywhere I look I see myself. There I go: that bald man, this angry child, that fearful cat, that cool stone, that bubbling brook, that worm struggling for its life, that bird desperate to feed her hungry babies, that one trapped in his rage, this one anxious but fearful of finding out why. Hardly strangers! Empathy is the life of the soul, I think, because the soul that allows us to see the one in the other is the soul that finds joy.

-- Claudia Michele


5 comments:

  1. Beautiful pic, beautiful quote.

    I missed reading your blogs when I was away in Scotland, Ellie.

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  2. And I've missed having you around, Cathy!

    (Oh, and I just this minute posted a new one on this "Wisdom" blog...)

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  3. Wonderful quote, Ellie. Do you know anything more about the writer, or the source?
    (I love your blog; I look forward to it each day.)

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  4. Hello, Ray. I'm so glad the blog is meaningful to you and that you've taken the trouble to comment.

    You know, I wish I knew more about Claudia Michele myself. I think the link on her name is where I actually found the quotation. I did several searches with different spelling variations hoping to learn more about her but was unable to turn up anything. Pity. She's clearly a person of considerable depth.

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  5. Thanks, Ellie. I had the same result online, and thought that maybe she was a friend or colleague. A beautiful quote, nonetheless--perhaps the mystery adds to its meaning.

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