I take six or seven years to write really small books. There is a kind of aesthetic of leanness, of brevity.
Mohsin HamidRead
Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Empathy involves recognizing and understanding the feelings and experiences of others by relating to them through our own experiences.
This quote emphasizes the essence of empathy, which is the ability to connect with others by reflecting on our own emotions and experiences. It suggests that true understanding comes from recognizing our shared humanity, allowing us to bridge the gap between individual experiences and foster deeper connections with others.
Themes
EmpathyConnectionUnderstandingRelationshipsHumanity
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop on emotional intelligence, this quote could be used to highlight the importance of empathy in building relationships.
More from Mohsin Hamid
All quotes →When the forces are aligning against hybridity, it harms everyone, as we are all migrants. Growing up in Pakistan, I know just how oppressive that kind of puritanical mindset can be.
Mohsin HamidRead
Some of my relatives held on to imagined memories the way homeless people hold onto lottery tickets. Nostalgia was their crack cocaine, if you will, and my childhood was littered with the consequences of their addiction : unserviceable debts, squabbles over inheritances, the odd alcoholic or suicide.
Mohsin HamidRead
Stories helped me unite parts of my existence that might otherwise have seemed irrevocably split by geography and time. And stories helped me find a future in which I, such a mongrel, could be comfortable.
Mohsin HamidRead
I think there's a growing courage among the younger generation of American writers. Because of the more superficial treatment of characters taking place in cinema, they have had to deal with that by digging deeper into who these people are.
Mohsin HamidRead
Part of the reason people abroad resent the United States is something Americans can do very little about: envy. The richest, most powerful country in the world attracts the jealousy of others in much the same way that the richest, most powerful man in a small town attracts the jealousy of others.
Mohsin HamidRead
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