When you run into someone who is disagreeable to others, you may be sure he is uncomfortable with himself; the amount of pain we inflict upon others is directly proportional to the amount we feel within us.
Interpretation
People who are unpleasant to others often struggle with their own inner turmoil.
This quote reflects the idea that our behavior towards others can often be a reflection of our own internal struggles. When someone behaves disagreeably, it often stems from their own discomfort and pain; therefore, their outward negativity towards others is a projection of their inner conflict. Understanding this can foster empathy and compassion, as it highlights the interconnectedness of human emotions and experiences.
In practice
In a team meeting, when discussing conflicts, one could say this quote to emphasize understanding different perspectives.
A person is either himself or not himself; is either rooted in his existence or is a fabrication; has either found his humanhood or is still playing with masks and roles and status symbols. And nobody is more aware of this difference (although unconsciously) than a child. Only an authentic person can evoke a good response in the core of the other person; only person is resonant to person.
We evaluate others with a Godlike justice, but we want them to evaluate us with a Godlike compassion.
The commonest fallacy among women is that simply having children makes them a mother - which is as absurd as believing that having a piano makes one a musician.
Man's unique agony as a species consists in his perpetual conflict between the desire to stand out and the need to blend in.
"Terrorism" is what we call the violence of the weak, and we condemn it; "war" is what we call the violence of the strong, and we glorify it.
At it's highest level, the purpose of teaching is not to teach—it is to inspire the desire for learning. Once a student's mind is set on fire, it will find a way to provide its own fuel.
Scratch the surface of most cynics and you find a frustrated idealist — someone who made the mistake of converting his ideals into expectations.
Blood, always precious, is priceless when it streams from Immanuel's side.
When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not?
To know oneself is to study oneself in action, which is relationship.
.. the voice of nature and experience seems plainly to oppose the selfish theory.
liberty, which means resisting all forms of cultural authoritarianism, be it from the right wing church, black ideologues, black nationalists, or mainstream white media. We have to accent liberty and freedom of expression and thought in all their forms.
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