Albert Brooks Quotes

One day when I was fourteen, I told Charlie that I hated Mother. “Don’t hate her, Jo,” he told me. “Feel sorry for her. She’s not near as smart as you. She wasn’t born with your compass, so she wanders around, bumping into all sorts of walls. That’s sad.” I understood what he meant, and it made me see Mother differently. But wasn’t there some sort of rule that said parents had to be smarter than their kids? It didn’t seem fair.

The best mother is the mother who adapts, and the best children are the children who adapt as well.

Don't keep telling your parents they don't understand you. Believe me it's much worse when they do. There's just a chance, you know - they really might.

Even the older generation are able to understand things when they see it on TV and identify with it. A lot of people are able to empathise with the characters. They can also distinguish between good and bad.

My mum, who died in 2011, was the most loving mother you could ask for. She was very compassionate, always a good listener, and her love was a constant throughout my life. She was very sympathetic, kind and understanding and I think these values can be underrated.

My mother taught me to ask people about the things they love.

I've always had that maternal thing: that connection with street kids and people who are misfits.

My mom is a hero in a lot of ways because she's the most empathetic and kind person I've ever met.

I am someone who will listen and someone who has an open mind.

If you can relate to what another person is going through while giving their experience room to be its own discrete thing, you're probably a crackerjack emergency contact.

I'm incredibly tenacious, but I also try so hard in my work to really listen to people and address their point of view. In the end, I always remember who I'm an advocate for.

My mom was always writing me notes to get me out of stuff.

I'm a person who tries to be compassionate, caring, and warm to every single person I meet.

Empathy isn't the same thing as expressing emotions. It's not about sharing your feelings - it can be really uncomfortable if a parent cries or loses strength at the moment her daughter needs it most. The message sent is that you need to be taken care of, not the other way around.

To be empathetic to everyone around you, I think, is such a powerful thing to hold.

You really need to have a lot of empathy for the work you're doing and the people who you're ultimately trying to help, whether that's a business colleague, a boss, or, ultimately, the user of the software you're building.

I know what it's like to feel distraught as I am an incredibly sensitive guy and feel for anything and everyone in pain, particularly my own sister.

I think I definitely get my soft side from my mother.

Being a nurturer isn't being a moron.

While people judge others from their own moral standpoint, the wise person looks also at the point of view of another.

I remember looking at my dad and wanting to understand him. I didn't want to just write the guy off. He was lost. I can't speak specifically in terms of why and how he got to where he was - that was his journey. All I can tell you is, he was overwhelmed by life... My mother basically did all the work, and then they got separated and I didn't see him for a long time. He didn't try to help the family financially or spiritually, and I lived with the effects of the chaos.

Please don't judge me too much until you are older and know more things. (Spoken from mother to daughter)

I lived in the house with my mother so she had no choice but to hear what I was doing. I would ask her for her opinion. I used to like doing that because I would let my friends hear what I did, but they listened to it on another level. My mom listened to it with a different ear, because she's older.

Acceptance, tolerance, bravery, compassion. These are the things my mom taught me!

Empathy requires knowing that you know nothing.