By subscribing to Inspiring Quotes you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
In her 2019 Nobel lecture “The Tender Narrator,” Polish author Olga Tokarczuk reflected on her belief that tenderness is an understated but vitally important form of love. “Tenderness,” she said, “appears wherever we take a close and careful look at another being, at something that is not our ‘self.’” Feeling tenderness toward another being, then, is an intrinsic emotion that goes beyond empathy. Tokarczuk called it a “deep emotional concern” that acknowledges the similarities in our shared and fragile existence and honors the bonds between all living things. We are each part of the whole, she suggested, and tenderness is a way of looking at the world as “alive, living, interconnected, cooperating with, and codependent on itself.”
Quotes for Anyone Who Isn't Where They Want To Be in Life
15 Quotes That Get to the Heart of Buddhism
15 Life-Changing Quotes From Marcus Aurelius’ ‘Meditations’
7 Things You Didn’t Know About Truman Capote
16 Uplifting Quotes That Help Us When We’re Feeling Down
Life-Affirming Quotes About Human Connection
The Most Romantic Song Lyrics Ever Written
14 Quotes To Change How You Think About Love
16 Instantly Recognizable Song Lyrics
15 Quotes for Every Meal of the Day
15 Quotes To Remind You To Stop and Smell the Flowers