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.”
14 Quotes on the Meaning of Racial Equity
14 Motivational Quotes From Super Bowl-Winning Coaches
The Classics: Quotes From History’s Greatest Poems
Get Inspired To Give Back With These Quotes
Quotes To Help You Stay Young and Spry Forever
13 of the Funniest Quotes From Great Novels
17 Empowering Quotes from Female Athletes
14 Quotes From Some of the Best Stand-Up Specials Ever
Advice From Our Favorite Children’s TV Characters
20 Surprisingly Insightful Quotes From Children’s Movies
These “Monty Python” Quotes Are the True “Holy Grail”