“Imagining what it is like to be someone other than yourself is the core of our humanity. It is the essence of compassion, and it is the beginning of morality”. (Ian McEwan, novelist).

“Empathy matters not just because it makes you good, but because it is good for you. It has the power to heal broken relationships, erode our prejudices, expand our curiosity about strangers and make us rethink our ambitions. Ultimately, empathy creates the human bonds that make life worth living”. (Roman Krznaric, “How should we Live?).

To the above Epicurus would undoubtedly have said, “Seek simple pleasures, those that satisfy natural and necessary desires, chief of which are food, drink, clothing, shelter, friendship and love. You cannot have genuine friendship and love without empathy”.