About this quote

Human empathy has very strict, selfish limits. We feel our own minor discomforts far more deeply than the absolute catastrophes of other people. Why do we laugh when someone else slips on ice? It is the sudden relief that the pain belongs to someone else, packaged as a shock. Stop pretending you are purely noble and learn to laugh at the absurd, selfish nature of being human.

When to use it

• When your coworker complains for an hour about a slow Wi-Fi connection, but stays completely silent when the company lays off half of your department.
• Your teenager cries about losing their favorite pair of cheap sunglasses, ignoring the fact that you just spent all weekend fixing a flooded basement.
• A gym buddy whines about a tiny blister on their palm while another lifter nearby accidentally drops a heavy barbell on their toe.