Empathy is a respectful understanding of what others are experiencing. Instead of offering empathy, we often have a strong urge to give advice or reassurance and to explain our own position or feeling. Empathy, however, calls upon us to empty our mind and listen to others with our whole being.

Social change involves helping people see new options for making life wonderful that are less costly to get needs met.

All violence is the result of people tricking themselves into believing that their pain derives from other people and that consequently those people deserve to be punished.

The number one rule of our training is empathy before education.

We use NVC to evaluate ourselves in ways that engender growth rather than self-hatred.

NVC requires us to be continually conscious of the beauty within ourselves and other people.

All that has been integrated into NVC has been known for centuries about consciousness, language, communication skills, and use of power that enable us to maintain a perspective of empathy for ourselves and others, even under trying conditions.