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Empathy probably started out as a mechanism to improve maternal care. Mammalian mothers who were attentive to their young's needs were more likely to rear successful offspring.

In their sympathies, children feel nearer animals than adults.

Learning is a result of listening, which in turn leads to even better listening and attentiveness to the other person. In other words, to learn from the child, we must have empathy, and empathy grows as we learn.

Humans aren't as good as we should be in our capacity to empathize with feelings and thoughts of others, be they humans or other animals on Earth. So maybe part of our formal education should be training in empathy. Imagine how different the world would be if, in fact, that were 'reading, writing, arithmetic, empathy.'

Animals are sentient, intelligent, perceptive, funny and entertaining. We owe them a duty of care as we do to children.

I grew up with lots of animals and I related more to them than I did to people. I feel a lot of empathy for them.

We have to teach empathy as we do literacy.

Primate and elephant and even pig societies show considerable evidence of care for others, parent-child bonding, solidarity in the face of danger, and so on.

I have empathy; I am humane. I understand human misery.

The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.