Pity

Pity originally means feeling for others, particularly feelings of sadness or sorrow, and was once used in a comparable sense to the more modern words "sympathy" and "empathy". Through insincere usage, it now has more unsympathetic connotations of feelings of superiority or condescension.

Famous quotes containing the word pity:

“By choice they made themselves immune
To pity and whatever moans in man
Before the last sea and the hapless stars;
Whatever mourns when many leave these shores;
Whatever shares
The eternal reciprocity of tears.”
—Wilfred Owen (1893–1918)

“So you, O nameless Duchess who die young,
Meet death somewhat lovingly
And I am filled with a pity of beholding skulls.
There was no pride like yours.”
—Allen Tate (1899–1979)

“Don’t pity me now,
Don’t pity me never;
I’m going to do nothing
For ever and ever.”
—James Agate (1877–1947)