"Sympathy is the first condition of criticism"

This quote by Henri Frederic Amiel suggests that in order to be an effective critic, one need to first have compassion for the topic they are critiquing. This suggests that a critic needs to have the ability to understand the perspective of the individual or thing they are critiquing, and have the ability to put themselves in their shoes. Without compassion, a critic might be too severe or judgmental, and their criticism might not be useful. Having compassion allows a critic to be more understanding and compassionate, and to supply criticism that is valuable and helpful. It also allows a critic to be more unbiased and to think about different viewpoints. Eventually, having sympathy is necessary for a critic to be effective, as it enables them to supply useful criticism that is advantageous to the subject.