I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves.

The line argues that genuine understanding is inseparable from empathy. To “really understand” another person—grasping their desires, convictions, and inner logic—requires temporarily entering their self-conception and seeing their choices as they see them. From that vantage, condemnation becomes difficult: one is led toward a form of love or fellow-feeling proportionate to the person’s own self-regard, even if one ultimately disagrees with their beliefs. The quote thus links moral imagination to affection, suggesting that hatred often rests on caricature or distance, while deep comprehension tends to humanize and soften judgment.