QuoteProject
When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated. This is why we sometimes attack who they are, which is far more hurtful than addressing a behavior or a choice.
Bren Brown
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Setting boundaries is crucial for healthy relationships; failing to do so leads to feelings of being mistreated.

Brené Brown emphasizes the importance of establishing boundaries in interpersonal relationships. When we neglect to set limits and fail to hold others accountable for their actions, it can lead to feelings of being taken advantage of, mistreated, or even resentful. Instead of addressing unacceptable behaviors, we may resort to attacking the person's character, which can cause more harm than good. This quote highlights the need for clear communication and mutual respect in our connections with others.

Themes

BoundariesRelationshipsAccountabilityCommunicationSelf-Care

In practice

Example use cases

In a workshop on healthy relationships, this quote can be used to illustrate the importance of setting boundaries.

More from Bren Brown

Perfectionism is a twenty-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it's the thing that's really preventing us from taking flight.
Bren BrownRead
Social media has given us this idea that we should all have a posse of friends when in reality, if we have one or two really good friends, we are lucky.
Bren BrownRead
What we know matters but who we are matters more.
Bren BrownRead
Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we're supposed to be and embracing who we are.
Bren BrownRead
Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.
Bren BrownRead
Nostalgia is also a dangerous form of comparison. Think about how often we compare our lives to a memory that nostalgia has so completely edited that it never really existed.
Bren BrownRead

Similar quotes

Believing you are worthy of love means that you believe I deserve to be treated well - with respect and dignity. I deserve to be cherished and adored by someone. I am worthy of an intimate and fulfilling relationship. I won't settle for less than I deserve. I will do whatever it takes to create that for myself.
Suze OrmanRead
There was a time you saw me once, one afternoon, in the dormitories. There was no one else around, and I was playing this tape, this music. I was sort of dancing with my eyes closed and you saw me.' '...yes, I remember that occasion. I still think about it from time to time.' 'That's funny, so do I.
Kazuo IshiguroRead
I will never be able to say what is in my heart because words fail us, because it is in our nature to protect, because there are times when what is public and what is private must be discerned.
Terry Tempest WilliamsRead
Whether it is tribalism, racism, xenophobia, or anti-Muslim backlash we're talking about, we spend so much time and energy fighting ways to divide ourselves from others.
Loretta LynchRead
Ne speaketh not; and yet there lies a conversation in his eyes.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
Isn't that the problem? That women have been swindled for centuries into substituting adornment for love, fashion (as it were) for passion?
Erica JongRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.