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To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. Anger is only one letter short of danger. If someone betrays you once, it is his fault; if he betrays you twice, it is your fault. Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. He who loses money, loses much; he who loses a friend, loses much more; he who loses faith, loses all.
Eleanor Roosevelt
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the importance of using both intellect and empathy in our interactions and highlights the profound loss that comes with losing faith or friendships.

Eleanor Roosevelt's quote conveys that to navigate personal dilemmas, one should rely on logic and critical thinking, while dealing with others requires compassion and understanding. It illustrates the dangers of anger and betrayal, emphasizing the need for self-reflection when trust is broken, and it ultimately prioritizes ideas and relationships over mundane topics or material possessions, underscoring the deeper values in life.

Themes

WisdomIntellectEmpathyBetrayalFriendshipFaith

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be shared during a leadership seminar to inspire thoughtful management.

More from Eleanor Roosevelt

Life must be lived and curiosity kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.
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Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.
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You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.
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Our children should learn the general framework of their government and then they should know where they come in contact with the government, where it touches their daily lives and where their influence is exerted on the government. It must not be a distant thing, someone else's business, but they must see how every cog in the wheel of a democracy is important and bears its share of responsibility for the smooth running of the entire machine.
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It takes courage to love, but pain through love is the purifying fire which those who love generously know.
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I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do.
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